New Australian Open tournament director criticised for ‘Jacob Sinner’ gaffe

New Australian Open tournament director Andrew Abdo began his tenure with an unfortunate gaffe as he referred to two-time champion and world No 1 Jannik Sinner as “Jacob Sinner”.

The former NRL chief executive, who has replaced Craig Tiley in the double role of Tennis Australia CEO and Australian Open director, was speaking to staff, press and sponsors at the launch of the 2027 edition of the tournament.

He later backtracked, telling a press conference, “Of course I know that it’s Jannik Sinner,” with the misstep coming hot on the heels of him sparking backlash with comments at a conference last month.

He raised the possibility of shortening men’s matches at the tournament from the best-of-five sets format at the SportNXT conference, prompting widespread alarm. The Australian Open’s official social media accounts later posted confirming “five-set tennis is here to stay”.

Abdo said at the launch that there were benefits to having someone with very little tennis experience in charge of the event. He said: “I think I bring a fresh perspective, energy and new ideas.

“I’m not an outsider to leading in sport, and I’m not an outsider to understanding how to surround myself with incredibly talented, hard-working people to get the best outcome.”

Abdo confirmed at the launch that Sinner and reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz had already signed up to play the ‘One-Point Slam’, a popular innovation from the 2025 edition pitting top players against amateurs in a separate, quickfire event with 1m Australian dollars (£527,000) on the line. Each match lasts only one point and the professionals get no second serve.

Australian club player Jordan Smith beat Sinner on the way to winning this year’s version, beating pro Joanna Garland in the final.

Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff have also confirmed their participation, with the One-Point Slam taking place before the tournament proper begins.

Abdo also said he plans to cap day pass tickets in order to prevent overcrowding, after more than 1.3m tickets were sold for last year’s event and there were complaints of long queues.

He said: “You never want to turn fans away, but we are ultimately really cognisant of the fan experience.

“We want to continue working with the government to create more space in this precinct so that we don’t have to cap crowds, but it is an important element to ensure that the fans that do come have a good experience, that the queues are manageable and they’re able to actually see what they’re here for, that is tennis, and obviously get the overall community experience and the fun and the festivities.”