Tampa-based Micky Lawler is one of the most influential figures in women’s professional tennis. The former president of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) paved the way for women’s equity in the sport and created pivotal opportunities in previously unexplored markets.
It only takes a few moments of conversation with the force of nature that Forbes named to the 2023 “50 Over 50 List” to understand why Micky Lawler has been such a successful ambassador for tennis worldwide. Her upbeat and accessible demeanor is complemented by her natural curiosity and genuinely empathetic nature. It allows her to be fully present and focus on relationship-building.
Born in Holland to a family of tennis enthusiasts, she traveled the world from an early age due to her father’s work with Philips Electronics. By age 19, she had lived on four continents and mastered five languages. She credits those travels and language skills with broadening her perspective. Lawler’s childhood also exposed her to women’s inequality in different cultures, which helped pave the way for her future success.
“We became very adaptable, empathetic and sensitive to other cultures,” Lawler shares. “It was difficult at times, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. It opened my eyes. It prepared me for this kind of job, working in an extremely global setting with athletes from over 90 countries, traveling 30-plus weeks a year and working in over 30 countries. It enables you to be sensitive to different cultures, different beliefs and the heterogeneous nature of our planet. This understanding made me appreciate every relationship and care deeply about the WTA and its people. The internal team, the players and the tournaments make up what feels like an extraordinary extended family.”
Her leadership of that “family” was not the only legacy achieved, as she was also busy bringing up a family of her own and actively paving the way for future generations of female leaders.
Early in her career, she held positions at the Men’s International Tennis Council and the sports content marketing agency Advantage International (now Octagon). At 27, she made history as the first woman to manage a top 10 athlete, Alberto Mancini, and later toured with Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe.
In the early 1990s, she drove the campaign to introduce women’s professional tennis to Latin America, accompanying Steffi Graf, Conchita Martinez, Anna Kournikova, Jana Novotná and Gabriela Sabatini on tours to Chile, Brazil and Argentina. In 2003, she joined the Board of Directors of the WTA, founded by Billie Jean King in 1973 to unite all women’s professional tennis in one tour. Lawler became the president in 2015.
During her tenure, Lawler led milestone achievements, including women’s equal prize money in 2007, groundbreaking media partnerships and securing valuable deals such as the the Hologic tour title sponsorship and hosting the WTA Finals in Shenzhen, China in 2019 where she increased the prize money to $14 million – surpassing men’s earnings. These accomplishments solidified her reputation as one of the sport’s most respected executives and shattered glass ceilings.
“In my first job, I was told again and again, ‘This is not for the women.’ Women were very much in the minority,” she recalls. “You were almost conditioned to accept the fact that you were not as important as your male colleagues.”
“It was also a huge opportunity. I felt the responsibility to do an exceptional job, so the women who came after me would not have to endure the things women of my generation endured. When you walk into a boardroom with 10 men sitting around a table and you’re the only woman, you have their attention immediately, so you have to back up that opportunity with very solid action.”
A particular example is how less than a month after the birth of her first child, a colleague convinced her that she alone could present a proposal to the Dutch Tennis Federation’s board to organize and host the federation’s Davis Cup matches. “He said, ‘You’re the only one who can deliver this presentation. You’re Dutch. These are your ideas and you will speak with conviction. Just bring the baby.’”
So, Lawler presented as her infant snoozed in his car seat beneath the table, but she soon found herself in an unforeseen situation. Like most mothers, she soon needed to excuse herself to feed her son. When she returned, she was informed she’d won the business.
“It showed these guys my dedication. They said, ‘If you show us half of this level of commitment, we will achieve our goals.’”
And show them she did. Her work and leadership set an enduring standard of excellence.
“Micky Lawler has been at the forefront of the growth of tennis for many years,” Billie Jean King asserts. “Her time at Octagon and her leadership of the WTA opened new doors for increased investment and the advancement of our sport in key global markets and laid a foundation for a brighter future for women’s tennis as the leader in women’s sports.”
Since departing the WTA, Lawler has focused on spending time on what she calls her greatest accomplishment—her children, Trevor, Charlotte and Juliet, and two young grandsons Johnny and Oliver.
“I’m still working on what the next chapter looks like. I want it to be something where I can apply my experience and skills to do something exciting and impactful,” Lawler explains. “But I also want it to be something that gives me back a little bit of life balance.”
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Nick Steele
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