MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Tennis Australia has hired Andrew Abdo from the National Rugby League to replace Craig Tiley as chief executive officer.
The Australian governing bodies of both sports confirmed the move in statements on Monday.
Tiley announced in February he was quitting his roles as Australian Open tournament director and Tennis Australia CEO to join the U.S. Tennis Association, which runs the U.S. Open.
Tiley, who is from South Africa, became the Australian Open’s tournament director in 2006 and oversaw its expansion to a 15-day event, breaking attendance and revenue records. He became the CEO of Tennis Australia in 2013.
Abdo, who is also from South Africa, has been working with Australia’s NRL since 2013, initially as chief commercial officer and, since 2020, as CEO. He played a pivotal role in the league navigating the COVID-19 pandemic and its expansion and development.
“Tennis Australia has a unique role in Australian sport. The Australian Open is already one of the leading sporting events in the world,” Abdo said in a statement. “The opportunity is to keep evolving it – as a global event, as a fan experience, and as a platform that brings more people into the sport.”
Tennis Australia said a global recruitment search attracted more than 150 candidates and Abdo stood out for his record of leadership in a high-profile national league.
“Tennis is one of the nation’s most popular sports, and participation is growing,” Tiley said in a statement. “We have a great group of players performing at the highest level and a world-class team developing the next generation of talented players and coaches.”
Australian tennis great Pat Cash, the 1987 Wimbledon champion and two-time Davis Cup winner, urged Abdo to prioritize player development at the grass roots of the game Down Under.
“Can an NRL commercial exec fix the heart and soul of Oz tennis? I wish Andrew the best of luck,” Cash wrote in a social media post questioning the strength of the national pathways to the elite level.
The Australian Open is a major commercial success that has continued to expand and innovate, but Cash wants the sport’s national organizers to pay more attention to the “49 other weeks to the year.”
The Australian Open, now staged regularly in the second half of January, is the first of the four tennis Grand Slam tournaments on the calendar, followed by the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis