Blane Dodds’ career has developed from professional player to chief executive at Tennis Scotland. He describes how a competitive streak has taken him from one of 30 kids on a sawdust-soaked court to witnessing Wimbledon finals

Interview by Cheryl Caira

You’ve helped launch a new, £1 million initiative at Tennis Scotland to give every schoolchild a chance to play tennis – what are your long-term hopes?

It’s a legacy thing. We’ve had some of the world’s best players in Andy and Jamie Murray, and that’s an inspiration. But there have actually been 20 Scots winning pro titles over the last few years – including Gordon Reid and Maia Lumsden – so the growth has been amazing. And having been a tennis player and a coach, I know it’s a great foundation for other things. Because if you can learn to move and coordinate, you can go into other sports quite easily. So it’s a terrific platform for all activities.

Getting funding for indoor courts has also been one mission, because with tennis in Scotland, there’s the weather and a reality there…

It’s interesting, when I was a kid, we had to actually climb fences and sweep snow from the outdoor courts in bad weather. Looking back, it’s absolutely crazy. I think there was one multi-purpose indoor court in Glasgow at Scotstoun, where there was a hole in the roof, sawdust and a big puddle. There were about 30 kids on one court and we had to run around the puddle and queue up to hit a ball. It was pretty hopeless! But things have changed a lot. We’ve now got 151 indoor tennis courts in Scotland.

Are there misconceptions around tennis that you really want to change?

Sometimes tennis gets a reputation for being elitist – but in my experience, it’s the opposite. You can go to a public park and play for free in many parts of Scotland. And we’ve just refurbished 160 public tennis courts, which took an investment of over £2 million, thanks to the LTA’s partnership and support. So there are great facilities out there. You can access them for nothing in many areas. So I don’t subscribe to the elitist tag at all. In my experience, the culture of the sport is very open with great camaraderie.

Scottish tennis player, Maia Lumsden

What have you learned in your journey to becoming a chief executive?

To change something, you’ve got to lead – and you can’t do that in isolation. But you’ve got to sell the idea, the vision, the ambition. One thing we have done well is say: ‘We are here at the moment – but we want to be here; we want to raise our ambitions.’ In our strategy, we outlined we wanted new indoor tennis centres – before we even had any money. That’s important, because it’s so easy for organisations to think: ‘Well, we can’t do that because we don’t have the money.’ But actually, if you aim for something ambitious, that’s the right thing to do, because you’ll find a way.

You were a professional, ranked No 2 in Scotland. What’s life like as a tennis player?

The challenge is that the money in tennis is at the top end. And I’m one of many people that think the rewards should be spread out a little bit wider – to the men and women that are No 100 to 300 in the world. The prize money should go deeper, because it does in a sport such as golf. I did a tennis scholarship at Stirling University and was lucky to have great coaches. I ended up No 2 in Scotland and played tournaments all around the world, then ran out of money – and back in the late 80s and early 90s, there was no support around that level. So I was offered a good job with a team in Germany with an apartment, a car and a guaranteed income. But then you sort of give up your dreams of playing competitive tennis. And from there I decided that I wanted to stay in the sport and got into management.

What’s at the heart of your love for your job?

I love growing things and making a difference. And I enjoy putting a team together. I try to develop people, because that’s really important. We do Gallup StrengthsFinder [a personality test] to identify how people’s minds work – what you’re good at, what your strengths are – so we can turn good performance into great performance. Am I high on empathy? On achievement? On strategy or leadership? For me, I’m very competitive, so I like to succeed. And to be creative, but in terms of solutions. If there’s a problem, create a solution and deliver it. But it’s all linked to being competitive; whether that’s winning a tennis match or growing a sport. It’s the same for me.

What are the pinch-me moments you’ve had in your career?

Early on I played Tim Henman in a doubles match and managed to beat him, which was good fun – and it was great to see his progress after that! I also played Vitas Gerulaitis, who was one of the top players in the 1980s, in a match while Jimmy Connors was courtside. So that was a surreal moment. I’m in such a fortunate position now where I’m able to go to tournaments, network, host sponsors and help make connections that grow the sport. Obviously our main asset is Wimbledon, which is incredible; one of the best sporting events in the world. I’ve been fortunate enough to host people at Wimbledon and see amazing matches, like the Carlos Alcaraz vs Novak Djokovic final two years ago. And I was lucky enough to see Andy win in 2016, his second Wimbledon. That was a special moment.