Craig Tiley Named USTA CEO, Leaving Tennis Australia for the US Open
Craig Tiley | Image by United States Tennis Association (USTA)
Craig Tiley, the man who spent two decades turning the Australian Open into one of the most commercially successful events in world sport, is leaving Melbourne to run the body behind the US Open. The South African–born executive announced in February 2026 that he would step down as Tennis Australia CEO and Australian Open tournament director to become chief executive of the United States Tennis Association He stays in post until his successor - incoming NRL boss Andrew Abdo - takes over in August 2026.
What Tiley built in Melbourne
Tiley arrived as Australian Open tournament director in 2006 and became CEO of Tennis Australia in 2013. Over that span he rebuilt the tournament into a 15-day event that has repeatedly broken attendance and revenue records, expanding the fixture's footprint, fan experience and global profile. Tennis Australia chair Chris Harrop credited Tiley's leadership with making the organisation globally recognised for innovation, inclusivity and world-class events - with the Australian Open's growth the headline achievement.
Tiley himself framed the Tennis Australia chapter as the privilege of his life, noting the organisation is now positioned globally as a benchmark for sport, events and entertainment.
Why the USTA wanted him
The US Open is the financial engine of American tennis and one of the four Grand Slam tournaments, but the event sits within a federation under constant pressure to balance commercial performance with the development of the domestic game. Importing the executive who turned the Australian Open into a record-setting commercial machine is a statement of intent: the USTA is hiring proven event-scaling and revenue-growth capability.
Tiley's move also reflects how mobile top-tier sports leadership has become. The skills that grow a Grand Slam — broadcast strategy, sponsorship architecture, event productisation, fan experience - travel across borders, and the most successful operators are now recruited globally rather than groomed internally.
The handover
Tiley has been explicit that his immediate focus is a clean transition - leaving the sport, the business and the team in the strongest possible shape before he departs. He inherits a USTA that is commercially healthy but perennially scrutinised on grassroots and pathway investment, the same tension that follows every major federation.
The hire is explicitly tied to a target. USTA Board Chair and interim Co-CEO Brian Vahaly framed Tiley as the leader to accelerate the organisation's goal of reaching 35 million players in the United States by 2035. American tennis is riding momentum - participation hit a record 27.3 million players in 2025, a sixth straight year of growth, and the sport has expanded by 54% since 2019, adding close to 10 million players, with women and communities of colour driving much of the gain.
