Whether the transition happens soon or not, Harrop is clear about what this moment calls for. With global competition and rising expectations around what a major sporting event should be, the Australian Open, he says, cannot afford to stand still.
By the time the first players take to the court on the first day of competition, the event will have already set new benchmarks – record attendance thanks to qualifying, a 16 per cent increase in prize money, making the Australian Open the second richest Grand Slam.
Tennis fans at Melbourne Park this week. Victoria has spent more than $1 billion on securing the Australian Open since 2011.Credit: Eddie Jim
But Harrop, now in charge of Australia’s national tennis body, is keenly aware that such success offers little protection in an increasingly competitive global sports market, where well-funded rivals target the big tournaments and the managers who run them.
“No one is immune to global competition, but the heritage of slams runs extremely deep,” Harrop said.
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“But we take nothing for granted.
Harrop, 63, enjoys the social hit of tennis and first attended the Australian Open in 1988 on the Adidas stand. While tennis purists may be fed up with the tournament’s focus on food, fashion and entertainment, he makes little apology for its evolution.
In an era of paid disruptors like LIV Golf, tennis Grand Slams can’t rely on tradition alone, he said.
According to him, the competition is “very serious”.
“If you look around the world, the investment in sports infrastructure…in all sports and countries is breathtaking. Sport is the place to be.”
“People want to play sports, watch sports, so there’s a lot of money flowing into it and the competition is getting tougher.”
Alex de Minaur trains at Melbourne Park.Credit: Getty Images
“I think the important thing is that we pioneer and not copy.”
Once a tennis tournament, the Australian Open is now a cultural festival where headline bands, world-class hospitality and prestigious beauty retailer Mecca sit alongside world-class matches.
But if there is one thing that can appeal to tennis traditionalists, it would be more singles success for local players.
Ash Barty’s win in 2022 ended a 44-year drought for Australian women, but Mark Edmondson remains the last local men’s champion in 1976.
Ash Barty celebrates winning the 2022 Australian Open.Credit: AP
It’s a far cry from the dominance of the early years of the Open era – and a reminder of what was missing as the tournament evolved.
This reality puts a renewed emphasis on Tennis Australia’s role as the owner of the event and the national governing body responsible not only for organizing the Australian Open but also for developing future champions.
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Through his high performance and TA programs, he oversees everything from junior identification to elite coaching. For Harrop, the challenge is to ensure these systems are strong enough to retain Australia’s best young athletes in tennis as competition from competitive sports intensifies.
Australia’s top-ranked men’s player Alex de Minaur spent much of his formative development in Spain, while leading young prospect Maya Joint trained primarily in the United States.
Harrop is confident that tennis fans won’t have to wait too long for another Australian to win their local Grand Slam and hopes de Minaur will make it to the final weekend of the tournament.
He said Australia’s challenge was not a lack of talent, but keeping elite athletes in the sport as competition from football, basketball and other popular codes intensified.
“We want more people to play tennis,” he said.
“We’ll get them first. [talented kids] really soon Second, you’re actually exposing them to competitive matches… not just hitting. Kids with real talent like to win.”
Maya Joint moved to Australia from the US.Credit: Getty Images
According to Tennis Australia, participation continues to grow, with more than 1.35 million Australians playing tennis by 2024–25, driven by an increase in school programs, junior involvement and casual games. Under his chairmanship, Harrop wants tennis to become the most played sport in Australia.
“We have to build the base of the pyramid,” he said.
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Harrop’s push to increase participation and improve facilities is based on the belief that access to sports infrastructure matters. Growing up on a dairy farm on the west coast of New Zealand’s North Island, he wasn’t exposed to elite tennis programs, but his local community hall had a table tennis table.
By the time he was a teenager, he was playing in national tournaments.
But elite sport was not his path. After studying business at Dunedin University, Harrop went to work at IBM – where he met his wife – before joining global strategy consultancy Bain & Company.
His passion, he says, has always been to solve challenges and innovate.
“How to develop a business that customers want more of?”
This philosophy now shapes his approach to Tennis Australia.
“I think that’s our reputation as Tennis Australia, as an innovator.
“I mean it when I have an aspiration…to make it the best event in the world. I don’t see why it can’t be.”
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