The United States Tennis Association announced in a press release on Friday afternoon that Lew Sherr, as CEO, will return as CEO on June 30th. Later it was announced by The Associated Press that Sherr will lead the business companies for the New York Mets Baseball Team, which on the other side of promenade is less than 1,000 meters from the Usta Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens.
“This is really a bitter -sweet moment. In the past 15 years, the Usta has been so much more than just a job – it was a community, a purpose and a passion.” said Lew Sherr, outgoing Usta CEO. “From my early days, which focused on income up to the privilege of the CEO, I had the honor of working with extraordinary colleagues and volunteers at all levels of the organization. We together navigated the transformation, triggered the innovation and the American tennis set on long -term growth and influence.
Sherr’s term at the Usta – initially as Chief Revenue Officer and since 2022 as CEO – was characterized in many fronts, including:
- Development of an ambitious growth strategy to reach 35 million players in the United States in the United States by 2035 after he had already supervised five consecutive years of participation. 25.7 million Americans play tennis in 2024
- The shift in the Usta shift towards health and wellness focus as well as help to lead the development and introduction of a new, targeted mission for the organization: “Growth of tennis to inspire healthier people and communities everywhere”.
- Charging of the growth of the US Open in all possible metric inlays, the achievement of 1 million participants, the signing of a long-term broadcasting contract with ESPN and the acquisition of income to over $ 500 million at the 2024 tournament.
- Completion of the largest individual investment in the US Open History, which is reinterpreting and modernizing the Arthur Ashe Stadium, creating a new, state-of-the-art player performance center and heralds a brave, visionary future of the US Open Experience for fans, players and partners. This project, which was announced last week and will be completed in 2027, is an investment of $ 800 million in the US Open and the Usta Billie Jean King National Tennis Center and is fully financed by the Usta.
After the departure of Sherr, Brian Vahaly, CEO of the Usta board and Chief Operating Officer and Chief Legal Officer Andrea Hirsch, will serve as an interim co-CEOs, while the organization carries out a search for its next leader.
“In the name of the entire Usta family, I would like to thank Lew for his many years of service to our sport and wish him nothing other than the best in his new role. Lew has played a key role in the damage to the American tennis at this exciting moment – and now the rest of us will carry this energy forward.” said Brian Vahaly, CEO of the Usta board and an incoming interim co-CEO. “The Usta is in an exceptionally strong position. The tennis participation is at an all-time high, and the US Open have an unprecedented popularity and a record-breaking participation. We have a solid basis and a real dynamic and Andrea and I are obliged to further develop this progress if we prepare for the next chapter.”
Vahaly served in the Usta Board of Directors five non-consecutive terms and was elected as chairman and president for the term of 2025-26. Since he came to the Usta in 2006, Hirsch has worked in several roles throughout the organization, including her current position as Chief Operation Officer and Chief Legal Officer, which she took over in 2022.
