To supercharge the Melbourne Park event, ‘Opening Week’ maximises the music, food and wellness – and adds a $1m tennis showcase
“C
ricket’s in December,” Tennis Australia’s chief executive, Craig Tiley, says with a smile on a record-breaking first day of the Australian Open on Monday. The veteran may be rumoured to be considering a move to the US Tennis Association, but for now he remains focused on his sport’s summer dominance.
“Our objective is we want to own January,” he says. At the launch of one of many Melbourne Park sponsor activations, conditions are ripe for Tiley to talk a big game. “We’re intense, and we’re intense because we’re 21 days, every day.”
The Australian Open was previously a two-week tennis event. It expanded to 15 days in 2024 by bringing forward the start of the main draw by 24 hours. Now Tennis Australia wants to make the most of “Opening Week”, which has traditionally been the domain of the fading prospects and veterans still dreaming of a great grand slam run by going through qualifying.
