To supercharge the Melbourne Park event, ‘Opening Week’ maximises the music, food and wellness – and adds a $1m tennis showcase
“Cricket’s in December,” Tennis Australia’s chief executive, Craig Tiley, says with a smile on a record-breaking first day of the Australian Open on Monday. The veteran may be rumoured to be considering a move to the US Tennis Association, but for now he remains focused on his sport’s summer dominance.
“Our objective is we want to own January,” he says. At the launch of one of many Melbourne Park sponsor activations, conditions are ripe for Tiley to talk a big game. “We’re intense, and we’re intense because we’re 21 days, every day.”
Written by Jack Snape at Melbourne Park
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/jan/12/australian-open-melbourne-tennis-dates-changes-schedule-program-three-weeks under the title “Australian Open is drawing record crowds before the tournament has even begun”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
