Jim Courier put on his fictional “commissioner of tennis” hat to speak of changes he’d like to see in the sport, then moved on to talk about players to watch and to divulge an intimate detail about John McEnroe, during a one-on-one interview on the final day of the Sports Sponsorship Symposium.

“One thing tennis has long missed is an offseason,” Courier said. “I want a nine-month season. I want the circuit over by the first of October. I want the fans to get a chance to breathe and start missing tennis again. I want the players to get a chance to decompress, so their careers would be longer.”

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Courier listed a few players whose he believes may best represent the future of tennis. On the women’s side, he mentioned recent world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic having potential to be “an incredible success marketing wise.” For the men, he brought up two Frenchmen, both of African descent: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, a “spitting-image of Muhammad Ali,” and Gael Monfils, who “throws his body around the court like a gymnast.” Both could be a “marketer’s dream” and have a “Tiger effect” because of their ethnicity if they can get to the top and stay there, he said.

Courier also addressed the opening in the top executive office of the ATP Tour. He suggested following the model of the Australian Open and hiring someone with less of a sports business background and more of a marketing background, then surrounding that person with tennis-savvy people.

When asked about the interest of John McEnroe Sr., father of the tennis great, in the position, Courier laughed. “I thought he was kidding at first, and then I realized he was very serious about it,” said the four-time Grand Slam Champion. “He wants to represent the players’ interests, but it’s more complicated than that – it’s a business … I wish John Sr. the best, he’s someone I’ve known for a long time, but I don’t think that’s the direction the sport should take.”

Courier ended his interview by giving some little-known insight into the life of former tennis champion John McEnroe. He said McEnroe respects Bjorn Borg so much, and is still so vexed by their rivalry being cut short by Borg’s premature retirement, that he exclusively wears Bjorn Borg-branded underwear.

Quick Hits:

On whether sporting goods companies have too much power over athletes: “It’s a choice. Do companies have more power over athletes than they should? If that’s the case, the athlete has made that choice. No one forces your hand on the dotted line to sign with a Nike or Adidas or anyone else who demands time … you make that deal. You have to know what the terms are; you have to be protected as to what you’re allowing yourself to do.”

The brand he admires most: Nike
The athlete who will make biggest impact by 2015: Tiger Woods
The sports executive he respects most: Roger Goodell – “I would like to have dinner with him and hear some off-the-record stories.”
The over/under on major titles for Roger Federer: 17