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There’s no doubt that Tennis Australia chief executive Craig Tiley has his hands full this year.
In the midst of the Australian Open, Tiley has been the subject of unrelenting speculation over his future (suggesting he is in the frame to run the US Open), and is facing a star-studded player push for better pay and conditions. All par for the course, you could say, given the administrative stalwart’s pay packet.
Tiley topped the Australian tennis governing body’s executive payroll in the organisation’s most recent tax filings in the US, raking in a modest $US1.2 million ($1.7 million). We say modest because, just a year earlier, he received almost double that amount.
Tennis Australia would have it be known that these filings don’t offer the full picture, once you factor in variances in reporting periods between Australia and the US, foreign currency fluctuations and other accounting quirks. Which is all to say, bonuses and other payments can fall between reporting cycles, explaining Tiley’s dip in compensation.
Still, if the numbers are good enough for US regulators, they’re good enough for Open Season! And if the most recent filing is any indication, life at Tennis Australia doesn’t look bad at all. The organisation declined to comment.
Timothy Jolley, the organisation’s chief strategy and performance officer, had reportable compensation of $US765,646 ($1.1 million). The figure for Tennis Australia’s chief commercial officer, Cedric Cornelius, was $US608,657 ($882,751), the organisation reported, while chief operating officer Thomas Larner didn’t do too badly either, rounding out the fat cats with $US502,825 ($729,260).
US Open and Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt, who is also Tennis Australia’s Davis Cup captain, took in $US287,114 ($416,408), down a touch on what he made the previous year. Todd Woodbridge, meanwhile, wasn’t listed on the filing at all. Rest assured, though, we hear he remains on the books for his ambassadorial duties.
These figures and more are contained in what is known as a 990 filing, which Tennis Australia filed with the US Internal Revenue Service last August, for the 12 months to 30 September 2024.
While the documents are a little dated, each year they offer a rare glimpse of the detail that doesn’t make it into the organisation’s annual report locally.
Post-game funny business
Much can be said about the humble post-match press conference. It’s simultaneously a chance for players to dissect their match and for inquisitive reporters to pose left-of-field questions.
Tennis is usually the topic at hand. But some lines of questioning are so silly that we at Open Season are left scratching our heads.
Like one question posed to Coco Gauff asking whether she now enjoys being part of the ginger-haired tribe (she said she’s in good company – thanks to Jannik Sinner). Or another wondering her thoughts on the TV show Heated Rivalry (consensus: she and her mum both love it).
On Saturday night, world No. 2 Iga Swiatek was asked whether she would switch the racquet for a script and consider herself an actress.
In a video posted by Crown, the Polish player ventured undercover at restaurant Marmont, sporting a pair of glasses and pretending to be a waitress from Australia.
It wasn’t long before the table cottoned on and the jig was up. Still, we would rate it as a pretty decent performance.
“I never got any [acting] tips … but when I need to, sometimes, do something for the camera, I have no trouble with it,” Swiatek said in Saturday’s press conference. “I really had fun. I even tried to raise my voice to sound [different].”
With Oscars season in full swing, we wonder if she is considering a potential career change?
Meanwhile, 10-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic made the ultimate Melbourne faux pas after his second-round win against Francesco Maestrelli – confusing the Magpies with the Bombers.
One eager Australian reporter couldn’t bear to sit with the mistake. He called out and corrected the Djoker.
“I apologise. I know there’s a big rivalry there,” Djokovic said, quick to prevent any further incident.
From snacks to serves
In case you missed it, the fourth-round match-up between defending champion Madison Keys and fellow American Jessica Pegula will be the first grand slam stoush featuring podcast co-hosts (we think).
It’s a bleak reminder about the chronically online state of the world right now. But as we at Open Season always say – if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.
Keys flagged in her press conference on Saturday that the pair would record an episode the next day. And as promised, The Player’s Box Podcast dropped a clip on Sunday, featuring fellow player Desirae Krawczyk.
Sitting on the floor in the player change rooms below Rod Laver Arena, the trio giggled their way through an Aussie snack haul. They tried out the likes of Burger Rings, Violet Crumble and Tim Tams (the latter of which is apparently a favourite of fellow American Taylor Fritz).
Also on the menu were Vegemite, Nacho Cheese and Spicy Fried Chicken Shapes – a criminal selection of flavours, if you ask us.
There was no mention of Monday’s match. But one Instagram story post did make fun of the cheese-covered apple pie that’s on the line. It’s nice to see that the players can keep their rivalry on the court.
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John Buckley is a CBD columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via email.From our partners
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