The Grand Slam Committee met this weekend in Lausanne, Switzerland to discuss issues related to the current state of the game. At the conclusion of the meetings, the Grand Slam Committee issued the following statement:

“The Grand Slams and the ITF have concluded two days of meetings to discuss how to generate meaningful change to ensure the long-term health and growth of tennis.

In furtherance of this objective, the Grand Slam Committee intends to invite other key constituents to participate in a possible new governance partnership based on two fundamental principles:

1. Key constituents and organizations have a clear and distinct voice at the table
2. Focus should be on meeting the needs of our most important constituents -- professional players, grass roots players, fans, media, business partners and tournaments

In addition, the Grand Slam Committee is committed to ensuring a player-friendly, rational and clear Tennis Calendar that offers:

• A longer off-season (not less than two months) for the benefit of both players and fans
  
• The ability for players to build to a peak at the four Grand Slams
  
• A series of high profile, 7-8 day, combined or back-to-back events with international appeal and television coverage, strategically placed throughout the tournament season
  
• A combined year-end tournament owned by the game
  The promotion of international team competition and representation through calendar priority for Davis Cup, Fed Cup and the Olympics
  
• The Grand Slam Committee is committed to a clean sport, through support of an anti-doping program according to the IOC/WADA Code.
  
• The Grand Slam Committee is committed to the principle that players should be fairly rewarded throughout their careers while taking into account market conditions and the investment needs of the rest of the game.
  
• The Grand Slam Committee remains committed to growing the game from the grassroots upwards by investing all proceeds from their respective events in the sport via their respective associations as well as internationally through continued investment in the Grand Slam Development Fund.

As custodians and trustees of the game, the Grand Slams and the ITF look forward to joining with key constituents immediately to explore these principles so that everyone can participate in a discussion of the challenges and opportunities that face our sport.”

The members of the Grand Slam Committee are the four Grand Slam chairmen: Geoff Pollard, Australian Open; Christian Bimes, Roland Garros; Tim Phillips, Wimbledon; Alan Schwartz, US Open and the ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti. The key Grand Slam executives who participated in the meeting were: Paul McNamee, Australian Open; Jean-Claude Blanc and Stephane Simian, Roland Garros; Christopher Gorringe, Wimbledon and Arlen Kantarian, US Open.