Andrew Abdo says he will bring a 'different perspective' to Australian tennis
Tennis Australia CEO Andrew Abdo has been confirmed as the new Australian Open tournament director and believes it's "incredibly important" for Australian tennis to produce more champions.
The former Rugby League CEO spoke at the 2027 Australian Open Launch, where the map was laid out for what to expect to see at the first major of the year.
Australian Open 2027's three-week tennis and entertainment program includes:
AO Ballpark presented by Emirates
TOPCOURT – gaming and daily entertainment
Grand Slam Oval – player appearances, live entertainment each day and night, with a footprint increase of 45 per cent
Million-dollar 1-Point Slam
Open practice – the world’s best players practising at Rod Laver Arena
Charity matches (ticketed separately)
Mega grandstand at Court 6, with a 17 per cent increase in seating
"The tennis will always be at the heart of the Australian Open, and we're creating more opportunities for fans to see the world's best players, whether that's from the front row of Rod Laver Arena during Open Practice, a seat in the new grandstand at Court 6, or cheering for your favourite player during qualifying," Abdo said.
"Opening Week continues to grow, with unrivalled access to the players and some of the best-value tennis anywhere in the world. By putting thousands and thousands of racquets into the hands of kids, we're trying to enable a lasting connection to the game and helping inspire future generations of tennis players across Australia."
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Abdo, who replaced long-serving CEO and Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley earlier this year, held a press conference inside Rod Laver Arena.
"I think it's a bit too early to say that I've got the answers to everything," said Abdo. "I've certainly got a lot of passion and enthusiasm, and a lot of unbelievably talented people in and around not only Tennis Australia but the entire ecosystem. "I think what I'm going to bring is a different perspective. The CEO coming into an organisation can ask all the ridiculous questions to get to know and understand why things are happening."
There are currently nine Aussie men and women in the top 100 combined, but according to Abdo, there is room for growth to ensure the country rediscovers its glory days of major champions and world No.1s.
"Let me acknowledge and say that it's incredibly important. We want Aussie superstars, men and women, playing unbelievably well," he reassured the media. "There are a number of factors that go into that, and if you look at how many players we have in the top-100, we're doing ok. But we want to do more, and what you'll hear from me and what you'll get from me and everyone at Tennis Australia is the relentless pursuit for doing better.
"We want Grand Slam winners; we want players in the top 10, men and women. We don't just want players in the top 100, so there's a lot of hard work that needs to go into building what we have. That includes getting more kids to play the sport, right at the grassroots level, and that includes finding the right pathway to develop talent." Abdo explained that Tennis Australia has to innovate around how they "nurture, produce, encourage, and enable talent" to ensure that stars shine in what is a "competitive stage".
"I'm excited to bring my ideas and the energy that exists in the tennis ecosystem together," he added.
"The real opportunity for us is to connect the game and the showcase of the AO back down through to participation and through to community tennis. Introducing more people to the game, more access to courts, more support for our coaches, more recognition for our volunteers, and more nurturing of talent." Last month, Abdo copped backlash over a suggestion to make men play best-of-three sets earlier in the tournament.
"Sport is entertainment. And clearly there's unbelievable athleticism involved with the sport at that level. But the rules and the format and the product has to evolve," he said at the SportNXT conference in Melbourne.
"And so a short-form version of that, who knows? Maybe in the future, Slams at the different rounds, or at different lengths of duration, maybe we're not playing best-of-five all the way through, maybe the point scoring system changes."
The 49-year-old then clarified that opinion when asked about the controversial comments. "Let me just say that I'm a massive fan of the best-of-five, and it's here to stay," Abdo confirmed.
"Honestly, one of my favourite days in sport ever, I was fortunate enough to experience the two men's semi-finals [AO 2026], and those were epic best-of-five set matches that I will never forget for the rest of my life.
"The Grand Slams are unique, the Australian Open is unique, and slugging it out in a best-of-five is unique as well. I'm a big fan of it."
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The last Australian Open shattered records, with an overall attendance of 1.3 million at Melbourne Park throughout the three-week event.
Yet many were left furious over the crowded precinct, with long queues and fewer opportunities to find seats on the outside courts being some of the notable complaints.
"You never want to turn fans away, but we are ultimately really conscious of the fan experience," Abdo said.
"Clearly for us, space is a concern we don't want to have, and that's why we're investing significantly in Grand Slam Oval going upwards, and 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 important to ensure that the fans who do come do have a good experience."
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