Craig Tiley’s radical plan to expand the event
Tennis Australia boss Craig Tiley predicts the Australian Open will be expanded to the Olympic and Yarra Park venues to ease congestion caused by record crowds at this year’s tournament.
Once again deflecting questions about her future, Tiley was happy to elaborate on the future of the Open, where she envisions more innovations such as an interactive glass court, an immersive dome with 270-degree screens and a greater emphasis on fashion, beauty and wellness.
Elena Rybakina and Craig Tiley pose after the women’s singles final. Credit: Getty Images
Tiley, who said more than 1.3 million people walked through the doors at this year’s Australian Open, said the event needed more screens, shade, seats and space.
“There’s an oval on the other side of Gosch’s Paddock, AAMI Park, MCG, those are good pieces of land and property that we can look at and expand,” Tiley said.
The South African-born former tennis coach transformed the Australian Open from a tennis tournament into a festival. At a time when speculation is mounting that he could be a top contender at the US Open, he said the trend towards entertainment for those not attending to watch tennis will continue.
“We are on a journey to transform the fan experience on the field,” he said. “We have big plans next year.
Fans wait in long queues outside the entrance to the Grand Slam Oval for day one of the Australian Open.Credit: Chris Hopkins
“For example, we want a glass court with a digital, immersive and interactive surface.
“We are considering developing a sphere-like dome where we can bring an off-site experience to the construction site and have a fully immersive experience on 270-degree displays with 8K quality.”
