Just weeks after advocating for women’s five-set matches at the Australian Open, longtime boss Craig Tiley is set to walk away from Australian tennis. The veteran administrator will reportedly be announced as the new CEO of the United States Tennis Association next week, ending a two-decade era at Tennis Australia.

Speculation surrounding Tiley’s future had been swirling since late last year, but the confirmation now appears imminent. Speaking on The First Serve Live, broadcaster Brett Phillips revealed the official announcement is only days away: “One thing we can tell you tonight is the confirmation of Craig [Tiley’s] announcement as the new CEO of the USTA will take place next week.”

Phillips further added, “Back in January, we were right in the cut and thrust of the bubble of the Australian Open… there was a lot of speculation. Everyone felt that this was a done deal, but we haven’t yet had official word, but we are going to have official word pretty shortly.”

Even journalist Linda Pearce echoed that sentiment, saying multiple sources were convinced the deal was done long before public confirmation: “Obviously, Sportico broke the news [in December] that it was going to happen, but no one at the Australian Open seemed to be convinced that it was 100 per cent done. Whereas the people I spoke to were sure it was.”

With Craig Tiley departing, a leadership vacuum opens immediately. Names already circulating include administrator Tom Larner and Peter Johnston, while coach Roger Rasheed has even suggested former AFL chief Gillon McLachlan as a potential successor. The expectation: Australia separates business leadership from tournament operations.

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Tiley now heads toward the United States with a clear mission: replicate his growth model at the US Open and across the USTA ecosystem. If his Melbourne blueprint is any indication, the American Slam could soon lean even further into spectacle, experience, and fan engagement – not just tradition. For Australia, meanwhile, the end of the Tiley era closes one of the most commercially successful chapters in its tennis history.

Craig Tiley has served as tournament director since 2006 and became CEO in 2013, transforming the Melbourne major into something beyond sport. He famously described the vision as: “entertainment, music and food, and then tennis.”

Traditionalists debated the philosophy, but commercially it worked. Record crowds, rising prize money, and major infrastructure upgrades turned the event into one of the most fan-centric Slams on the calendar. Earlier this year, he even floated bold ideas, including support for women’s five-set matches, reinforcing his willingness to challenge long-standing norms.

Craig Tiley’s best-of-five proposals for women?

When Craig Tiley floated the idea of introducing best-of-five-set matches for women at the Australian Open, it immediately split opinion across the locker room. The proposal came after a thrilling final convinced the tournament director that the women’s game could handle longer matches, but players weren’t entirely convinced.

The 2026 Melbourne Slam was already historic – a record $111.5 million prize pool and a 16% increase in payouts. But what truly sparked debate was the women’s final. In a dramatic clash, Elena Rybakina defeated world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, prompting Tiley to suggest that late-round women’s matches (QF onward) could move to five sets as early as 2027.

His reasoning: if men’s classics like those involving Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic thrive over longer formats, the women’s game could too – with proper consultation. Reacting to this proposal, the world number one women’s tennis player, Aryna Sabalenka, said, “Possibly, playing best-of-five sets would benefit me because I am one of the physically strongest. But even so, I do not think I am ready for it. It is too demanding for the female body; women are not prepared to play that amount of tennis, and injuries would increase significantly. So I think this is not something I would consider.”

Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys were blunt on the Player’s Box Podcast: “I mean, would I want to? No,” said Pegula. Following that, Keys added, “I think we’re all capable of doing it, but I don’t think I would sign up to do more. I think that if we were to do that, I think you would change the men as well. They also only play 3 out of 5 quarterfinals on…”

Coco Gauff took a balanced stance. She believes women could play five sets but questioned whether audiences would enjoy excessively long matches and criticized introducing it only from the quarterfinals onward. For her, consistency across the tournament matters more than format length.

World No. 2 Iga Swiatek focused on performance standards. She argued modern tennis is faster and more intense, and maintaining elite quality across five sets would be extremely difficult, hinting that longer doesn’t always mean better. What are your thoughts on Craig Tiley’s proposal, though?