VIDEO: What is the future for Tennis Australia?

NORMAN HERMANT, REPORTER: The Australian Open was almost a different tennis universe when Craig Tiley took over in 2006.

CRAIG TILEY, OUTGOING CEO, TENNIS AUSTRALIA:  The event that we’re delivering is an international event.

NORMAN HERMANT: Attendance has more than doubled on Tiley’s watch to 1.3 million. Tennis Australia revenue has soared. 

Things are good, he says, as he leaves for the CEO role at United States Tennis Association.

CRAIG TILEY:  The organisation Tennis Australia is in the best shape it’s ever been

NORMAN HERMANT:  Tiley has remade the Australian Open into a festival of the sport. Influential tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg says Tiley has shifted international perceptions of Australia’s Slam.

BEN ROTHENBERG, TENNIS JOURNALIST:  I think that Craig Tiley did a tonne to get Australian Open on closer to equal footing with the other three majors than anyone had before. 

Most metrics, the parity has been much, much closer than I think Australian Open fans or directors, administrators of the past could have ever expected them to be

NORMAN HERMANT: Former player and coach Louise Pleming now promotes social connection through racquet sports.

Craig Tiley, she says, brought unique skills to turn the Australian Open into a powerhouse.

LOUISE PLEMING, RALLY4EVER FOUNDATION:  He’s an amazing networker, he’s a great communicator, and he has every tennis players best interest, and he gets on so well with all of those – particularly the top players.     

NORMAN HERMANT:  The Australian Open is the financial engine that powers Tennis Australia. 

LOUISE PLEMING:  They raise something like $600-$700 million, a lot of money. And that goes into participation, creating champions, and just tennis in general, growing the sport. 

NORMAN HERMANT:  Some say not enough of that money is trickling down. Destanee Aiava is retiring from the sport at just 25. 

DESTANEE AIAVA, TENNIS PLAYER:  I would probably say maybe let's cool it on upgrading AO and try and help the players a bit more. I mean, they made so much money from all the sales tickets and everyone attending AO, so I feel like that should be put into more grassroots and clubs. 

DAMON LUCHT, REDLINE TENNIS: There's no trickle down from the Australian Open.

NORMAN HERMANT:  In Brisbane coach Damon Lucht has worked for more than 20 years with upcoming players including last years’ 12 and under national clay court champion. 

He says Australia’s player development prospects are as low now as he’s ever seen.   

DAMON LUCHT:  You look at our performance at Junior Grand Slams over the last five years, we have barely got kids in the draws and the kids that we do have in the draws are getting wild cards and they're getting chomped on first round by kids who are meant to be around the same standard from really, really small pecking order countries. 

NORMAN HERMANT:  He says the junior pathway in Australia is more limited than ever with more young top tennis prospects heading to Europe for training. 

Damon Lucht says Craig Tiley leaves a complicated legacy.

DAMON LUCHT:  If you're talking about his role as the Australian Open tournament director, it's stellar, it's top shelf. 

In regards to development, there is no legacy for him to leave because when he started we had far more depth, far better tournament calendaring, far more coaches working.

DESTANEE AIAVA:  I feel like I see a lot more kids going to Spain, Europe, anywhere to those big academies to develop their game, and it's a lot closer as well to travel to different countries and play more tournaments that are a higher level. 

I feel like a lot of kids, especially, I felt the same thing growing up where we find out we're not as good as we are in Australia compared to overseas.

NORMAN HERMANT:  But Tennis Australia strongly refutes those criticisms.

NICOLE KRIZ, DIR. PLAYER DEVT TENNIS AUSTRALIA:  Development ebbs and flows, there's no doubt about that and we're always going to see fluctuations in numbers

NORMAN HERMANT: Director of Player Development Nicole Kriz says players like Maya Joint – now in the top 30 - will soon be joined by more promising players developed with the help of Tennis Australia.   

NICOLE KRIZ:  There are a number of athletes that have just moved into that top hundred and on the back of those athletes, there's a really strong culture and cohort of emerging young pros that we are going to see transition into that top hundred

NORMAN HERMANT:  Kriz says Craig Tiley has left Australia’s tennis development pipeline in very good shape.   

NICOLE KRIZ:  Right now, we are at a very exciting stage in development and we're always going to look to build on that. 

NORMAN HERMANT:  Now Craig Tiley will be building in the US. Overseeing not only the US Open but also player development.

Tiley will have his work cut out for him. 

BEN ROTHENBERG:  The US Open doesn't hold quite the same prominence in the US landscape. It's a bigger country It's a more crowded landscape. 

Tennis is not quite as high on the sports pecking order in the US as it is in Australia. But yeah, if he can bring some of that same energy and enthusiasm, parts of it can translate for sure.