Australian Open chief speaks out in claims tournament could be moved | Tennis | Sport

Australian Open chief Craig Tiley has addressed claims that the event could be moved to China. Limited crowds were allowed at Melbourne Park amid Covid restrictions and the cost of player quarantines, leading to Tennis Australia depleting its £45m ($80m) cash reserves in the 15 months around the delayed 2021 Australian Open.

The last two Australian Opens have been played in front of limited crowds, prompting talks to move last year’s event to Sydney, where restrictions would have allowed for larger crowds. Tiley also admitted that there has been interest in moving the event to China in the past.

Tiley told the Herald Sun: “There was a time in 2010 when there was significant interest from Sydney and significant interest from Shanghai. A private equity firm knows that when times are good, it is a very healthy business that attracts capital investment. So there was quite a bit of interest.”

After initial interest from China, the Australian Open signed a deal to host the event in Melbourne until 2046. However, China may be interested in an exchange in the near future.

READ MORE: Novak Djokovic suffered another bout of Covid after arriving Down Under for the Australian Open

Although Tennis Australia has exhausted its reserves during the Covid-19 pandemic, Tiley believes Melbourne needs a new stadium and more courts. He says they need to work with the Australian government on a “master plan” for the event.

“We need to develop another master plan and work on that with the state government,” Tiley said. And another stadium is needed, whether it’s a renovation or replacement of John Cain Arena.

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