Woe betide the revolutionary in a conservative sport. South African Etienne de Villiers has introduced sweeping changes to men’s tennis since becoming executive chairman of the Association of Tennis Professionals, the governing body, in January 2006. The reforms and other controversies have resulted in his falling out with tournament organisers and receiving critical volleys from top players.

Among the controversies, De Villiers has faced ructions over the Hawk-Eye ball-tracking system, the “round-robin” experiment in the singles game, as well as legal disputes over changes to the tournament calendar and alleged match-fixing scandals.