Jordan Seeking Order Amid Chaos of ATP : Tennis: The men’s game is healthy, more wealthy than ever, he claims. But big-name critics abound and a replacement boss is being sought.

Last week, when Hamilton Jordan visited the Grand Canyon and peered into the great abyss, he may have felt himself in familiar surroundings. He already knew a thing or two about chasms.

As the leader of the ATP Tour, which began 18 months ago with an announcement in a parking lot at the U.S. Open, he has become something of a moving target.

At a tournament in Toronto, John McEnroe says Jordan is a politician who knows nothing about tennis. Ivan Lendl likens the new tour to the overthrown Czechoslovakian regime.

In London, the stolid International Tennis Federation schedules a season-ending tournament in West Germany with more prize money and only three weeks later than the tour’s season-ending tournament in West Germany.

In New York, the New York Times runs a first-person article written by former ATP executive director Bob Briner. The story’s headline: “The ATP Tour Is a Mess. Big Surprise.”

There are breaking news reports that Jordan is stepping down from his post amid the squabbling.

Against such a backdrop, Jordan urges calm. The ATP Tour, barely two months old, has discovered some problems, Jordan admits, but he says men’s tennis is better than it has ever been.

“It’s always been kind of every man for himself, every tournament for itself and ever player for himself,” Jordan said. “That’s why what we are attempting to do is so difficult.

“We’re going against the grain of a lot of years of people saying ‘I’ve got to look out for myself and the hell with everybody else.’ I’ll tell you today, we’ve been successful. But the real test is five years from now, whether we’ve made a difference.”

As the leading figure of the establishment that is men’s pro tennis, Jordan said he expects such criticism as he received from McEnroe and Lendl as part of the territory.

“I’m human . . . I don’t like for anybody to criticize me, but it hasn’t had any effect on me,” Jordan said. “I’ve had a lot worse than that.”

Jordan confirmed that his replacement as chief executive officer of the new tour is being sought, and that he may move to a position on the tour’s board. But he said he is not leaving because of any criticism leveled at him.

“Professionally that concerns me because I don’t want it to appear . . . no, I’m not going to be chased out,” he said.

Jordan’s contract with the ATP runs until the end of 1991 at a reported $450,000 a year. The New York headhunting firm of Russell, Reynolds & Associates, which is conducting the search, has apparently already produced at least two candidates.

According to sources, they are Mark Miles, director of the U.S. Men’s Hardcourt Championships in Indianapolis, and Jerry Solomon of executive vice president of ProServ.

Jordan, who would not comment on a possible successor, said it has always been his intention to leave the day-to-day affairs of the men’s tour at some point.

“The board tried to get me to extend my contract about a year ago and I said I’d be willing to serve out (his contract) on the board, but once this thing is up and running, I’d want to bring somebody in and train them,” Jordan said.

“And with the board’s approval, of course, at some point turn over the day-to-day management of the tour to him,” he said. “That’s where we are now. We are looking for someone to do that. I’ll be around for another couple of years. I’m not going to walk away from it.”

Last week, with new title sponsor IBM on board, the ATP Tour released a study of prize money that indicated the players are making more money this year than last year.

According to the ATP’s figures, Lendl’s winnings for January and February totaled $530,937 compared to $208,973 at the same time last year. Of the top 250 players in the money rankings, each showed an increase in prize money winnings.

“Money was never the primary motivations for starting the new tour, but that’s some indication of the success of what we’ve done as a business,” Jordan said.

Jordan also pointed to the ATP Tour’s television package, its upcoming highlight show and the planned ATP University for young pros as examples of what the new tour has accomplished.

“I think that after two months, we’re probably where we expected to be,” he said.

As for the criticism from players, Jordan said he sees nothing to be gained from debating the merits of their comments in the press.

“I think when I came into this job, I was on a steep learning curve,” he said. “It took some time. And I’ll never be able to look at the sport from the perspective of McEnroe, somebody who’s been out there playing.

“The upside is, I hope I’ve brought some skills to the table from outside tennis that have helped. There’s no way to satisfy all these guys. There have been some complaints. That’s almost inevitable.”

The former chief of staff during Jimmy Carter’s presidency, Jordan has been linked to a group of investors interested in attracting an NFL franchise to Jacksonville, Fla., although Jordan would not comment on his future plans.

But whatever they might be, he cannot forget what he has learned from politics and the politics of tennis.

“The people in tennis are more devious,” Jordan said. “In politics, people look you in the eye. They deal straightforward with you.

“Tennis, it’s very Byzantine. You have guys telling you one thing one day, and they do something differently the next.”