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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Incoming Tennis Australia chief executive Andrew Abdo refused to commit to follow in the footsteps of his predecessor Craig Tiley by also becoming the Australian Open tournament director.<\/p>\n Abdo, who spent the past six years as the NRL\u2019s CEO, will continue his rugby league duties until July 15 \u2013 with the expectation he will lock in a new broadcast deal for the competition before departing \u2013 and is due to officially start with TA on August 3.<\/p>\n He confirmed at his introductory media conference at Melbourne Park on Friday that he would relocate from Sydney for his new job.<\/p>\n This masthead asked Abdo if he would be the Open\u2019s next tournament director, but he said only that he was hired as CEO and would oversee all aspects of the sport, from grassroots to talent development and pathways, as well as delivering major events.<\/p>\n \u201cThe responsibility of the CEO is all-encompassing, and I look forward to that role and that leadership responsibility,\u201d Abdo said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happens underneath that, in terms of … who\u2019s responsible for what, I\u2019ll get to once I start in the role.\u201d<\/p>\n Abdo said he was not in a position to answer whether he would appoint a tournament director to run the grand slam.<\/p>\n He arrives without the tennis background of Tiley, an esteemed college coach and South African Davis Cup captain, but won the role in a rigorous process that included five interviews in recent weeks.<\/p>\n Related Article \u201cThis represents a new challenge and a new opportunity for me. It is a sport that I have a natural affinity for,\u201d Abdo said.<\/p>\n \u201cMy wife is a massive tennis fan, and during the interview process, she said to me, and I quote, \u2018Andrew, this is my dream job for you\u2019, so I felt a lot of pressure, but I\u2019m equally excited. \u201d<\/p>\n Tiley, who will leave his TA role in mid-July, was adamant at the time he announced his resignation in February to join the United States Tennis Association as CEO that his successor at Tennis Australia should fill both roles.<\/p>\n He transformed the Australian Open into one of the biggest sporting events on the planet, expanding its reach far beyond tennis into an entertainment juggernaut that attracted almost 1.4 million fans in three weeks in January.<\/p>\n Tiley\u2019s tenure as TA boss was ragingly successful on that front.<\/p>\n However, the most common criticism of his reign is that he spent a disproportionate amount of his time on the Open and less on the rest of the business, including participation and player development, although he disputes that.<\/p>\n There is concern about the lack of emerging men\u2019s players, which Tiley previously brushed off as part of the normal cycle of talent, but there is increasing heat on chief strategy and performance officer Tim Jolley.<\/p>\n Abdo said it was not the appropriate time to discuss Jolley\u2019s future.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want as many Aussies competing in the top 10 on the men\u2019s and women\u2019s tours as possible, so thinking about talent development is critical,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe team has done a phenomenal job [with the Australian Open]. It\u2019s the players\u2019 and fans\u2019 favourite slam, but how do we keep making it that, and beyond, and a truly global, iconic event \u2013 not just a sporting event?<\/p>\n \u201cThese are real challenges, [including] facilities, reducing friction points. This is what the job is.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t have the answers [yet], but I\u2019m going to be listening, I\u2019m going to be learning, and I\u2019m going to be applying as much as I can, and harnessing the talents of the team that exists in Tennis Australia and the broader tennis community to [create a] common vision.\u201d<\/p>\n There is a push among the country\u2019s leading men\u2019s players, including Alex de Minaur, for TA to appoint Davis Cup representative and ex-deputy opposition leader Sam Groth in a senior leadership position with \u201cgenuine authority and accountability\u201d.<\/p>\n Groth is currently in Paris for Roland-Garros and has a strong relationship with many of Australia\u2019s top male players, who are keen for the former world No.53 to give them a greater voice at executive level.<\/p>\n![\"Tennis](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/25b062a1457af01084d599f9f3499328323cecd5.jpeg\")
Tennis Australia unveils its incoming CEO Andrew Abdo.The Age<\/p>\n![\"Incoming](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/761ac003360c2b066de26be26f0124863fe97a69.jpeg\")
Incoming Tennis Australia CEO Andrew Abdo is unlikely to also be the Australian Open\u2019s tournament director.The Age<\/p>\n![\"Jannik](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1780048752_435_cf6668b3b40f5f5c4ccee30bd935869100aa2444.jpeg\")
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