Tennis Australia boss Craig Tiley has forecast expanding the Australian Open into the Olympic and Yarra Park precincts to ease the congestion caused by record crowds at this year’s tournament.
Tiley, who again deflected questions about his future, was happy to elaborate on the future of the Open, for which he predicted more innovations including an interactive glass court, an immersive dome with 270-degree screens and an even greater emphasis on fashion, beauty and wellness.
Elena Rybakina and Craig Tiley pose after the women’s singles final. Credit: Getty Images
With more than 1.3 million people through the gates for this year’s Australian Open, Tiley said event needed more screens, shade, seats and space.
“There’s an oval on the other side of Gosch’s Paddock, AAMI Park, the MCG, these are good pieces of land and property, which we would look at and expand into,” Tiley said.
The South African-born former tennis coach has transformed the Australian Open from a tennis tournament into a festival. Amid mounting speculation he might be in the running for the US Open’s top job, he said the trend towards entertainment for people who were not necessarily attending to watch the tennis would continue.
“We’re on a journey of transforming the on-site fan experience,” he said. “Next year, we’ve got big plans.
Fans wait in long queues outside the Grand Slam Oval entrance for day one of the Australian Open.Credit: Chris Hopkins
“We want to have a glass court, for example, with a digital, immersive surface that’s interactive.
“We’re looking at developing a sphere-like dome… where we can bring an off-site experience on-site and have a completely, immersive experience on 270 degree screens with 8K quality.”
