Superstar DJ Peggy Gou also watched eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz from his players' box at Melbourne Park.

 

Tiley believes appealing to a wider audience can help the Australian Open thrive as it chases Wimbledon, the French Open and US Open in terms of status and commercial pull.

A former University of Illinois college coach and captain of the South Africa Davis Cup team, Tiley has driven the transformation since joining Tennis Australia in 2005.

American doubles legend Rajeev Ram, who played under Tiley at Illinois in the early 2000s, described him as "the leader" in making college tennis "more of a spectacle than a sporting event".

"He managed to convince the marching band - a huge deal at American universities - to come and play in the intermission between singles and doubles matches," Ram told BBC Sport.

"He would provide gifts for couples who showed up together to matches on Valentines Day or people who dressed in green during St Patrick's Day.

"All of these things were very new in college tennis at the time."

Tiley is not afraid to ruffle feathers, either.

On Sunday, he proposed turning the women's singles matches into five-set contests from the quarter-finals onwards - whether the other three Slams agree or not.

He also wants further innovation. An interactive glass court and an immersive dome with 270-degree screens were ideas floated in an interview with The Age newspaper., external

But there remains an elephant in the room - will the 63-year-old even be in charge for the 2027 Australian Open?

A move to the same role at the United States Tennis Association appears imminent, although he has remained tight-lipped - for once - when it comes to his future.

The tournament's buzz is felt across Melbourne and it has become one of the city's must-attend summer events.

Over the course of the three weeks this year, almost 1.4m have rolled through the doors - a 16% increase on last year.

Seasoned Australian tennis journalist Courtney Walsh described the tournament's growth during Tiley's reign as "extraordinary".

"I played here as a boy and you would walk around the courts thinking 'this is unreal'. But you would never have imagined what has happened since," he told BBC Sport.

"To have six showcourts, to have John Cain Arena - which was a basketball stadium - as a third showcourt, is amazing."

The central location of the site - unlike its three Grand Slam counterparts - adds to the popularity.

Published By: Olaoye Olalekan Taiwo.