The Australian Open 2026 officially moved from two to three weeks, and the AO Matters conference that took place during the first (second?) week established that there were plans to stretch out the colossal event even further. And now Craig Tiley, long seen as the svengali of Melbourne, has announced that he is off to take over the running of the US Open. Rumours about the move had been swirling for months, even years, so while it doesn’t come as a surprise, it does raise the question of whether the horizons of the AO will keep expanding at the same pace, and if his vision for the future as outlined during AO Matters still holds.
Accepting the position of Chief Executive Officer of the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Craig Tiley said, “Leading this team has been the privilege of my life. I am incredibly proud that Tennis Australia is now recognised globally as the player’s partner and the benchmark for the sport, events and entertainment.”
“My greatest thrill has been working with the many talented people throughout our entire team and indeed the Australian tennis family. It is a tight-knit community with so much passion, talent and commitment to the sport we all love.”
“While I look forward to the challenge at the USTA, my immediate and total focus is clear: delivering a smooth transition and ensuring I leave the sport, the business and the team in the best possible shape.”
Record numbers of fans – more than 1.3 million – flocked through the gates, eager to immerse themselves in everything the world’s biggest annual sport and entertainment event in January had to offer, and the Australian Open 2026 set a new benchmark for prize money with a record-breaking $111.5 million prize pool, representing a 16 per cent increase on last year and the largest in the tournament’s history. The AO26 reached 14.3 million viewers, with 758 million cross-platform viewing hours, and a 2025 report calculated that last year the event injected $565.8 million into the Victorian state’s economy.
It’s no wonder then that companies are falling over themselves to be attached to the tennis, and so this year the AO teamed up with PM Events and Branded, the team that delivers All That Matters in Singapore to host AO Matters, an exclusive, invite-only conference designed for the world’s leading Chief Marketing Officers and senior brand executives. 100 hand-picked marketing leaders explored the future of global sports partnerships and brand engagement in an era of rapid transformation.
From the festivalisation of sport to emerging technologies, fan experience innovation, how women’s sports is where new growth will be found, and cultural trends driving the industry, the program featured moderated discussions with some of the most influential voices in marketing and sponsorship.
As well as Craig Tiley, speakers included Ricardo Fort (Global Sports Sponsorship Leader), Evan Zeder (Director of Global Sports Marketing, New Balance), Amy Bradshaw, (General Manager Global Business Solutions, TikTok AUNZ), Verity Edgell (Director Consumer Marketing & Sponsorship, Mastercard), Jez Lubenetski, (Global Head of Strategy & Consulting, Wasserman), Michelle Lucia (SVP, Product & Innovation, Live Nation APAC), Kate Marsden (Global Head of Brand Partnerships, Sponsorships & Design School, Canva).
And naturally, Irresistible was there to make sure the tennis stayed top of the agenda. We captured what the boss Craig Tiley said, as well and having a chat to Ricardo Fort from Sport by Fort, and Amy Bradshaw from TikTok.
To make that even easier he envisaged just one transaction taking place- an open card hold – at the beginning of the day- and then a little message informing you of your total spend, but not of course till you’re on the way home!
The tech for line- calls is some of the most advanced in the world, and Tiley said there are plans to get match officials off the court and more tech in, although he conceded that people quite like having an umpire up in a high-chair, and so they may be kept for a while ‘for show’.
“The magic doesn’t happen when brands tell creators what to say – it happens when brands trust creators to say it in a way their community already believes.”
If capturing a moment in time is taken out of the equation, is there a sense that we’re moving from the festivalisation of events to almost an affiliation, a membership, maybe a club kind of model.
Ricardo Fort Thinking about this now, I don’t support my football team just when they are playing, I support my team every day, so maybe you’re right. I will think about this more, but when you’re looking at the format of delivery, I think it’s more important, for me at least, to think about how you extend this conversation for as long as possible.
