Chris Kermode (born 13 January 1965) is a retired English male tennis player, a former tournament director and the executive chairman & president of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) from 2014 to 2019.
| Country (sports) |  United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Born | 13 January 1965 |
| Plays | Right-handed |
| Prize money | $447 |
| Singles | |
| Highest ranking | No. 742 (10 February 1986) |
| Doubles | |
| Highest ranking | No. 284 (4 February 1985) |
On 20 November 2013 Kermode was appointed as the ATP executive chairman & president to succeed Brad Drewett who died of an illness in May 2013. His three-year term started on 1 January 2014, and he is based in the ATP’s London office.[1][2] On 7 March 2019 the ATP announced that Kermode would leave his position at year-end.[3] An article on ESPN.com[4] suggests Kermode's departure was due to a "palace coup engineered" in part by Novak Djokovic.
Kermode has been involved in tennis for more than 30 years. Following his modest career as a professional player from 1985 to 1988, Kermode worked in London as a tennis coach and later served as the tournament director of the Queen's Club Championships.[5] From 2008 to 2014 he has been the managing director of the ATP World Tour's season-ending event ATP World Tour Finals. In addition Kermode has worked in the music and film business.[6]
Before being appointed by the ATP Kermode applied for the position of chief executive at the British Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) but was not selected.[7][8]
Family
editKermode is the grandson of Sir Derwent Kermode who was the British Ambassador to Indonesia (1950–1953) and the Czech Republic (1953–1955) before taking Holy Orders and becoming vicar at Cocking, West Sussex.[9]
References
edit- ^ "Briton Chris Kermode named as new ATP executive chairman". www.bbc.com. BBC Sport. 20 November 2013.
- ^ "ATP appoints Chris Kermode as ATP Executive Chairman and President". ATP World Tour. 20 November 2014.
- ^ "Kermode To Depart ATP At The End Of 2019". Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). 7 March 2019.
- ^ Bodo, Peter (2 April 2019). "Federer's excellence, Serena's future and more March takeaways". ESPN.com.
- ^ "Behind the Scenes with Tournament Director Chris Kermode". Lawn Tennis Association (LTA).
- ^ Roger Blitz (25 June 2014). "Chris Kermode knows how Wimbledon's tennis stars are feeling". Financial Times.
- ^ Kevin Mitchell (12 November 2013). "Chris Kermode: good enough to run world tennis but rejected by the LTA". The Guardian.
- ^ Paul Newman (24 September 2013). "LTA turns to 'cheaper' Michael Downey as new head". The Independent.
- ^ Donovan, Mike (January 2014). "Grand Designs of Vicar's Grandson". Sussex Sport. No. 17. pp. 12–13.
