Nobody has ever been able to bring the players, tournament officials and sponsors into harmony in a sport that clings to tradition and resists change. Add in a global recession that has everyone, even the superstars, looking for ways to cut costs while worrying about the future.
"He was under no illusions as to the complexities,'' Kris Dent, the ATP's corporate communications director, said of Helfant. "It's a wide landscape - 63 tournaments, 400-plus players, seven different governing bodies to coordinate with.''
A former NHL lawyer, Nike executive and Massachusetts Institute of Technology engineering graduate, the 44-year-old Helfant replaces South African Etienne de Villiers, who ran the ATP Tour since 2005 and stepped down last year.
Helfant flew into Melbourne for the season-opening Grand Slam and spent much of last week meeting with the Players Council and as many other people as possible to get their views on tennis' problems and possibilities before moving to London this week.
"I think it's one of the toughest jobs in sports with the conflicting agendas between the players, the ITF and the tournaments,'' said Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley. "We need a leader who's going to direct the players on what's best for the sport in the future, not necessarily what's best for them now. I think he's the right guy.
"People need to understand that it doesn't happen overnight; there's got to be a plan, a robust plan, and stick with it. The pain of change isn't as great as the pain of losing.''
The economic crisis certainly is adding a new urgency to resolving some of the complexities. Although financial services companies and automakers - among tennis' prime sponsors - have been hit hard, replacements have been surprisingly easy to find, and there is a waiting list of cities that want to host tournaments. That could change if the downturn drags on.
Helfant turned down interview requests, saying through Dent that he wants to get a good understanding of the situation before making public comment.
Those who have met with him - including top players like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Roddick - aren't reticent, agreeing with Tiley that Helfant seems to be the right guy at the right time.
"I think we're very excited about him being in this position because Rafa, myself and all the other guys on the (players) council, we've worked extremely hard trying to get tennis on the right track,'' said Federer, who relishes his own role as an ambassador for tennis. "It wasn't bad, but I still think we can improve. I think with a guy like Adam, we can make the necessary changes.''
Roddick got the chance to sit down with Helfant over dinner and came away impressed.
"He didn't come in with kind of this braggadocio attitude of what he's done, whatever,'' said the seventh-ranked American, who has been on the tour since 2000 and was ranked No. 1 in November 2003. "He kind of came in and he had his notepad and his pen and he asked questions and he wrote down notes. He was kind of very concerned about a number of issues. If he didn't quite understand it, he would ask why we thought that.''
None of the issues are new. They include just about everything, from the tournament schedule right down to which surfaces and balls are best.
The schedule is one of the contentions. Some changes have been adopted, including efforts to provide more of a lead-in to the French Open. Players would like more changes, especially with pressure from their countries to play Davis Cup, the Olympics and other competitions.
It seems that it would be easy to switch things around a bit. It's not. Take, for example, the Australian Open.
Some players would like to see it pushed back a bit to provide a longer offseason to relax and get healthy after what can be a grueling grind throughout the year.
But Tiley likes the Australian Open just where it is - right at the end of Australia's national summer break, which fuels attendance. It's also a time that, other than the U.S. Super Bowl, sports such as baseball, golf and soccer, are on the back burner and others, like the NBA and NHL, are well away from the push toward the playoffs.
And while heat often becomes an issue the last two weeks in January, early February is traditionally even hotter, Tiley said.
His suggestion is to stretch from the other side, clearing up early November. Needless to say, tournaments currently scheduled then - or shortly before - would resist that.
Then there's the question of whether players would even take the time off if the offseason were lengthened. The very top players, with endorsement money fattenening their bank accounts, can afford to pick and choose where they play; others have to worry about paying the bills so they play every chance they get, even if it means getting worn down and injury-prone.
So should Helfant think about mandating players' vacations?
"Players aren't going to sit on the beach for six weeks,'' Dent said. "They'll do exhibitions.''
Some issues have eased since de Villiers took the ATP job in 2005 with a mandate for change.
The high-tech Hawkeye replay system has eased grumbling and arguments over line calls, though Federer and some other players dislike it. Prize money has risen. Doubles, which seemed to be headed for extinction other than at the Grand Slams and Davis Cup, has been saved, at least temporarily, thanks to some tweaking of the scoring system.
Still, de Villiers took heat for being aloof and not always listening to input from players and others before imposing changes.
"I think he's been unfairly criticized,'' Tiley said. "In my view, he always had the best interests of the sport at heart. I think he was the right man at the right time.''
Now tennis will find out if the same applies to Helfant.
New boss for men’s tennis faces challenges
New boss for men’s tennis faces challenges
