The heat is beginning to come down on Tennis Australia CEO and Australian Open boss Craig Tiley over the handling of the Novak Djokovic saga.
Djokovic, Tennis Australia and Australia on the national front have all suffered among the international tennis community for how the debacle has unfolded.
Tiley wrote to the ATP late last year informing unvaccinated players they could enter the country under the pretence of a COVID infection in the last six months, despite having received the opposite advice from Health Minister Greg Hunt.
And for that, respected tennis writer Courtney Walsh says there has to be strong questions asked and answered.
“I cannot see how there won’t be significant questions asked of him by the Tennis Australia board at the end of this, but that said as well, the Tennis Australia board, including the chairperson Jayne Hrdlicka, should also be facing the scrutiny,” Walsh told The First Serve.
“They have oversight of the entire operation, it’s not just Craig. He’s tasked with running the business, he’san extremely successful administrator from the tennis perspective.
“There have to be questions asked, people have been calling for him to be sacked, it’s going to be interesting to see what unfolds on that front.
“(We) have to get through the Open first, but then we’ll see what happens I think.”
While Tiley is the face of Tennis Australia, the organisation is far from a one-man band.
However, the public is yet to hear from other senior figures of the organisation including Hrdlicka as chairperson.
The 59-year-old has remained far out of the public eye in recent years, The Australian’s Will Swanton recently dubbing her “the invisible woman of Australian tennis”.
Walsh questioned why a saga as big as TA has ever faced isn’t enough to draw public comments from its leader.
“I requested again through the lead into the Australian Open an interview and I was told that the President does not do media interviews about the tennis,” he continued.
“Not every president beats the drums like Eddie McGuire used to from the Collingwood football club, but they certainly speak to their members and they do speak on occasion.
“This is one of the great crises of Australian tennis and we’re yet to hear a word.
“To hide behind legal matters, that’s not quite true because Tennis Australia was never a party in the actual legal matter, so that didn’t preclude them from speaking.
“They were involved in the legal matter, that wouldn’t be an issue, but technically they were not involved in that matter, so there’s a disappointing element there as well.”
The Australian Open got underway on Monday morning, and it’s expected the organisation will focus on the tournament until its conclusion before providing further commentary on Djokovic.