By Ian Ransom
MELBOURNE, May 29 (Reuters) – Incoming Tennis Australia (TA) chief executive Andrew Abdo will join forces with outgoing boss Craig Tiley to push a reform agenda for global tennis, with the two South Africans emerging as key powerbrokers on opposite sides of the Pacific.
National Rugby League CEO Abdo was announced as Tiley’s successor this week and will have a close working relationship with the long-serving TA chief who is set to lead the United States Tennis Association.
With the calendar packed by competing events and players frustrated by the demands of the schedule and their share of the game’s revenues, Tiley has long argued tennis authorities need to work together to deliver a better product.
The pair will oversee two of the sport’s four Grand Slam tournaments, and Tiley said he and Abdo would work as peers to reform the game.
“I’ll be on the other side of the ocean and we’ll work closely together to solve some of the issues with global tennis that currently exist and the opportunities,” Tiley told a press conference with Abdo in Melbourne on Friday.
“That’s the part I’m particularly looking forward to.
“The sport needs reform. And tennis is probably one of the few sports left where there’s such a massive opportunity.
“From a global fan perspective, it ranks number three globally, but from a commercial standpoint, it’s number 11.
“So … that’s a gap that can be closed. And so we’ll, together as partners, along with the other Slams and the other stakeholders, hopefully have an impact on that.”
PRIZE MONEY
Player dissatisfaction with prize money boiled over ahead of the French Open, with women’s world number one Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff raising the prospect of boycotts.
Abdo, who starts working for TA in August, said it was too early for him to comment on how the Australian Open would manage that situation.
Tiley, however, said players should be paid more.
“And there’s a way to do that that’s sustainable for everyone and that needs to be worked through,” he added.
As TA boss for 13 years and tournament director of the Australian Open for 20, Tiley transformed the Grand Slam into one of the world’s most successful sporting events, continually breaking attendance and revenue records.
Known in tennis circles for his incredible work ethic, Tiley is also keen to be across all aspects of the game.
Abdo declined to say whether he would also run the Australian Open as tournament director like Tiley, who barely sleeps during the Grand Slam.
“What happens underneath that in terms of organisation and who’s responsible for what, I’ll get to once I start in the role,” he said.
One of his biggest challenges will be to grow a tournament that is already straining Melbourne Park precinct’s limits.
There have been complaints about rising costs and a declining fan experience, with long queues at minor courts a consistent bugbear for those with the cheaper ground pass tickets.
Managing the extreme heat that regularly strikes the tournament in January is another task.
“We need more seats, we need more shade, we need more screens, we need more space,” said Tiley.
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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