Billie Jean King & Paul McNamee share mixed feelings about outgoing US Open director Stacey Allaster
Billie Jean King and Paul McNamee are two former tennis players who left a pretty significant mark on the sport during their playing days. The impact of Billie Jean King is almost impossible to encapsulate in words, considering that much of what the modern WTA is, is owed to her and her daring attitudes at a time when it wasn't a popular narrative.
She's remained hugely active in the tennis community ever since then, participating in ceremonies and events as well as simply being recognized as one of the most important figures in tennis ever. She's also rather active on social media, sharing her thoughts on things as they happen. The most recent instance of that was her commenting on the departure of Stacey Allaster as the tournament director of the US Open.
"Stacey Allaster's strong leadership and creative ideas have transformed the U.S. Open. As the first woman tournament director of the US Open, she championed equality and progress, and worked tirelessly to raise the bar for success in her role. Thank you, Stacey, for all you have done for our sport of tennis, and for inspiring so many of us to reach our full potential," Billie Jean King wrote on X.
Allaster presided over the US Open for 4 years and saw it grow as an event and a spectacle. She had the privilege of handing a trophy to American Coco Gauff when she won it in 2023. However, not everybody shared King's positive attitude towards Allaster.
Paul McNamee noted on X:
"Hi Billie Jean, no doubt Stacey has done much in tennis. However, for the record, you were privileged in that at WTA she protected (your) World Team Tennis even though it was scheduled in WTA weeks. Unfortunately, a wonderful event, Hopman Cup in Perth, was not treated the same."
McNamee is technically right because King did push the WTT project for a very long time as the first player to sign up for it back in 1974. Some events like the Hopman Cup were canned out of the calendar though possibly not directly because of the WTT. In the end, both events are technically defunct as of now.
Billie Jean King in modern tennis
The former legendary player is still an active member of the tennis community. She goes to events, participates in trophy ceremonies, gives speeches and attends the Billie Jean King Cup every year which was named after her.
Despite her age, she remains as vital as ever but she's not everybody's hero. Some have pointed out inconsistencies in her approach over the years and some have felt that she's too involved but nobody can deny her tremendous stature in the sport and everything she has done over the years.