Craig Tiley plans to stay in Australian tennis’ high job for the foreseeable future, pushed by the lofty ambition to rework the Australian Open into the largest sporting occasion on the planet.
Tiley joined Tennis Australia in 2005 as director of tennis, grew to become the Melbourne grand slam’s match director a 12 months later, and has additionally been the nationwide physique’s chief government since 2013.
The Australian Open has already developed considerably underneath Tiley’s management from simply being about sport into an leisure leviathan, and he hopes to quickly provide gamers greater than $100 million prizemoney (up from $86.5 million this 12 months) – a sum already up for grabs throughout the summer season.
The Melbourne Park precinct.Credit score: Luis Ascui
The South African-born tennis government informed this masthead he had emerged from the “most troublesome” interval of his working life, the COVID-19 pandemic and Novak Djokovic’s deportation, intent on not solely enhancing Australia’s slam however taking part in a task in revolutionising all the circuit.
“I would like the Australian Open to be the largest sporting occasion, not simply within the southern hemisphere, or in January, however the largest sporting occasion on this planet,” Tiley mentioned.
“We’re going to increase the time we’ve, which we’ve already began doing with the opening week, and we’re going to be on the forefront of the technological expertise. You’ve received to speculate thousands and thousands of {dollars} in digital transformation, and we’ve gone and employed the perfect to assist us try this.
“I’m a bit impatient. Folks inform me you’ve received to attend years for know-how, however I’d prefer it to be right here tomorrow.
“I believe whenever you do come on-site right here, you’ve received to really feel that you just’re in probably the most particular expertise on this planet, and the one approach you do really feel that’s if I do know precisely what you need. So, you’ll be creating 1,000,000 completely different experiences. That’s a problem for folks as a result of it’s not the best way folks usually assume.”
In a wide-ranging interview, Tiley mentioned: