Tiley Targets Increased Play And More Players In Australia

Written by: Bob Larson Tennis on 1st October 2013

Tiley Targets Increased Play And More Players In Australia

epa01848970 Roger Federer of Switzerland prepares to serve against Lleyton Hewitt of Australia during the sixth day of the 2009 US Open Tennis Championship at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA 05 September 2009. The Open runs through Sunday 13 September 2009. EPA/ANDREW GOMBERT |

Craig Tiley has never believed in coasting his way through life but things are going to be doubly hectic for the next few months as the South African remains the Australian Open’s tournament director while also getting to grips with succeeding Steve Wood as Tennis Australia chief executive officer.

But Tiley maintains his most important job for the first weeks of his double tenure will be to increase the number of Australians involved in tennis at all levels as either players, coaches or just fans.

Australia is back in the Davis Cup’s World Group for the first time since 2007 following last month’s win over Poland in Warsaw that ended a run of five successive disappointments in promotion play-offs to the competition’s elite for the champions on 28 occasions.

Tiley has been in charge of the Australian Open since 2006 and huge improvements to the Melbourne Park site are currently in progress. Now he wants to build the playing base and search for more young talent without losing any focus on the measures he’s already put in place.

Speaking to the Australian media, Tiley said: ”Our organization is going to be about connecting with the community and about being a united team, and I would like us to have a laser-like focus on very simply getting more people to play tennis.

”It’s always a difficult job. There’s only a finite number of people that participate in activity and sport, and we’re all competing within that finite pool. It’s always been a strategic priority of ours and I believe we’ve done a good job … we’ve got to continue with that and maybe even step it up another notch.”

Tiley is effectively replicating the job definition of Gilbert Ysern who is both CEO of the French Federation de Tennis as well as tournament director of the French Open.

”It’s one job,” insisted Tiley. “It’s CEO of our biggest asset, the Australian Open, as well as Tennis Australia, which is now all one company. You don’t neglect one or the other because it’s the same thing.

‘”I think what’s important is that … there’s a team that’s responsible for areas of the business, and my responsibility is to bring that team together.”

Tiley is not going to rush into sweeping changes straightaway but expects a certain level of organizational restructure, with player development among the areas likely to be revamped.

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