It is the appointment that took the Australian tennis community by surprise.
Andrew Abdo, who announced his resignation as the NRL’s chief executive on Monday afternoon, is Craig Tiley’s successor – not Tennis Australia’s chief tennis officer Tom Larner, or anyone else with a significant background in the sport.
Like Tiley, Abdo is South African-born.
But unlike the man he is replacing (Tiley was a successful coach for the University of Illinois before joining Tennis Australia as director of player development), tennis was not on Abdo’s CV until now. That’s an interesting development, given there is also effectively no tennis-specific expertise on TA’s board.
However, tennis people who spoke to this masthead were largely positive about Abdo’s appointment, and willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. That said, a common perspective was that he would require more tennis-related support than Tiley did.
Tiley’s predecessor Paul McNamee, who was also an Australian Open singles semi-finalist and grand slam doubles champion, offered his congratulations to Abdo, as well as his support.
“I would be very happy to help in any way if he seeks some insight into navigating the current minefield of international tennis machinations,” McNamee told this masthead from Paris.
Davis Cup representative Jordan Thompson also threw his support behind Abdo, saying Tiley’s replacement did well developing pathways from the grassroots in rugby league.
Former world No.26 Thompson was optimistic Abdo could address that issue in tennis, and hoped he would consult former players, such as Sam Groth and John Millman, to help with the process.
Abdo inherits another of the most high-profile jobs in Australian sport.
Tiley was the highest-paid sports executive in the country, not only responsible for transforming the Australian Open into an entertainment juggernaut – beyond just a tennis tournament – but for overseeing the whole sport in this country.
TA has not confirmed whether Abdo will perform both the CEO role and that of tournament director.
This is TA’s second major appointment in a matter of months after Chris Harrop formally replaced Jayne Hrdlicka as chair in December.
Tiley insists the planning for the next few Australian Opens is already well advanced, so how Abdo handles the other side of the business may define his success.
Firstly, there is a decision to make on whether Tim Jolley remains in charge of TA’s much-maligned talent pathway, from grassroots to the elite level.
Jolley was principal at Bain & Company, the same organisation as Hrdlicka and Harrop. TA’s chief commercial officer, Cedric Cornelis, also used to consult for Bain – but several of Australia’s top players have said it is unusual for Jolley to be in such a TA role without a tennis background.
Alex de Minaur’s top-10 ranking and regular deep runs at grand slams are helping cover the cracks on an ageing men’s side without an obvious next star.
Former world No.1 Lleyton Hewitt’s job as Davis Cup captain should be another consideration for Abdo.
What responsibility should Hewitt wear for the state of men’s tennis in the country? Australia’s embarrassing defeat to Ecuador in February means there is a chance they won’t be in the world group next year.
Hewitt is a polarising figure, but continues to have a major say in the sport.
On the flipside, the women’s game finally looks healthy with mostly home-grown prospects leading the way after years of TA propping it up with players born elsewhere.
It is unclear if any of Maya Joint (born in the United States, but with a Melbourne-born father), Talia Gibson, Emerson Jones and Taylah Preston can ascend to Ash Barty’s grand slam-winning heights, but they should ensure Australian tennis remains relevant.
The main criticism of Tiley’s tenure was the perception he devoted a disproportionate amount of his time to the Australian Open and not enough on performance and other aspects of running the sport.
The interest now is in how Abdo will approach the role. Only time will tell.
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