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Borrowing a line from former IOC boss Juan Antonio Samaranch, tennis chief Craig Tiley is trumpeting “the very best Australian Open ever”.
Whereas forecasting formatting tweaks after some imperfect scheduling, Tiley mentioned document crowds flocking to Melbourne Park and glowing participant suggestions signalled the Open had restored its standing as “the Completely happy Slam”.
Greater than 1,000,000 spectators attended for the primary time within the historical past of grand slams, with the most important and richest occasion on the Australian sporting calendar climaxing on Sunday night time with a brand new males’s champion topped in Italian sensation Jannik Sinner.
“It has been the very best Australian Open ever,” Tennis Australia CEO Tiley mentioned.
“All our metrics reveals that, from participant suggestions to fan expertise.
“We actually drove arduous on much more innovation than we usually do.”
Regardless of criticism for nonetheless extra early-morning finishes, Tiley insists the gamers had hailed the Open as “superb”.
Among the many added advantages for the sport’s stars had been a 13 per cent prize cash improve to a $105 million complete purse, coaches being given per diem funds for the primary time, and a state-of-the-art new health club and restoration centre.
“We targeted on the coach expertise,” Tiley mentioned.
“So we offer the coaches with the quiet room, with coaches packing containers, knowledge room entry to all knowledge in actual time.
“We paid for the coaches’ meals the entire time and we actually celebrated the position that the coaches play, and the gamers really feel actually good about that as a result of it takes the stress off just a little bit too.
“We spent hundreds of thousands of {dollars} placing within the world-class ice baths within the males’s and girls’s locker rooms and on the restoration centre.
“We added extra medical providers. There’s nothing you could not get from a medical viewpoint now.”
The pampered gamers even had entry to Novak Djokovic’s elaborate regeneration pod, which the Serb fortunately shared together with his rivals at Melbourne Park.
Apparently it was an enormous hit among the many enjoying group.
For all of the success of the occasion, although, Tiley is conscious of the unfavorable noise round scheduling.
He dominated out introducing a Wimbledon-style midnight curfew or bringing the night time classes ahead, however mentioned measures to hurry up the sport should be addressed by world tennis chiefs.
“We won’t begin earlier than seven due to the information in Australia so that you rule that out,” Tiley mentioned.
“And one factor that we are able to by no means do is predict the size of a match.
“You are not going to assume Coco (Gauff) goes to play for three-and-a-half hours (as in her quarterfinal with Marta Kostyuk).
“So we additionally attempt to put schedules on what we expect our matches will go to.”
Tiley mentioned officers would subsequent yr have a look at attempting to “tighten” instances that matches begin, but additionally mentioned the game’s chiefs ought to evaluate the usage of the shot clock.
“Generally the shot clock begins manner too late,” he mentioned. “That ought to be tightened up.
“Additionally, as a sport we have to contemplate — once more — not having lets. Having lets added 15 hours to the event throughout all occasions.
“So there might be tweaks subsequent yr, however you are still going to get that one-off loopy state of affairs the place a match finishes at three within the morning.”
AAP
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