New York Mets hire Lew Sherr from the US Open tennis tournament as president of business operations

Key Points

• The New York Mets are hiring Lew Sherr, the current U.S. Tennis Association CEO who oversees the U.S. Open, as their new president of business operations starting in July.
• Since becoming USTA CEO in 2022, Sherr drove growth in tennis participation, attendance, sponsorships and revenue, and spearheaded an $800 million Arthur Ashe Stadium renovation and revamped mixed doubles event.
• This move follows significant turnover in the Mets’ front office, including the departure of Scott Havens as president of business operations and exits of several senior executives since late 2023.
• Owner Steve Cohen has been pursuing casino and entertainment district plans near Citi Field, part of the off-field ambitions that Sherr cited as a major draw to the organization.

PARIS (AP) — The New York Mets are hiring the person who oversees the U.S. Open tennis tournament, Lew Sherr, as their new president of business operations.

Sherr has been the CEO and executive director of the U.S. Tennis Association since 2022 and has worked there since 2010, including previously as chief revenue officer. His departure was announced by the USTA on Friday; he will remain there until the end of June, then start with the Mets in July.

“For right now, my focus is the smoothest possible transition,” Sherr said in an interview with The Associated Press at the French Open. “But I'm hugely excited about what's happening over there. (Mets owners) Steve and Alex Cohen have made a commitment to that team that is unrivaled in sports. You see it on the field, off the field. The energy around the team. The energy around what they’re trying to do for the community with their foundation. The plans for the casino and the hotel and entertainment district.”

Steve Cohen is among the bidders for three casino licenses to be awarded by the New York State Gaming Commission and has been lobbying to have the state legislature reclassify the parking lots adjacent to Citi Field — also near the facility that hosts the U.S. Open — from parkland to commercial land for a gaming facility.

The Mets announced Scott Havens' departure as their president of business operations on Tuesday; he was in that post since December 2023. Chief legal officer Katie Pothier, chief marketing officer Andy Goldberg, chief communications officer Nancy Elder and senior vice president of finance Peter Woll have left since November.

The USTA said Brian Vahaly and Andrea Hirsch will be interim co-CEOs during a search for Sherr's replacement. Vahaly is chairman of the USTA Board; Hirsch is the USTA's chief operating officer and chief legal officer.

In Sherr's time as CEO, the USTA has seen growth in tennis participation around the country, along with increases in U.S. Open attendance, sponsorships, and revenue from ticket sales and broadcasting rights.

“We’ve taken some big swings," Sherr said Friday, “and thankfully, they’re paying off.”

Just last week, he spoke at a news conference in New York to unveil an $800 million project to update Arthur Ashe Stadium and create a player performance center on the tournament grounds. He also made significant changes to this year's U.S. Open mixed doubles event in a bid to attract top singles players, making it a two-day, 16-team competition the week before the singles brackets begin.

“It’s bittersweet, in that I really have loved being part of this organization for 15 years and the opportunities I've had to do just really interesting things — and not just on the commercial side, but in terms of helping us think about growing the sport,” Sherr said. "I’m leaving sleeping well at night, knowing (the USTA) is going to be well looked-after.”

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AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum in New York contributed.

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Howard Fendrich is an AP national writer. Find his stories here: https://apnews.com/author/howard-fendrich. AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb