Echoing Serena Williams when she “evolved away from tennis” in 2022, Stacey Allaster says she does not view her transition from USTA chief executive/professional tennis and U.S. Open tournament director to an advisory role as retirement, but as a reclamation of her time to “create a life centered around fun, freedom, impact and legacy.”

“We have strategic plans for business, but not necessarily for our life,” said Allaster, the first female tournament director in U.S. Open history. “I have been working on my [life] plan, called ‘time to start living,’ for many years, and this is really the jumping-off point.”

Allaster added that her next chapter will involve more time with family and friends, travel and mentorship and consulting work in the sports and entertainment industry. Already, she serves on the board of the Canadian Olympic Committee and will begin a term on the Women’s Sports Foundation’s board of trustees in January.

An ace career

Before joining the USTA in 2016 as chief executive of professional tennis — she added the official title of U.S. Open tournament director in 2020 — Allaster served as CEO and chairman of the WTA, VP/sales and marketing of Tennis Canada, and tournament director of the Canadian Open. She was also honored as an SBJ Game Changer in 2011.

Allaster’s proudest moment from her USTA tenure, she said, was navigating the COVID-19 pandemic to put on the U.S. Open without fans in 2020. Operating revenue for the event dipped to $181.2 million that year but nearly tripled between then and 2023, when the USTA booked $514.1 million from its signature event.

This year, the tournament drew a record 1,048,669 fans across two weeks of main draw play and its free-to-enter Fan Week. “The 2024 U.S. Open was the best event of my entire 38-year career,” Allaster said. “Hockey stick growth. And there seems to be so much capacity and energy for the U.S. Open. We’re super excited about 2025.”

Allaster’s last three-year contract with the USTA expired after the 2024 U.S. Open, which she at one point thought would be her last. But when USTA CEO and Executive Director Lew Sherr asked her to stay on for one more year, she agreed, and will lend her expertise in the search for her replacement following the 2025 tournament.

“You need a real collaborator, a servant leader, someone who understands the needs of their athletes and their entourages, to optimize their performance,” Allaster said of the qualities that person will need to embody. “The athletes, ultimately, are the stars of the show. We provide the stage. The fans come to us and give us their disposable time and income so that we ultimately grow this sport.”

In a prepared statement, Sherr thanked Allaster “for her incredible partnership over the years and for the countless ways she has helped shape American and global tennis.”