From Down Under to the States: Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley poised to make switch to USTA ahead of Grand Slam in Melbourne commencing

Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley may be making the switch to the States. According to Sportico, he is in advanced talks to become the next CEO of the U.S. Tennis Association (USTA).

The South African has been involved in the sport since a young age. He began playing tennis when he was 12-years-old and rose up the ranks to become a top amateur in the country. He would coach some top players including two-time Grand Slam finalist Kevin Anderson and four-time doubles Grand Slam champion Rajeev Ram. He would bestow the honour of captaining the South African Davis Cup team from 1998 to 2001. He would make the trip to the USA to become the head tennis coach at the University of Illinois.

In 2005, he made the switch into administration. He accepted a position with Tennis Australia to serve as their Director of Player Development. In 2006 he was named Director of the Australian Open in addition to his prior duties for Tennis Australia. He would be a prime candidate for CEO when Matt Cronin stepped down in 2013. Tiley stepped up to the job and has been there since, but there may be another change in the near future.

With the Australian Open swiftly approaching, there is a lot of responsibility on Tiley to direct them through the tournament. However, he may have his heart set on a change. The 63-year-old was chosen in a six-month process as UTSA ramped up the process in picking a new CEO. It also comes at an important time in tennis with potential changes underway regarding labour, investment and consolidation.

It is yet to be seen if he will be continuing to be Tournament Director for the Australian Open, which commences from January 18 - February 1. If so, a replacement for the upcoming event will be needed rapidly with the best players in the world set to lock horns once more in the first Grand Slam of 2026.

“While we do not have any news to share at this time,” the USTA said in a statement, “we are confident that our next CEO will continue to build on the USTA’s long-standing commitment to growing the game of tennis in communities across the United States and elevating the U.S. Open as the biggest stage for our sport.”

Former UTSA CEO Lew Sherr had been in that role since 2022. He left in May 2025 to take up the role of President for the New York Mets. Since his departure, the role has been run by two interim co-CEOs - board chairman Brian Vahaly and CEO Andrea Hirsch. However, there could be a new name in the hot seat for the 2026 US Open, which will start August 31 - September 13.