The tournament director of the Australian Open, Craig Tiley, who came under fire because of the posse surrounding world number one Novak Djokovic, spoke publicly on Thursday for the first time after the Serb’s deportation. In an interview with Channel 9, Tiley said he would not be stepping down. He also denied reports that the Australian Tennis Association (TA) would pay for Djokovic’s travel and legal expenses.
Djokovic had to leave the continent last Sunday after another court decision instead of being able to fight for his 21st Grand Slam title. Tiley dodged questions about how Tennis Australia was involved in Djokovic’s entry arrangements. “We’ve already answered those questions and now we’re focused on delivering a great event here”; said Tiley.
The fact that his personal reputation has also suffered from the Djokovic saga was shown when Tiley handed the Australian a bouquet of flowers to say goodbye to Sam Stosur. As he marched into the square, Tiley was booed. Tiley answered a possible resignation with a simple “no”. He saw reports in local media that the association had paid for his legal fees, his travel expenses to Melbourne and a house in the city that Djokovic could never use. “We don’t go into details about financial arrangements that we make with players. These reports are simply wrong.”
