WTA choses marketing man to boost Women's tour

New WTA chief Kevin Wulff said today that his marketing skills were a key reason he had been chosen to head women's tennis and raise the game's profile.

Wulff is a former senior Nike manager under whose control the shoe and apparel lines of Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods were developed.

"I'm a chief executive officer with an instinct for and a strong marketing and sales background – I think that was why the WTA was interested in me," said Wulff.

Wulff was chosen Monday as CEO of the women's tennis tour, replacing Bart McGuire, who will leave the job on Dec. 31.

Wulff, 49, will attempt to use his skills honed at Nike to sell the game to a larger public, maximizing the game's rising popularity as a brand behind stars like Venus and Serena Williams and Jennifer Capriati.

"I think there are a lot of people around the world who think the level of play of women's tennis has never been as high as it is now," Wulff said. "I have the passion to reinvent some parts of the tour using these great players."

McGuire, saying Wulff was hired to take the tour a next step, added one of his jobs would be to add to major sponsors like Sanex and Nasdaq.

In more than eight years at Nike, Wulff held several posts, including president and general manager for the United States.