PODCAST: Donald Dell continues a decades-long push for tennis progress

As tennis' first agent, Donald Dell has a wealth of insight on how far the sport has come, and how much farther it has to go. This week, the 2009 International Tennis Hall of Fame inductee joined the TENNIS.com Podcast to talk about why a tour merger is necessary, how this year's Citi Open could play out, what it was like working with Arthur Ashe, and a whole lot more.

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Dell is famous for so many things that it's hard to know where to begin. The American was Yale University's top player before taking his skills to the sport's most historic tournaments as an amateur. He reached a career-high ranking of No. 5 in 1961, while getting his law degree from the University of Virginia.

Off the court, Dell has worked for the Hogan & Hartson law firm, the Peace Corps and for Robert F. Kennedy, as well as ran his own company, ProServe. And even after his own playing career, Dell returned to the court to become the youngest Davis Cup captain, at 29. He led the U.S. team to victory in 1968 and '69.

Donald Dell played on the Davis Cup team in 1961 and '63. (Photo courtesy of Alexandra Dell)

Dell was also a major influence in getting prize money for players when the Open era began in 1968.

"I wanted a tennis player, when someone [asked them], 'What do you besides play tennis?'—which is what they asked me every time—I wanted them to say, 'I'm a professional tennis player' just like 'I'm a professional golfer. That was my objective," Dell said.

His talented Davis Cup team included Stan Smith and Arthur Ashe, who he would represent for decades—Smith to this very day.

"Both Arthur and Stan were on a handshake [agreement]," Dell said. "Arthur and I went on for 23 years on a handshake and Stan and I are still together 47 years on a handshake. That tells you a lot about the character of those two people."

It was Ashe who encouraged Dell to start his own business after Dell tried repeatedly to get him to sign with IMG's Mark McCormack.

"The game went more and more professional and there was more and more prize money," Dell said. "And because I'd been the Davis Cup captain and winning for two years, I was really the first professional agent in tennis anywhere in the world."

Thanks in large part to Ashe, Dell got his foot in the door representing NBA players, which eventually led him to work with Michael Jordan.

Donald Dell (center) with Arthur Ashe and Stan Smith. (Photo courtesy of Alexandra Dell)

Ashe and Dell's relationship is rich, with Ashe once referring to Dell as one of the two people in the world he would trust with his life, along with his father. A huge supporter of Ashe beyond just tennis and business, Dell rose to the occasion against inequality by hosting an Ashe-led 1968 Davis Cup tie against the West Indies in Byrd Park in Richmond, Va. In the 1960s, Byrd Park had refused to let black players compete on the courts.

Beyond getting his athletes the best deals, Dell has been a strong proponent of growing tennis, and pushing for a more cohesive tour system. That goal hasn't changed one bit over 50-plus years.

"My objective is how do you build a bigger sport and a better sport," Dell said. "If you could combine the women and the men in one group you would have a much stronger organization."

In a May column for the Washington Post, Dell advocated for an ATP and WTA merger, suggesting a new organization run by three heads: the WTA chair, the ATP chair and a Grand Slam chair.

With so much uncertainty in the world today, Dell is very sure of one fact across the board: united athletes can be more powerful than politicians.

"I think athletes, if they are organized, can be the biggest element of change of anybody because they have a platform," Dell said. "They can stand up and talk everyday and people want to cover them. I think they can be tremendous in leading change."

The views, information, and/or opinions expressed are solely those of the podcast creators and do not necessarily represent those of The Tennis Channel, Inc., its affiliates or subsidiaries.