In one obvious case, though, Tiley’s ambition backfired. In 2022, he arranged for Novak Djokovic to skirt the country’s Covid-vaccination rules and enter the Australian Open. The ensuing saga ended with Djokovic deported and Tiley villainized. Four years later, though, with Djokovic back in the local fans’ good graces, it can feel like an uproar from a different era. I doubt Tiley would do the same thing again, but at one level it shows how far he’ll go to make an event a success.
Which leads us to the question at hand: Is he a good fit as CEO of the USTA?
Let’s start with the US Open. Once upon a time, it was the leader in innovation, pioneering equal pay, night matches, hard courts, final-set tiebreakers, and a festival atmosphere. Under Tiley, the Australian Open has taken over that role—or at least made itself the equal of the US Open.
Screens, seats, shade, and space. If you cover those four, the fans are very happy. Craig Tiley, on improving the fan experience at the US Open
Does it make sense for him to try to be an expansionist again in New York? The scene at Flushing Meadows these days is already a boozy party, the grounds are already packed, the tournament already lasts three weeks, and prize money and ticket prices have already skyrocketed, with no diminution in demand.
None of that seems like it will keep Tiley from trying to push the boundaries further. His latest ideas include making women’s matches best-of-five from the quarterfinals on, and eliminating the umpire’s chair in favor of more electronic officiating. Will he also want to cut grounds-pass prices, the way he did in Melbourne? That sounds good in theory, but would it lead to more congestion, or difficulty securing tickets? Maybe he’s on to something with his relatively simple “4 S’s”: More seats, screens, shade and space—especially the latter two—might be what the Open needs most now.
