Andrew Abdo, the long-standing head of Australian rugby league’s NRL, has been announced as the new chief executive of governing body Tennis Australia (TA), organizer of the Australian Open grand slam tournament.
The announcement comes three months after Craig Tiley announced he would step down from the role at TA after 13 years to become the new chief executive of the US Tennis Association (USTA), organizer of the US Open grand slam.
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Tennis Australia said Abdo was chosen after a global recruitment search of more than 150 candidates by executive recruitment firm Egon Zehnder, with his experience in leadership of a high-profile national league sealing the deal.
In a statement, Abdo said: “The Australian Open is already one of the leading sporting events in the world.
“The opportunity is to keep evolving it - as a global event, as a fan experience, and as a platform that brings more people into the sport.
“What excites me about this role is the opportunity to grow participation, strengthen development pathways, and ensure success at the elite level – so that more young Australians pick up a racket and stay lifelong participants.
“I am excited to build off the incredible success and strength of Tennis Australia to work with an amazing team and to play my part in taking the sport to the next level in Australia and on the global stage.”
The Australian Open is the first of four grand slam tournaments staged during the tennis calendar, usually in the latter half of January. It is followed, in chronological order, by the French Open, Wimbledon (London), and the US Open.
This year's Australian Open, the last under Tiley's leadership, was held at Melbourne Park from January 18 to February 1.
TA also organizes Australian Open warm-up events, the United Cup, Adelaide Open, Brisbane Open, and Hobart Open, while the body’s grassroots programming includes Hot Shots Tennis, Cardio Tennis, Padel, Pop Tennis, and Pickleball.
Abdo joins TA having worked at the NRL since 2013, initially as chief commercial officer before being promoted to chief executive in 2020 to replace Todd Greenberg. As chief executive, he led the organization through the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as its recent expansion and commercial growth.
NRL said Abdo will remain in his current position until July 15 “to ensure a smooth transition and the completion of the upcoming broadcast negotiations with [governing body] ARLC chair Peter V’landys.”
V’landys will assume an executive role at NRL until a new chief executive is in place. As a result, he will take long service leave from his role as chief executive of Racing NSW to focus on his responsibilities at the NRL.
Addressing his time at NRL, Abdo said: “Leading the NRL has been a privilege and the highlight of my career.
“Together we have built a strong, innovative, and resilient organization, expanded the reach of the game, and positioned it for an exciting future.
“The NRL is in a strong position – strategically, commercially, and in how it is governed. The game doesn’t stand still, and it shouldn’t.”
V’landys added: “It’s a very important time for rugby league. We start tomorrow with the broadcast deal; there’s a presentation from a number of broadcasters, so we’ll get that done hopefully before 15 July, before Andrew goes.”
Tiley, meanwhile, will stay at TA for “the coming months” to support a smooth transition to Abdo, before moving to USTA by mid-2026, ahead of this year’s US Open. He replaces Lew Sheer, who joined Major League Baseball’s New York Mets franchise.
Tiley departs after a long career at Tennis Australia, joining the governing body as director of tennis in 2005 before being promoted to chief executive and Australian Open tournament director in 2013.
Under his leadership, the Australian Open has become a commercial success, with the recent 2026 edition concluding with a record 1.35 million fans through the gates at Melbourne Park.
Among his achievements, Tiley oversaw the multi-billion-dollar redevelopment of the Melbourne Park precinct and the expansion of the Australian Open to a 15-day event, launched the innovative and popular ‘Million Dollar One Point Slam’ event, and significantly expanded the Australian Open’s digital and broadcast footprint globally.
Along with commercial achievements, Tiley drove an 8% increase in national participation last year alone, led by the “Hot Shorts” junior program.
Tennis Australia has said Tiley is committed to outlining a five-year strategy for the Tennis Australia board before his departure to ensure the tournament remains a premier asset on the global tennis calendar.
Addressing Abdo’s new position, Tiley added: “Tennis is one of the nation's most popular sports, and participation is growing.
“We have a great group of players performing at the highest level and a world-class team developing the next generation of talented players and coaches.”
