Haas new IW's director

[isabelle]

According to l'Equipe, Tommy"ll become new IW's boss for next edition wish him good luck and a nice experience

 

[britbox]

Does this mean Tommy has formally retired? Because their were rumours of another return recently?

 

[isabelle]

I suppose he retired ?? not sure all I know is that he had a 9th surgery in may...(foot this time)

 

[britbox]

Tommy was still on crutches a couple of weeks ago. I haven't heard a retirement announcement but it looks pretty inevitable with the Indian Wells job announced.

 

[Billie]

A good move, I think. I would think that players like former colleagues filling in this role in tournaments:

Tommy Haas has been named Tournament Director of the BNP Paribas Open, the largest WTA and ATP World Tour combined two-week event in the world, it was announced today by BNP Paribas Open Chief Operating Officer Steve Birdwell. Haas’ appointment as Tournament Director is pending approval by the ATP and WTA Boards.

A former World No. 2, Haas has won 15 ATP World Tour titles in his career, advanced to multiple Grand Slam semi-finals, including the Australian Open (1999, 2002, 2007) and Wimbledon (2009), and earned a silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics. The German posted a 25-13 record at Indian Wells, reaching back-to-back quarter-finals in 2007 and 2008.

“I’m thrilled to join the BNP Paribas Open as its new Tournament Director and look forward to working with one of the finest sporting events in the world,” said Haas. “There is a reason that the BNP Paribas Open has been voted Tournament of the Year by both tours for consecutive years, as the tournament and venue continue to provide a world-class experience for players, fans and sponsors. I look forward to joining the experienced Indian Wells staff, building upon the foundation they have created, and working to take the event to even greater heights.”

"As the BNP Paribas Open continues to grow and evolve in today’s tennis landscape, we see a clear need for a Tournament Director who will engage with players, sponsors and fans in a deep and meaningful way, and we believe that Tommy is well-positioned to achieve these goals,” Birdwell said. “Tommy is well-regarded by his peers on both tours and we believe that adding him to our existing veteran team will allow the tournament to flourish in the years to come.”

Novak Djokovic approved of the move after winning his semi-final at Roland Garros. "It's a perfect solution for the Indian Wells tournament, considering the great relationship Tommy has with [tournament owner] Larry Ellison. Tommy has been around so many years in tennis," Djokovic said. "I'm sure he's very eager to contribute to the growth of that tournament that is already setting a very high standard in the integrity of ATP events."

 

[DarthFed]

It's cool that he is doing that but unfortunately that does seem to indicate that he is going to retire. Too bad.

 

[Billie]

It's cool that he is doing that but unfortunately that does seem to indicate that he is going to retire. Too bad.

He is old, he has been stricken with injuries, what else is he going to do? I think this is a great opportunity for Tommy.

 

[britbox]

I was a big fan of Tommy Haas - loved his game... Oddly enough for such an injury stricken player his game was always smooth and seemingly effortless. But reality-check sets in and this is a great move for Tommy... he's long finished as a top player and a retirement tour would only be the benefit of his fans. I wish him well on the Indian Wells position.

 

[Tennis Fan]

I was a big fan of Tommy Haas - loved his game... Oddly enough for such an injury stricken player his game was always smooth and seemingly effortless. But reality-check sets in and this is a great move for Tommy... he's long finished as a top player and a retirement tour would only be the benefit of his fans. I wish him well on the Indian Wells position.

I loved Tommy Haas. He just had so many injuries; it was crazy. I think the new position will be good for him too, it's obvious that he loves the sport of tennis.

Oh Britbox, I just stumbled on the Hall of Fame post. Awesome!

 

[Moxie]

I was a big fan of Tommy Haas - loved his game... Oddly enough for such an injury stricken player his game was always smooth and seemingly effortless. But reality-check sets in and this is a great move for Tommy... he's long finished as a top player and a retirement tour would only be the benefit of his fans. I wish him well on the Indian Wells position.

Proving perhaps that style of play and injuries are not a 1:1 equation, eh? Sometimes, it's just bad luck. Tommy's wife is an actress, so Cali makes sense for him. Seems like a good fit. I guess the retirement announcement will be forthcoming.

 

[Tennis Fan]

Proving perhaps that style of play and injuries are not a 1:1 equation, eh? Sometimes, it's just bad luck. Tommy's wife is an actress, so Cali makes sense for him. Seems like a good fit. I guess the retirement announcement will be forthcoming.

I've said that forever. Some of the most "free flowing" players have the most injuries. It's always been this way.

 

[britbox]

 

[Ricardo]

Proving perhaps that style of play and injuries are not a 1:1 equation, eh? Sometimes, it's just bad luck. Tommy's wife is an actress, so Cali makes sense for him. Seems like a good fit. I guess the retirement announcement will be forthcoming.

not 1:1 but it is correlated with style of play, age or just genes, so not just bad luck. is bad genes bad luck? Nishicori is fragile with injuries, no one said its bad luck.

 

[Billie]

Well see what kind of political skills Tommy has.

 

[Moxie]

Twitter has nice graphics, but not that informative. What HAS Tommy said about equal pay that might come back to haunt him?

 

[Billie]

^^ That equal pay in slams is not fair.

 

[Moxie]

After a brief google search, this:

http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/equal-pay-you-haas-to-be-joking-7255326.html

Apparently Tommy had gone with the same old tropes as many. Let's see if he's evolved.

 

[Moxie]

And cue Ricardo. He'll be coming along to flip out on my feminist position. Never mind that all I did was ask the question, and it was britbox that posted the tweet. In 3...2...1....