The United States Tennis Association announced earlier this week that it has hired Craig Tiley to be its new CEO.
Tiley has been the Australian Open tournament director since 2006 and the CEO of Tennis Australia since 2013. The South African has worked in the United States before, serving as head coach of men’s tennis at the University of Illinois from 1995 through 2005. The Fighting Illini won the National Championship in 2003.
“I am truly honored to step into the role of CEO of the USTA later this year,” Tiley stated. “I’ve long admired the organization’s leadership in growing the game across the United States and the extraordinary success of the U.S. Open. Tennis has shaped my life — personally and professionally — and having begun my tennis journey in the U.S. as an NCAA championship coach, this opportunity feels like a full-circle moment. I’m excited to return to American tennis and to work alongside our leadership locally and nationally to continue building the sport’s reach, impact, and future.”
Added USTA Board Chair Brian Vahaly, “From the very beginning of this process, our top priority was identifying the right leader to accelerate participation growth and help us achieve our goal of reaching 35 million players by 2035. Craig brings a rare combination of global credibility at the highest level of the sport and a proven commitment to growing the game at the grassroots. That balance is exactly what this moment requires. As we look to fully leverage the power of the U.S. Open as a platform for inspiration and growth, Craig’s leadership and understanding of the entire tennis ecosystem will be invaluable. We are excited to build on our current momentum of six consecutive years of participation growth, and we are confident he is the right leader to guide American tennis into its next chapter.”
The overall growth of tennis in Australia was dramatic under Tiley’s leadership, and the Aussie Open thrived. His latest and one of his greatest projects as tournament director was the “1-point Slam,” held right before the start of main-draw competition at Melbourne Park.