David Felgate was yesterday sacked as performance director of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) by new chief executive Roger Draper, in an afternoon which saw the departure of three senior executives from the organisation.

Felgate – who had been in post for three years, and formerly coached Tim Henman – was the highest profile casualty in a round of dismissals, which included tennis operations director, Rebecca Miskin and finance director, Paul Keen.

Draper joined the LTA as chief executive at the beginning of April with a remit of making substantial changes to the structure and performance of British tennis.

Felgate had limited success with improving the plight of Britain's top tennis talent. Britain's top three men are all outside the top 30, and there is only one woman – Anne Keothavong – in the top 200 on the WTA tour.

The swift move, which is hardly characteristic of the LTA, bears Draper's stamp. His decisive and uncompromising qualities were key factors in his appointment by LTA president, Stuart Smith, who is also known for his desire to modernise the sport.