New ATP boss praises 'best ever' position

New ATP executive chairman and president Brad Drewett says men's tennis is in arguably its "best ever" position as he takes charge of the organisation.

Drewett, a former player who won two junior Australian Open titles, two ATP tour titles and represented Australia in the Davis Cup, took over the role in December from the outgoing Adam Helfant.

At a media introduction on Wednesday, Drewett told reporters the game is in an "incredible" shape.

"What really encourages me, you've got those four guys (Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray), but the next crop of guys after them, Del Potro, Tsonga, David Ferrer, Gaël Monfils.  These are all not only great players, they're guys that can fill any stadium in the world.  I think that really is part of the great strength of our sport today, not just the top four players, but also the names behind them, the personalities behind those players," Drewett said.

Drewett said he hoped to continue promoting the game and further building the business side of tennis, which he saw as very positive.

However, he acknolwedged that it may not always be plain sailing.

"As I said, I know this job, I've seen this job through other chairmen, it's not always easy.  I'm not someone who is naïve to the point where I know there aren't going to be issues.  But I think I'm well‑placed to handle those.  There's not too much I haven't seen before and I'm looking forward to the next few years."

Questioned about talk of player strikes following a recent ATP player meeting, Drewett said he "heard" their issues.

"I think the game is clearly in a great spot. That doesn't mean there's not always going to be some issues on the side.  That's for me to listen.  I heard the players loud and clear the other night about their issues.

"They're obviously a very, very important part of this organisation.  As a former player, I hope I understand their issues as much as anyone.  My plan is to represent their opinions wherever it needs to be represented and make sure they're heard," Drewett said.

Drewett added that he had a very engaged group of players to deal with.

"These guys, because they're engaged and they care, their level of understanding about the detail of any issue, whether it be the Grand Slams, scheduling, calendar, prize money, is like it's never been before.  I see that as a positive.  It's great to be able to sit down with players who really get it.  They really do get it.  They understand.

"I think whatever debate we're going to be having moving forward, I'm sitting in a room with these guys.  It's not a matter of having to help them understand the issues.  They get it already.  I think that's a great starting point for me dealing with these issues."