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Australian Open boss Craig Tiley has confirmed tournament organisers are considering starting the year's grand slam one day earlier on Saturday in the future, in a move likely to divide the tennis world. The Australian Open shifted to a Sunday start in 2024 in a move that was supposed to alleviate some of the fixture backlogs and late night scheduling, with tennis legend John McEnroe among those to label it nothing more than a 'money grab' from organisers.
The Sunday start has done little to stop many of the late night/early morning finishes, and there was uproar over the weekend when the men's doubles final was played after the women's title decider and didn't finish until 2am. But an extra day could help solve some of the scheduling issues and allow tournament organisers to spread the matches out more effectively across the day.
Crucially, a Saturday start would also give the billion-dollar extravaganza three full weekends of main-draw action, injecting even more money into the local economy through the biggest show on the annual Australian sporting calendar. More than 1.1 million spectators attended this year's edition, smashing the crowd record and generating huge money for Tennis Australia and the Victorian government.
"I mean, we're having growth. We're having more kids play the game, more people join clubs, more adults play the game. More racquets and balls have been sold than ever before. So we're going through a bit of a boom in the sport and more people are paying to get a ticket to come through the gate. So we are doing that."
McEnroe was outspoken in his criticism of the Australian Open extending to 15 days in 2024 and argued that it was simply a 'money grab' from organisers, rather than a move aimed at benefiting players or fans. “They just found another way to make some money," he told ESPN at the time. "I don't agree with it. I'm a commentator. No one's particularly concerned about my feelings. The players, if they accept it and they're getting something from it, like some money for their pensions or retirement for some players that don't have insurance, I would say that's a good thing that they have added an extra day."
McEnroe argued that players don't benefit financially from the move and it just creates more days for the tournament, without fixing the problem of late finishes. “I don't think that has happened, just like it didn't happen at the French Open. I completely disagree with it. That's probably me being selfish that I have to be away from home an extra day or two," he added.
"There's always going to be one or two people that make it unpleasant for others. That's human behaviour," Tiley said. "I'm not worried about the crowd behaviour. We've had record numbers coming through the gate. The majority - 99.9 per cent of fans - have been well behaved.
"I want to look more at the number of fans who come through the gate and the energy and the enjoyment that they're having is at an all-time high. So we're not going to design an event where we're going to keep people silent, because then the next question is going to be, 'Why aren't people enjoying it?'"
Andrew Reid
Yahoo Sports online
Tue, 28 January 2025,
8:44 am ACDT
The Sunday start has done little to stop many of the late night/early morning finishes, and there was uproar over the weekend when the men's doubles final was played after the women's title decider and didn't finish until 2am. But an extra day could help solve some of the scheduling issues and allow tournament organisers to spread the matches out more effectively across the day.
Crucially, a Saturday start would also give the billion-dollar extravaganza three full weekends of main-draw action, injecting even more money into the local economy through the biggest show on the annual Australian sporting calendar. More than 1.1 million spectators attended this year's edition, smashing the crowd record and generating huge money for Tennis Australia and the Victorian government.
Australian Open bosses considering Saturday start for event
And Tiley admits tournament bosses will give serious consideration to capitalising on the huge interest in the event by extending it to 16 days in future. "We wouldn't do anything without thinking carefully about what impact it has on the players and the fans, but there's just an insatiable desire in Australia for more people to watch tennis," Tiley told AAP at Melbourne Park."I mean, we're having growth. We're having more kids play the game, more people join clubs, more adults play the game. More racquets and balls have been sold than ever before. So we're going through a bit of a boom in the sport and more people are paying to get a ticket to come through the gate. So we are doing that."
McEnroe was outspoken in his criticism of the Australian Open extending to 15 days in 2024 and argued that it was simply a 'money grab' from organisers, rather than a move aimed at benefiting players or fans. “They just found another way to make some money," he told ESPN at the time. "I don't agree with it. I'm a commentator. No one's particularly concerned about my feelings. The players, if they accept it and they're getting something from it, like some money for their pensions or retirement for some players that don't have insurance, I would say that's a good thing that they have added an extra day."
McEnroe argued that players don't benefit financially from the move and it just creates more days for the tournament, without fixing the problem of late finishes. “I don't think that has happened, just like it didn't happen at the French Open. I completely disagree with it. That's probably me being selfish that I have to be away from home an extra day or two," he added.
Australian Open boss defiant after backlash around crowds
With 11am starts and early-morning finishes, the Australian Open is fast following the US Open in New York as the grand slam that never sleeps. However, the tournament has been tarnished somewhat in recent years by boorish crowd behaviour, as evidenced this year by the booing of an injured Novak Djokovic as he withdrew from the semi-final. Danielle Collins was also subjected to foul-mouthed crowd taunts during her second-round win over Australian Destanee Aiava, but Tiley rejected suggestions that Australian Open crowd behaviour had become a big problem."There's always going to be one or two people that make it unpleasant for others. That's human behaviour," Tiley said. "I'm not worried about the crowd behaviour. We've had record numbers coming through the gate. The majority - 99.9 per cent of fans - have been well behaved.
"I want to look more at the number of fans who come through the gate and the energy and the enjoyment that they're having is at an all-time high. So we're not going to design an event where we're going to keep people silent, because then the next question is going to be, 'Why aren't people enjoying it?'"
Andrew Reid
Yahoo Sports online
Tue, 28 January 2025,
8:44 am ACDT
