‘I read the speculation’: Craig Tiley addresses US tennis links for first time

The PTPA launched legal action against tennis’ governing bodies, including the ATP and WTA and the four majors, in March last year, alleging “anti-competitive practices and a blatant disregard for player welfare”.

The lawsuit is ongoing, but the association filed a letter in November with the US Southern District Court saying it was close to reaching a deal with Tennis Australia, which confirmed the development at the time.

Tiley said he is limited in what he can say, but hopefully a deal is “imminent.”

“I can say that as an organization we decided early on that if we have to spend resources … we’d much rather do it in player compensation and game development than in legal fees and damages,” he said.

Players will compete for a record $111.5 million at this year’s Open, while Tiley et al. have dramatically increased entertainment and dining options, including bringing leading international brands to the Melbourne Park precinct.

He expects next week’s “Opening Week” turnout to match that of the first week of the tournament a decade ago, even though the qualifiers are effectively the only competitive tennis on offer.

This week’s celebrations include next week’s first-ever opening ceremony on Saturday night, headlined by Roger Federer, before the main draw matches begin the next day on January 18.

Tiley also said this year was the first in TA’s ambitious five-year strategy for the sport to rank first or second in participation, win more champions and turn the Australian Open into a billion-dollar operation.

“We want to give professional players and fans an opportunity to experience something they’ve never experienced before,” he said.

“We continue to be Australia’s biggest event and will be one of the world’s biggest annual events. We plan to own January from a sporting and entertainment perspective – not just tennis. We have some big plans.”

Tiley agreed with world number one and dual Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenkova’s comments about tennis’ “crazy” year-round schedule, saying the sport needed a proper off-season and more rest periods, but that there was no simple fix.

They will not honor Daniil Medvedev’s wish for the Open’s night sessions to start an hour earlier than 7pm, saying the broadcast deal with Nine, the masthead’s owner, does not allow it.

“We used to start at 7.45pm and now we’re starting at 7pm so we spent some time there,” he said.

“We’re doing everything we can because we’re very concerned about the well-being of the players and the fact that none of us want to finish at ridiculous hours in the morning.”

The on-court coaching modules will return but look different from last year, while Tiley has promised more innovations to be revealed in the coming weeks.

“We’re on a three-year journey to introduce the game to the world differently,” Tiley said.

“Next year will see more of that, but we’re going to set a new standard for what the future of the game is going to look like, in terms of the experience for the local fan and someone watching at home.”

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