"The women playing three out of five sets from the Quarters onwards": Craig Tiley leaves Tennis Australia with main visions still in tact
ATPFriday, 24 July 2026 at 05:30
Craig Tiley leaves Tennis Australia taking over doing the same job at the USTA with the former Australian Open kingpin leaving having done a lot but still having certain facets not turned to yet that he said he would've liked to have done.
If Tiley still had full power to shape the future of the tournament, Tiley would change it into a monumental event and said it very much is the case that he has innovation on his mind and that he perhaps would've implemented more if he had the position to do so as he spoke on their podcast known as The Sit Down. “Innovation is not a thing, it’s an attitude,” he explained.
“With the Australian Open, the thing that I was always the most attracted to is doing things differently and pushing the team to do things differently.”
But while he couldn't implement certain parts, he said that he would begin with a blockbuster opener on the Saturday night and have former champions opening up to really give it extra razzmatazz before a certain change which would be three out of five sets for the women from the quarters onwards.
He also added that he would have it be a minimum of 100,000 people a day for 21 straight days with live music, an offering they did in particular in his final year with Elderbrook, Peggy Gou among others having headline slots.
“If I had my choice for the Australian Open, I would be starting with a blockbuster night on Saturday night, maybe the former champions opening up," he said.
"Then I'd be going into a full day on Sunday and then giving the players enough rest because it's three out of five sets. I'd have the women playing three out of five sets from the quarters onwards.
"Every day would be a festival, a minimum of 100,000 people a day for 21 straight days. All the other channels we have, like in music and food, really elevate those and lift those up. It rivals with the four weeks of Olympics once every four years pretty easily, so there's plenty of opportunity.”
Carlos Alcaraz won the Australian Open.
Tiley leaves with his head held high to take USTA role
But he leaves with his head held high about what he managed to achieve and said that he achieved so much with the help of others as opposed to just himself. “I think the biggest achievement is putting together the team we put together to deliver the tournament," said Tiley.
"We've got the best people in the world working here. I just love working with all of them and that’s the part I’ll miss for sure the most.
While Tiley moves onto pastures new, he wiill still keep his hand in the door so to speak. “I love this organisation. I love the people in this organisation. I'm not going to miss it because I'm going to stay in touch," he said.
"My objective is to make sure that the Australian Open continues to thrive and the sport continues to thrive like it has before. So whatever role I can continue to play, I will make sure that I play that."
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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