It’s unofficially official: Adam Helfant is the ATP’s new chief. While first reported Thursday by Jon Wertheim at SI.com (and later on USA Today), a source close to the negotiations told me that the deal had been inked only today. As late as yesterday, there were still some fine points to be worked out. The ATP is expected to announce Helfant, a former Nike exec and Harvard-trained lawyer, as Etienne de Villiers’ replacement on Monday.

What’s interesting is that I’m told Helfant will assume both the chairman and chief executive roles within the ATP, the same titles held by de Villiers. There was discussion and speculation during the four-month search that those positions would be split, especially after de Villiers used his voting role on the ATP board to ramrod forward his vision for change in the game (for better and sometimes for worse). Perhaps fearing fecklessness, maybe Helfant wouldn’t take the job without both roles. Or perhaps the search committee could not take the time to find both a chairman and a CEO in these urgent times.

While ATP insiders such as Mark Young and Brad Drewett certainly were serious candidates, I was surprised also to learn that WTA CEO Larry Scott was in the mix until near the end. Scott would like to lead a combined WTA-ATP tour, which could explain why he didn’t land the job. I'm told the men aren't too keen on this idea. Another source told me that top players were wary of candidates too connected to the women’s game or seen as too inside the ATP, which is one reason why Helfant emerged as a leading candidate early on.

Helfant has an impressive resume, which includes an engineering degree from MIT, a law degree from Harvard and, most recently, a top post at Nike where he oversaw global marketing for the Oregon-based behemoth. One blank spot is why he left Nike in September of 2007. No one has given me a good answer or has been willing to share an explanation.

Phil de Picciotto, who oversees the athlete and personality group at Octagon (and whose roster of tennis clients include Gilles Simon and Tommy Robredo), said there was round support from players and tournaments for Helfant. That was not the case with de Villiers, who was perceived, at least by players, as leaning too far towards the tournament directors’ side.

“If there had been a jump ball this time around,” said de Picciotto of the selection process, “the players would have won. Last time, the tournaments won.”

That it wasn’t a two-man race at the end is not entirely clear, but it does make sense in light of de Picciotto’s comment that Nike veteran Helfant now sits in the top leadership position. After all, who are the two most important personalities in the men’s game? Nike guys Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

Still, said de Picciotto, that’s not why he got the job. “Adam was the ideal candidate because he is an outsider but has been very connected to the game,” explained de Picciotto. “While American, he has a world view and he has had major input in the marketing of a world brand. Plus he had the trust of the top players.”

Another source went further, emphasizing that Helfant is anything but an outsider or naïve about tennis. “He has a vast understanding about tennis from his work at Nike,” the source said.

I was told Helfant has an incredible intellect, is principled, hard working and gets along with people. The source said he’s coming in with his eyes open to the challenges ahead and an understanding of why the last regime failed -- an important position for one's eyelids in the often-conflicting fiefdoms operating in the alphabet soup of tennis. In the end, the ATP’s constituents – many of them angling for a non-American at the helm -- saw that Helfant was “the best candidate regardless of his passport,” the source said.

In view of its loss of sponsor Mercedes and other broadcast and still unfolding economic turbulence, Helfant’s hiring is almost an admission that the tour needs to be led by someone with global marketing expertise, not tennis-specific knowledge.

I’ve never met Helfant personally nor do I know much about him. I look forward to meeting him in Melbourne and learning more about his vision for the game. Either way, you'll be hearing a lot about him. The media is sure to dissect his personality in the weeks and months to come. 

LA Down Under

Before I head to Melbourne, I’m stopping in Adelaide for a couple of days to do a story on Lance Armstrong’s return to competitive cycling at the Tour Down Under. While reporting for the story, I discovered that George Hincapie -- a cycling stalwart in his own right and the only team member to ride with Armstrong for all seven of his Tour de France wins -- is a huge tennis fan.

“It’s my favorite sport,” said Hincapie, who will also be competing in the Tour Down Under with Team Columbia. “I’m a tennis freak. As soon as the season ends I play tennis every day. I suck, but I love it.”

At 6-foot-3, he is no shrinking violet. But he said he was too awe-struck to approach Nadal when he came across him at the Athletes’ Village in Beijing last summer. He’s also saw Ana Ivanovic, adding, “She’s my hero. Plus she’s hot.”

Hincapie said he “kind of worships all female tennis players,” but with his spouse in apparent earshot, said: “Don’t tell my wife.”