New York--Martin Blackman, a former ATP player who founded his own tennis academy in 2011, was named Monday to replace Pat McEnroe as the US Tennis Association player development general manager.
Blackman will oversee the player development arm of the governing body with a mission to find and train the next generation of American tennis stars, including overseeing a new USTA facility near Orlando, Florida.
McEnroe, who had the job since 2008, had been Blackman's boss before he departed to form his own academy in Boca Raton, where he now resides.
"I am confident he is the right person at the right time to continue to lead USTA player development in the right direction moving forward," said USTA chairman Katrina Adams.
As a junior player, Blackman trained at the Bollettieri academy with such future stars as Andre Agassi and Jim Courier before going on to play for two US college national champion teams at Stanford University and play on the ATP from 1989 to 1995.
"His expansive background in all areas of player development from experience as a player, to talent identification, to coaching at the highest levels gives him a solid platform to build on the great base that Patrick and the staff has built." USTA executive director Gordon Smith said.
AFP
