Incoming Tennis Australia CEO Andrew Abdo appears unlikely to take on the double workload of his predecessor Craig Tiley, by running both the national organisation and the Australian Open tournament.

Abdo will finish up as chief executive of the NRL in mid-July and start at TA on August 3, with Tiley moving to his new position heading the United States Tennis Association along the same timeline.

Tiley has been the Australian Open tournament boss for 20 years, securing the future of the grand slam event in Australia with its huge growth in popularity and footprint at Melbourne Park.

He has also held the Tennis Australia CEO role since 2013 but Abdo appears unlikely to follow the same dual role path.

Abdo said that, while ultimately responsible for the tournament, he would consider the “organisational design” of Tennis Australia once he officially moved into his role.

“I’ve been appointed by the board to be the CEO of Tennis Australia, which means you’re responsible for all aspects of the sport, from community sport to pathways and talent development to delivering major events, so the responsibility of the CEO is all encompassing,” he said when asked if he was going to be Open tournament director.

“What happens underneath that in terms of organisational design and who’s responsible for what, I’ll get to once I start in the role.”

Asked if he would appoint someone as tournament director, he said it wasn’t a question he could currently answer.

Abdo was head-hunted for the TA CEO role, with his wife Anna urging him to take up the opportunity.

“This is a sport that I have a natural affinity for …my wife is a massive tennis fan, and during the interview process, she said to me, and I quote, ‘Andrew, this is my dream job for you’,” he said.

“So I felt a lot of pressure, but I’m equally excited, you know, there are a lot of learnings that you can take from leading a sport like rugby league.

“There’s a huge amount of learnings that are applicable to any other sport, and I can’t wait to bring what I’ve learned and what I’ve gained in rugby league to a different environment, a different context, and a different set of challenges in tennis.”

Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys has been green-lighted to become ARLC executive chairman, stepping in for Abdo until a permanent replacement is appointed.

Abdo said he wanted to sign off on a new NRL long-term broadcast deal before taking up his new post, where he faces new global challenges, including grand slam player revenue share pressure.

He said keeping tennis “relevant” to both fans and grassroots players and developing player talent in Australia were priorities.

“It’s too early for me to comment on what my particular views on (AO player revenue) are, but what I will say is, it’s really important that we understand and we take into account the views of current players, former players, and all stakeholders in making decisions that are in the best interests of the game long-term.

“And of course, the players and player welfare, and a fair share of revenue, is important.”

Tiley said he welcomed having an ally in world tennis in Abdo, who is also South African-born.

“I hope so, I’m really looking forward to that,” said Tiley, who won’t be the US Open tournament director.

“I will work closely with Andrew on helping reform the sport — the sport needs reform.

“From a global fan perspective, it ranks number three globally, but from a commerciality it’s number 11 so that’s a gap that can be closed and we’ll work together with the other slams and the other stakeholders, hopefully have an impact on that.”

AAP