January 15, 2021 • 21 mins
The first of a series of episodes where Daniela explores Business After Sports. Daniela talks with Craig Tiley, Tournament Director of The Australian Open, CEO of Tennis Australia, and former NCAA Tennis coach. Craig gives his advice on how athletes should transition after sports, the challenges of running a Grand Slam Tournament in the Covid era, and he and Daniela discuss the DNA required to set matches at the Australian Open.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
Tell me what are some of the biggest challenges they
are facing the last couple of weeks. It's a massive
logistically exercises we are we are bringing into Australia people
on eighteen charter flights from seven cities to quarantine for
two weeks. Who gets the final ward? Is it you
(00:29):
or the TV or UM Because there's so many things
to consider, different slams of different things. But it's in
the case of the East and open it I I
do and uh And I've said it up that way
because I want if something goes wrong with someone complains,
I don't want anyone else to be blamed. What is
(00:50):
the best way for UM still active athletes, not only
any players, to to be able to prepare the best
way they can for their second career, to make that
transition as smooth and as successful as possible. And I
think what athletes forget They look at their career as
(01:11):
an athlete as just one career, but actually the most
successful post athlete you know careers, that that that that
athletes have picked up on or once when they have
prepared their career during being ready. Well, Craig, thank you
(01:36):
so much for your time. I gotta say I think
you are one of the most busy people on the
planet at the moment with everything you've got going on.
Tell me what are some of the biggest challenges you
are facing the last couple of weeks. Well, I think Dannielk,
it's good to see you again. It's a it's a
massive logistically exercises we are we are bringing in to
(02:00):
Australia people on eighteen child flights from seven cities to
quarantine for two weeks, to play nine events over four
weeks with four hundred thousand fans, eighty three million dollars
in prize money, and and setting up in an environment
where there's no positive COVID cases. So it's a massive
(02:23):
logistical exercise, even just dealing with the airplanes on the schedules.
Now the players are starting to get their schedules now
tonight and it will probably take fourty eight hours for
everyone to get their schedules. But every single player, you know,
if they're leaving from book Arrest, they're gonna fly into
do by the time's going to match up the child flight,
and you've got to have a you know, a COVID
test seving two hours before you leave. That's negative and
then you arrive you have another one. UM. So it's
(02:46):
just a massive, massive exercise. And because we have a
modified quarantine program where players can practice, UM they can
go outside for five hours a day, then go inside
and they have to go back into the room. UM,
that logistically is also extremely difficult to do. Are you
sleeping these days? Not much. I've got a good team,
(03:07):
teams doing great, but everyone's pretty tired actually because to
pull it off, it's a lot of late nights and
as you know from this call, it's our time zone.
It's not not great. So so most of our works
done at night, after nine and through the night. So
it's a it's just a lot of work. But once
players start getting on the planes next week, I think
we'll we'll get there. On a personal level, when you
(03:30):
have weeks as busy as this, how do you keep
up yourself? You know, staying in shape, staying in active,
because as we know, that's just as important as the work. Yeah,
you gotta. I haven't been as disciplined physically as I
should should be, but I'll make surely get a minimumount
of exercise each day, but I'd like it to be more.
But but I've always say to people, get fresh air.
(03:52):
So often if I'm on a on a call, if
it's not a zoom called team's call, I'll go outside
and I'll walk around and and go for a long walk.
But we've had it's been Melbourne, and Melbourne has four
seasons in one day, and in the last week we've
had cold season. So but it's going to be nice
and hot tomorrow. So yeah, so whenever you can't get freshiate.
But I look, it's you know, physically, you're only as
(04:13):
sharp mentally as your offer physically, and and I think
it's it's important to keep that up. But but it's
it's it's hasn't been difficult. It hasn't been easy because
that what has been really difficult to actually response, being
responsive to everyone. Really, it's a tournament director of the
Australian Open. What makes you the most proud of and
(04:34):
what makes Australian Open the special I think it's it's
a great question, I think, and we pride ourselves on
our relationship with the playing group. We spend a lot
of time and energy into making the players feel welcome,
let them enjoy their time. That's why this is very
difficult for us because players are going to go into
quarantine for two weeks and it's not going to be great,
and we're not used to not having it great for
(04:55):
the players have it when you come out, it's normal.
We had no cases of COVID game today and good news,
Sydney had no cases either. So I think in Australia
overall is less than ten cases and all of them
are in hotel quarantine. So so there's really there's very
So it's normal if you walk outside, it's we're living
in a normal world here. Um. But it's because we're
(05:18):
in Ireland and we far away. Now we're bringing the
rest of the world here, so so we asked we
get stressed by making sure that everyone doesn't spread the
virus in the community. That's why we have this two
week quarantine. Um. But yeah, I'm probably most proud of
how we approach the playing group and how we support
the players and how we get regarded as the players.
(05:40):
That's why this year is going to be difficult, because
maintaining that position with that requirement is going to be
going to be hard. Yeah, that is such a good
point you made because from my own experience and I
think a hundred percent the players will agree with that
that it's been always the most friendly Slam and you're
being able to greet all of us on a personal level.
(06:00):
It's something that I always found it was incredible that
you found the way and the time to to do so. So, yes,
that's got to be a big challenge this year and
not being able to have that strength. But on a
on a general note, as a tournament director of a Slam,
how different is it to any other tournaments And what
are some of the things you have to deal with
(06:21):
that we as a players or the media people's dictators,
we don't even realize that goes on behind the scenes. Yeah,
it's it's behind the scenes mostly, and you know what,
it's mostly like fans doing stupid things, reaching security, or
you're jumping off the stands and breaking an ankle, or
stealing someone's handbag, or or trying, you know, trying to
(06:44):
get into the grounds without a ticket, or jumping the fence,
or you know, it's putting out a smoke putting bringing
a smoke bomb, or you know it's just I mean,
I can give you a list of hundreds and hundreds
hundred things and each one takes time to manage so
a lot of that is is happening behind the scenes,
and so that always difficult to manage. Scheduling is tough
because there's so many variables, and that's what it's important
(07:05):
to know the players. I mean, I knew things that
you liked and that you didn't like, so you try
and as a player, you try and match those up
as best as you can. And because you know, some
players like to play at night, some in the day,
some of the main courts, some of the outside courts,
some of a quicker court, and the lower court, and
you try and match it up as best as you can.
And UM, and my philosophy was always you go from
the top down. You know, so you started the best
(07:27):
player in the world, you go number two, number three,
and number four, because that's kind of how it works.
You know, they've got there because of because of their success.
So uh and and sometimes and I'm also a big
advocate for um a larger group of players making a living.
So I definitely believe if you hunder the world two
(07:48):
hunder in the world, you should be making a decent
living in tennis, and the and the sports should be
supporting that. There should be enough challenges and other events
around the world that players can play and and not
just have the top players. Yes, the top players the
most arketable and can deliver the results for an event.
But I think it's it's holding on the sport and
the people that lead the sport to make sure that
the rest of making a living as well. That's why
(08:09):
we we have really good prize money distribution in the
first rounds and the qualifying and take this year, I
think we increased the qualifying by se in a pandemic year,
which is unusual. And now if you lose in the
first round of East round and open, you wouldn't You're
still win in the hundred thousand dollars. That's not bad.
Maybe I should make the com back now, just you
(08:31):
should get put it again, get to get off the
ski slopes and coming. No no, no, no, no, it's
got one more thing. I'm the scheduling, because that's something
(08:54):
I always wondered. Um. As we know, it's it's a
crazy difficult decisions you have to make. Who gets the
final ward? Is it you or the TV or UM
because there's so many things to consider. Different slams have
different things. But it's in the case of the Eastrian openent.
I do and uh, and I've set it up that
(09:14):
way because I want if something goes wrong with someone complains,
I don't want anyone else to be blamed. I want
the player to be able to come to me directly.
So I didn't agree with that, or I did agree,
or wasn't fair, or I want to hear it direct
and then I'm able to say, look, I made that decision,
and maybe it wasn't a great decision, but here all
the variables that had taken to consideration for that decision.
So so we take the inputs from the TV and
(09:36):
then it is there is the national broadcast of all
the international ones. You take the inputs from the tours,
the women's tour and the men's tour, what they think
is best. You take the inputs from the security people.
How you separate different nations because of security, because if
there's two if there's two countries that are at war
back home, sure with your fans, you're not going to
(09:57):
put them on courts next to each other. Um and
the And then there's the timing of the schedule. You
do you have doubles and mixed doubles the day before,
when do you finish, when should you play your singles?
The requests obviously of the global forecasts and even the sponsors.
So you take all that information in for every match
and you look at it as as a as a
kind of a matrix of decisions, and then then you
make a decision. But then if a decision you make
(10:18):
impacts something else, so then you've got to make another
decision to make that change. It takes about eight hours
each day to make a decision for the next day. Well,
I was just gonna ask that, when do you actually
start thinking about the next day? Yeah, yeah, yeah, we start.
We normally start at the end of the last match
the night before because then we kind of know and
(10:38):
then that and then um and then you know, then
we then the next so you've done it's kind of
like a day and a half ahead. You start to
get a sense of where it is and then you
just make changes at the last minute. But it's it's
about an eight to each day. It's about an eight
hour project where you just locked in the room trying
to figure out the matrix. Because the scheduling is important.
It can make or break an event, you know, on
(11:00):
on where you put people and and that's I think
that's one of our points of difference. The scheduling is
not done by some person you don't know in the
dark room that you can give no input to. You know,
everyone knows that I make the decisions, so they come
to me and believe me. We get lots of requests,
as you can appreciate, and then some players make no requests,
(11:20):
so you know you're trying. You're trying to recognize that
as well. But it's it's a massive It's I enjoy
problem solving, so it's a lot of fun trying to
solve those problems. Yeah, but it's great to hear that
because even me as a player, I wouldn't have any
clue that it takes eight hours. And then you know,
you see the schedule and go like, why am I
second after that long man's match? And I know I'm
(11:42):
going to be waiting for right And I know that's
exactly I would think the same reason I'm playing, you
know that men's match, And as as the Spaniard, it's
it's the one standard and the South American and and
I know they're going to be there until four o'clock,
and why didn't I get it not before? Time, and yeah,
so like it's yeah, but whenever you think that, then
(12:02):
it's like six months, six months, six too, and suddenly
you are on the court with us having to get
the time to work up. Anyways, well, even we even
make decisions like if I know, I know a lot
of the players really well, I know how quick and
slow they are, and who they play, and some history
of how long matches are taken. So we even look
at that, and uh, you know, I can tell you
which players are notoriously slow, so we pick them at
(12:23):
the time where they're not going to affect the rest
of the schedule. Well, I'm not gonna say more of
that anyways, let's change the subjects thankfully. Um So, Craig, listen,
we are running this new series this year on the
Real DNA podcast called Business After Sports, and I would
love to know, in your opinion, what is the best
(12:46):
way for um still active athletes, not only tennis players,
to to be able to prepare the best way they
can for their second career to make that transition as
smooth and a successful as possible. Yeah. Look, it's a
great question. I mean I always tell the athletes and
you know, I started this role as a coach. I've
(13:07):
been a coach for twenty plus years, and and so
I really understood, you know, on the journey of coaching
both college athletes, junior athletes, professional athletes, that you know,
you're trying to help them get the best out of
themselves and and and that's your job as a coach
and as a leader with that person is just to
help them get the best out of themselves. And and
(13:29):
I think what athletes forget they look at their career
as an athlete as just one career, but actually the
most successful post as athlete. You know, careers that that
that athletes have picked up on are ones where they
have prepared their career during being a great athlete, and
(13:51):
and that preparation gives you years and years of a headstart.
Most athletes just play tennis or play their sport and
then when they finished, they said okay now and they're
going to start again. Whereas the ones that have done
it really smartly, they take the time, whether it be education.
I'm gonna be believer in talking to people and getting
mentors and building a network of people that help you
(14:13):
springboard your career when you finish. And so if you
wanted to get into media like you've done a really
great job at you know, you start practicing that while
you while you're a top ten player in the world,
and you start reading about it, listening to people, making tapes,
talking to people. So it's just a natural transcision when
you come out. And sometimes it's difficult. You know what
decision you're gonna make with your career, So so what's
(14:33):
it going to be if if it's you know, it's
going to be something in management, and say, well, okay,
maybe during the time, I'm going to read up on management,
I'm gonna do some coursework on it. I'm going to
talk to mentors on it, and and and unfortunately, the
majority of sports people have to have a second career
because the earning capacity is not there for the elite five.
It is that the majority have to have a second
(14:56):
career to earn an earn a living and then they
make sometimes put as soon because they panicked and they
rushed and they're not really And I think there's another
business actually in that. I think it's business life after athletes.
You know, it's like being a life officer. Success is
that is helping helping people through their transision. I come
from the education background where always encourage the athletes I
(15:16):
worked with to to focus on educating themselves beyond just
their before the athlete performance, even if they were didn't
finish high school or something, and it's always paid off.
Every single one of them that's gone down their path
is doing well. Yeah, with a great piece of advice.
And that's actually exactly what I'm trying to do this
year to hopefully maybe help a little bit with, you know,
(15:37):
giving them the right kind of ways to to look
at things that start, like you said, preparing for it
while they are still still active. And I think one
of the most important things for athletes is to learn
how to listen, because I think most of us us
do well in front of camera talking about ourselves, but
then being able to step back and actually really, like
(15:59):
you said, around ourselves with good people, get the good
piece of advice and listen to what they're saying. What
you know, what it's like, you know, there was a
parent in your life where you were superstar, and so
everyone did everything for you, wanted to help you, give
you what you wanted, and then when you wake up
one morning, you're not that anymore because somebody else is
that And and now you're gonna start fending for yourself more.
(16:23):
And that's a massive transcision. And most people don't go
through that in life. Um, and so that's a massive transcision.
I've always encouraged athletes to to actually go and do
some aptitude aptitude tests, like you know, while you're an athlete,
go and do some slight tests on what really interests you.
You know, is it is it the is it the office?
Is it building? Is it working in a startup? Is
(16:43):
it doing innovation? Is it tech work? You know, is
it physical work? Is it you know, there's a whole
bunch of careers and don't you can athlete and going
generally because I always say, look, I don't know what
I'm gonna do. You know, I'm just focused on my tennis. Well,
you should be focused on yourself and your career, and
tennis is just one of those vehicles as maybe volleyball
is or whatever skiing is or whatever. So but so
(17:04):
I've always encourage that is to go at any point
going you know, you can get these psycho aptitude tests
and they give you an inclination of what really interests
you and and where you think you could be good
And then you can make a decision of that information
on what career you could pursue, and and you start preparing.
The best, the most successful people start preparing for their
(17:25):
next journey right at the height of the middle of
their first the first journey. And uh and I think
you can see a number of examples of that. Yeah.
And I think one of the things I find is
that I think, no matter what level you are as
an athlete, that you always will want to have that
second career, even though you don't need to because financially
(17:45):
you're set for the rest of your life. But I
just can't imagine being so active in you know, most
parts of your life then suddenly, you know, put your
feet up and do nothing. There's just no way that um,
you know, it's it's that DNA in us that you
always want to do everything the best way you can. Yeah,
there's no I haven't met any champion athlete that's not
doing anything in the second are always trying to do something,
(18:08):
and unfortunately a lot of them get lost and and
then and then struggle. And I think there's a lot
of depression and uncertainty because they struggle with their transision.
But this transision you cannot wait for the transision to start.
You've got to prepare for the transision way in advance. Correct.
Thank you so much for that. This is such a
such a deep stuff, um, and I appreciate it while
(18:29):
you so extremely busy. The very last question I want
to ask if you can describe Australian opening three words,
what it means to you. If I can describe the
Australian Open in three words, I think it would be, um. Well,
it depends which audience you're describing it for, but generally,
if I'm saying as a it's a UM, I say
(18:50):
it's a happy, happy slam um. You know Rewards actually, yeah,
three words, a happy slam um. Roger Feder actually than
two thousand seven, he said he felt it was a
very happy Slam and we've kind of grabbed that for
and that our whole brand positioning is just just to
be happy, you know. It's just make it a happy
experience for players, for the fans. And that's why we
(19:12):
we have music and we have food, and we have
concerts and we have we have kids play zone and
it's just a massive festival for two weeks. In fact,
it's Australia's not only as the largest sporting event, but
it's Australia's largest festival, the largest music festival now as well.
We have over eighty bands in the course of two
weeks that play which you as players didn't get get
(19:35):
much chance to enjoy. But now maybe you cance some more.
But you know, we have from bands from around the
world come and play at Australia Open in the set.
So yeah, so it's it's a it's a look, it's
a this is a great there's a fun job. I
love my job. I love the people I work with,
and so this pandemic is just created some more challenges
for us, but nothing that you can't overcome. And I
(19:55):
think and I love the team I work with. You know,
we have six d fifty people that that you love
their job as well, so that it's so it's fun
and at the end of the day, you know, if
it's not fun, it's not worth doing. So you've gotta
you've gotta find something that you enjoy. So I wish
that the next couple of weeks are as happy as
possible for you, that everyone stays healthy, and that it's
(20:16):
another successful summer of tennis despite all the challenges that
you will have to face. Yeah, no, thanks Danny. Good
to see you again. And uh, I know you're in Switzerland.
A Ministralia's sunshine is getting hot. But our season will
change in six months time, and good luck and stay safe.
I hope that I'll get to be down under um,
you know, next year, and that everything spected. If you
(20:39):
kind of a normal that's right, we'll be ready in
twenty two. Thank you so much, Greg, Thanks Danny, take care.
I hope you have enjoyed today's episode and getting to
know my guests a bit better. If you feel like it,
to subscribe to us so you don't miss any of
the action. Also, let me know your comments or suggestions
on my social media channels and have a lovely rest
(20:59):
of your they by
Tell me what are some of the biggest challenges they
are facing the last couple of weeks. It's a massive
logistically exercises we are we are bringing into Australia people
on eighteen charter flights from seven cities to quarantine for
two weeks. Who gets the final ward? Is it you
(00:29):
or the TV or UM Because there's so many things
to consider, different slams of different things. But it's in
the case of the East and open it I I
do and uh And I've said it up that way
because I want if something goes wrong with someone complains,
I don't want anyone else to be blamed. What is
(00:50):
the best way for UM still active athletes, not only
any players, to to be able to prepare the best
way they can for their second career, to make that
transition as smooth and as successful as possible. And I
think what athletes forget They look at their career as
(01:11):
an athlete as just one career, but actually the most
successful post athlete you know careers, that that that that
athletes have picked up on or once when they have
prepared their career during being ready. Well, Craig, thank you
(01:36):
so much for your time. I gotta say I think
you are one of the most busy people on the
planet at the moment with everything you've got going on.
Tell me what are some of the biggest challenges you
are facing the last couple of weeks. Well, I think Dannielk,
it's good to see you again. It's a it's a
massive logistically exercises we are we are bringing in to
(02:00):
Australia people on eighteen child flights from seven cities to
quarantine for two weeks, to play nine events over four
weeks with four hundred thousand fans, eighty three million dollars
in prize money, and and setting up in an environment
where there's no positive COVID cases. So it's a massive
(02:23):
logistical exercise, even just dealing with the airplanes on the schedules.
Now the players are starting to get their schedules now
tonight and it will probably take fourty eight hours for
everyone to get their schedules. But every single player, you know,
if they're leaving from book Arrest, they're gonna fly into
do by the time's going to match up the child flight,
and you've got to have a you know, a COVID
test seving two hours before you leave. That's negative and
then you arrive you have another one. UM. So it's
(02:46):
just a massive, massive exercise. And because we have a
modified quarantine program where players can practice, UM they can
go outside for five hours a day, then go inside
and they have to go back into the room. UM,
that logistically is also extremely difficult to do. Are you
sleeping these days? Not much. I've got a good team,
(03:07):
teams doing great, but everyone's pretty tired actually because to
pull it off, it's a lot of late nights and
as you know from this call, it's our time zone.
It's not not great. So so most of our works
done at night, after nine and through the night. So
it's a it's just a lot of work. But once
players start getting on the planes next week, I think
we'll we'll get there. On a personal level, when you
(03:30):
have weeks as busy as this, how do you keep
up yourself? You know, staying in shape, staying in active,
because as we know, that's just as important as the work. Yeah,
you gotta. I haven't been as disciplined physically as I
should should be, but I'll make surely get a minimumount
of exercise each day, but I'd like it to be more.
But but I've always say to people, get fresh air.
(03:52):
So often if I'm on a on a call, if
it's not a zoom called team's call, I'll go outside
and I'll walk around and and go for a long walk.
But we've had it's been Melbourne, and Melbourne has four
seasons in one day, and in the last week we've
had cold season. So but it's going to be nice
and hot tomorrow. So yeah, so whenever you can't get freshiate.
But I look, it's you know, physically, you're only as
(04:13):
sharp mentally as your offer physically, and and I think
it's it's important to keep that up. But but it's
it's it's hasn't been difficult. It hasn't been easy because
that what has been really difficult to actually response, being
responsive to everyone. Really, it's a tournament director of the
Australian Open. What makes you the most proud of and
(04:34):
what makes Australian Open the special I think it's it's
a great question, I think, and we pride ourselves on
our relationship with the playing group. We spend a lot
of time and energy into making the players feel welcome,
let them enjoy their time. That's why this is very
difficult for us because players are going to go into
quarantine for two weeks and it's not going to be great,
and we're not used to not having it great for
(04:55):
the players have it when you come out, it's normal.
We had no cases of COVID game today and good news,
Sydney had no cases either. So I think in Australia
overall is less than ten cases and all of them
are in hotel quarantine. So so there's really there's very
So it's normal if you walk outside, it's we're living
in a normal world here. Um. But it's because we're
(05:18):
in Ireland and we far away. Now we're bringing the
rest of the world here, so so we asked we
get stressed by making sure that everyone doesn't spread the
virus in the community. That's why we have this two
week quarantine. Um. But yeah, I'm probably most proud of
how we approach the playing group and how we support
the players and how we get regarded as the players.
(05:40):
That's why this year is going to be difficult, because
maintaining that position with that requirement is going to be
going to be hard. Yeah, that is such a good
point you made because from my own experience and I
think a hundred percent the players will agree with that
that it's been always the most friendly Slam and you're
being able to greet all of us on a personal level.
(06:00):
It's something that I always found it was incredible that
you found the way and the time to to do so. So, yes,
that's got to be a big challenge this year and
not being able to have that strength. But on a
on a general note, as a tournament director of a Slam,
how different is it to any other tournaments And what
are some of the things you have to deal with
(06:21):
that we as a players or the media people's dictators,
we don't even realize that goes on behind the scenes. Yeah,
it's it's behind the scenes mostly, and you know what,
it's mostly like fans doing stupid things, reaching security, or
you're jumping off the stands and breaking an ankle, or
stealing someone's handbag, or or trying, you know, trying to
(06:44):
get into the grounds without a ticket, or jumping the fence,
or you know, it's putting out a smoke putting bringing
a smoke bomb, or you know it's just I mean,
I can give you a list of hundreds and hundreds
hundred things and each one takes time to manage so
a lot of that is is happening behind the scenes,
and so that always difficult to manage. Scheduling is tough
because there's so many variables, and that's what it's important
(07:05):
to know the players. I mean, I knew things that
you liked and that you didn't like, so you try
and as a player, you try and match those up
as best as you can. And because you know, some
players like to play at night, some in the day,
some of the main courts, some of the outside courts,
some of a quicker court, and the lower court, and
you try and match it up as best as you can.
And UM, and my philosophy was always you go from
the top down. You know, so you started the best
(07:27):
player in the world, you go number two, number three,
and number four, because that's kind of how it works.
You know, they've got there because of because of their success.
So uh and and sometimes and I'm also a big
advocate for um a larger group of players making a living.
So I definitely believe if you hunder the world two
(07:48):
hunder in the world, you should be making a decent
living in tennis, and the and the sports should be
supporting that. There should be enough challenges and other events
around the world that players can play and and not
just have the top players. Yes, the top players the
most arketable and can deliver the results for an event.
But I think it's it's holding on the sport and
the people that lead the sport to make sure that
the rest of making a living as well. That's why
(08:09):
we we have really good prize money distribution in the
first rounds and the qualifying and take this year, I
think we increased the qualifying by se in a pandemic year,
which is unusual. And now if you lose in the
first round of East round and open, you wouldn't You're
still win in the hundred thousand dollars. That's not bad.
Maybe I should make the com back now, just you
(08:31):
should get put it again, get to get off the
ski slopes and coming. No no, no, no, no, it's
got one more thing. I'm the scheduling, because that's something
(08:54):
I always wondered. Um. As we know, it's it's a
crazy difficult decisions you have to make. Who gets the
final ward? Is it you or the TV or UM
because there's so many things to consider. Different slams have
different things. But it's in the case of the Eastrian openent.
I do and uh, and I've set it up that
(09:14):
way because I want if something goes wrong with someone complains,
I don't want anyone else to be blamed. I want
the player to be able to come to me directly.
So I didn't agree with that, or I did agree,
or wasn't fair, or I want to hear it direct
and then I'm able to say, look, I made that decision,
and maybe it wasn't a great decision, but here all
the variables that had taken to consideration for that decision.
So so we take the inputs from the TV and
(09:36):
then it is there is the national broadcast of all
the international ones. You take the inputs from the tours,
the women's tour and the men's tour, what they think
is best. You take the inputs from the security people.
How you separate different nations because of security, because if
there's two if there's two countries that are at war
back home, sure with your fans, you're not going to
(09:57):
put them on courts next to each other. Um and
the And then there's the timing of the schedule. You
do you have doubles and mixed doubles the day before,
when do you finish, when should you play your singles?
The requests obviously of the global forecasts and even the sponsors.
So you take all that information in for every match
and you look at it as as a as a
kind of a matrix of decisions, and then then you
make a decision. But then if a decision you make
(10:18):
impacts something else, so then you've got to make another
decision to make that change. It takes about eight hours
each day to make a decision for the next day. Well,
I was just gonna ask that, when do you actually
start thinking about the next day? Yeah, yeah, yeah, we start.
We normally start at the end of the last match
the night before because then we kind of know and
(10:38):
then that and then um and then you know, then
we then the next so you've done it's kind of
like a day and a half ahead. You start to
get a sense of where it is and then you
just make changes at the last minute. But it's it's
about an eight to each day. It's about an eight
hour project where you just locked in the room trying
to figure out the matrix. Because the scheduling is important.
It can make or break an event, you know, on
(11:00):
on where you put people and and that's I think
that's one of our points of difference. The scheduling is
not done by some person you don't know in the
dark room that you can give no input to. You know,
everyone knows that I make the decisions, so they come
to me and believe me. We get lots of requests,
as you can appreciate, and then some players make no requests,
(11:20):
so you know you're trying. You're trying to recognize that
as well. But it's it's a massive It's I enjoy
problem solving, so it's a lot of fun trying to
solve those problems. Yeah, but it's great to hear that
because even me as a player, I wouldn't have any
clue that it takes eight hours. And then you know,
you see the schedule and go like, why am I
second after that long man's match? And I know I'm
(11:42):
going to be waiting for right And I know that's
exactly I would think the same reason I'm playing, you
know that men's match, And as as the Spaniard, it's
it's the one standard and the South American and and
I know they're going to be there until four o'clock,
and why didn't I get it not before? Time, and yeah,
so like it's yeah, but whenever you think that, then
(12:02):
it's like six months, six months, six too, and suddenly
you are on the court with us having to get
the time to work up. Anyways, well, even we even
make decisions like if I know, I know a lot
of the players really well, I know how quick and
slow they are, and who they play, and some history
of how long matches are taken. So we even look
at that, and uh, you know, I can tell you
which players are notoriously slow, so we pick them at
(12:23):
the time where they're not going to affect the rest
of the schedule. Well, I'm not gonna say more of
that anyways, let's change the subjects thankfully. Um So, Craig, listen,
we are running this new series this year on the
Real DNA podcast called Business After Sports, and I would
love to know, in your opinion, what is the best
(12:46):
way for um still active athletes, not only tennis players,
to to be able to prepare the best way they
can for their second career to make that transition as
smooth and a successful as possible. Yeah. Look, it's a
great question. I mean I always tell the athletes and
you know, I started this role as a coach. I've
(13:07):
been a coach for twenty plus years, and and so
I really understood, you know, on the journey of coaching
both college athletes, junior athletes, professional athletes, that you know,
you're trying to help them get the best out of
themselves and and and that's your job as a coach
and as a leader with that person is just to
help them get the best out of themselves. And and
(13:29):
I think what athletes forget they look at their career
as an athlete as just one career, but actually the
most successful post as athlete. You know, careers that that
that athletes have picked up on are ones where they
have prepared their career during being a great athlete, and
(13:51):
and that preparation gives you years and years of a headstart.
Most athletes just play tennis or play their sport and
then when they finished, they said okay now and they're
going to start again. Whereas the ones that have done
it really smartly, they take the time, whether it be education.
I'm gonna be believer in talking to people and getting
mentors and building a network of people that help you
(14:13):
springboard your career when you finish. And so if you
wanted to get into media like you've done a really
great job at you know, you start practicing that while
you while you're a top ten player in the world,
and you start reading about it, listening to people, making tapes,
talking to people. So it's just a natural transcision when
you come out. And sometimes it's difficult. You know what
decision you're gonna make with your career, So so what's
(14:33):
it going to be if if it's you know, it's
going to be something in management, and say, well, okay,
maybe during the time, I'm going to read up on management,
I'm gonna do some coursework on it. I'm going to
talk to mentors on it, and and and unfortunately, the
majority of sports people have to have a second career
because the earning capacity is not there for the elite five.
It is that the majority have to have a second
(14:56):
career to earn an earn a living and then they
make sometimes put as soon because they panicked and they
rushed and they're not really And I think there's another
business actually in that. I think it's business life after athletes.
You know, it's like being a life officer. Success is
that is helping helping people through their transision. I come
from the education background where always encourage the athletes I
(15:16):
worked with to to focus on educating themselves beyond just
their before the athlete performance, even if they were didn't
finish high school or something, and it's always paid off.
Every single one of them that's gone down their path
is doing well. Yeah, with a great piece of advice.
And that's actually exactly what I'm trying to do this
year to hopefully maybe help a little bit with, you know,
(15:37):
giving them the right kind of ways to to look
at things that start, like you said, preparing for it
while they are still still active. And I think one
of the most important things for athletes is to learn
how to listen, because I think most of us us
do well in front of camera talking about ourselves, but
then being able to step back and actually really, like
(15:59):
you said, around ourselves with good people, get the good
piece of advice and listen to what they're saying. What
you know, what it's like, you know, there was a
parent in your life where you were superstar, and so
everyone did everything for you, wanted to help you, give
you what you wanted, and then when you wake up
one morning, you're not that anymore because somebody else is
that And and now you're gonna start fending for yourself more.
(16:23):
And that's a massive transcision. And most people don't go
through that in life. Um, and so that's a massive transcision.
I've always encouraged athletes to to actually go and do
some aptitude aptitude tests, like you know, while you're an athlete,
go and do some slight tests on what really interests you.
You know, is it is it the is it the office?
Is it building? Is it working in a startup? Is
(16:43):
it doing innovation? Is it tech work? You know, is
it physical work? Is it you know, there's a whole
bunch of careers and don't you can athlete and going
generally because I always say, look, I don't know what
I'm gonna do. You know, I'm just focused on my tennis. Well,
you should be focused on yourself and your career, and
tennis is just one of those vehicles as maybe volleyball
is or whatever skiing is or whatever. So but so
(17:04):
I've always encourage that is to go at any point
going you know, you can get these psycho aptitude tests
and they give you an inclination of what really interests
you and and where you think you could be good
And then you can make a decision of that information
on what career you could pursue, and and you start preparing.
The best, the most successful people start preparing for their
(17:25):
next journey right at the height of the middle of
their first the first journey. And uh and I think
you can see a number of examples of that. Yeah.
And I think one of the things I find is
that I think, no matter what level you are as
an athlete, that you always will want to have that
second career, even though you don't need to because financially
(17:45):
you're set for the rest of your life. But I
just can't imagine being so active in you know, most
parts of your life then suddenly, you know, put your
feet up and do nothing. There's just no way that um,
you know, it's it's that DNA in us that you
always want to do everything the best way you can. Yeah,
there's no I haven't met any champion athlete that's not
doing anything in the second are always trying to do something,
(18:08):
and unfortunately a lot of them get lost and and
then and then struggle. And I think there's a lot
of depression and uncertainty because they struggle with their transision.
But this transision you cannot wait for the transision to start.
You've got to prepare for the transision way in advance. Correct.
Thank you so much for that. This is such a
such a deep stuff, um, and I appreciate it while
(18:29):
you so extremely busy. The very last question I want
to ask if you can describe Australian opening three words,
what it means to you. If I can describe the
Australian Open in three words, I think it would be, um. Well,
it depends which audience you're describing it for, but generally,
if I'm saying as a it's a UM, I say
(18:50):
it's a happy, happy slam um. You know Rewards actually, yeah,
three words, a happy slam um. Roger Feder actually than
two thousand seven, he said he felt it was a
very happy Slam and we've kind of grabbed that for
and that our whole brand positioning is just just to
be happy, you know. It's just make it a happy
experience for players, for the fans. And that's why we
(19:12):
we have music and we have food, and we have
concerts and we have we have kids play zone and
it's just a massive festival for two weeks. In fact,
it's Australia's not only as the largest sporting event, but
it's Australia's largest festival, the largest music festival now as well.
We have over eighty bands in the course of two
weeks that play which you as players didn't get get
(19:35):
much chance to enjoy. But now maybe you cance some more.
But you know, we have from bands from around the
world come and play at Australia Open in the set.
So yeah, so it's it's a it's a look, it's
a this is a great there's a fun job. I
love my job. I love the people I work with,
and so this pandemic is just created some more challenges
for us, but nothing that you can't overcome. And I
(19:55):
think and I love the team I work with. You know,
we have six d fifty people that that you love
their job as well, so that it's so it's fun
and at the end of the day, you know, if
it's not fun, it's not worth doing. So you've gotta
you've gotta find something that you enjoy. So I wish
that the next couple of weeks are as happy as
possible for you, that everyone stays healthy, and that it's
(20:16):
another successful summer of tennis despite all the challenges that
you will have to face. Yeah, no, thanks Danny. Good
to see you again. And uh, I know you're in Switzerland.
A Ministralia's sunshine is getting hot. But our season will
change in six months time, and good luck and stay safe.
I hope that I'll get to be down under um,
you know, next year, and that everything spected. If you
(20:39):
kind of a normal that's right, we'll be ready in
twenty two. Thank you so much, Greg, Thanks Danny, take care.
I hope you have enjoyed today's episode and getting to
know my guests a bit better. If you feel like it,
to subscribe to us so you don't miss any of
the action. Also, let me know your comments or suggestions
on my social media channels and have a lovely rest
(20:59):
of your they by
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