Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club.Credit: Getty Images
The club previously contracted the Kooyong Classic to International Management Group (IMG), but Johnston, his small team and a band of club volunteers have gone it alone since the event was excluded from Tennis Australia’s broadcast deal with Nine (the owner of this masthead) five years ago.
Johnston negotiated a separate domestic broadcast deal with SBS and a partnership with Mediapro Asia to establish an international audience, as well as locking in Care A2+ as naming rights sponsor.
It is a common model for sporting clubs that host events to not be involved operationally. Examples include Royal Melbourne Golf Club with the Presidents Cup, and pre-Wimbledon exhibition event the Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic at Hurlingham Club.
“We know the players love playing at Kooyong, as it gives them the all-important hitout against elite rivals in conditions that mirror the Australian Open,” Johnston said.
“As many of the top-ranked players can attest, like Jannik Sinner did earlier this year when he won the Australian Open crown, the Classic is the ideal launching pad into the Australian grand slam. The Kooyong board and I are optimistic about the tournament’s potential for growth, particularly in the global market.”
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Tennis Australia has committed to turning the Australian Open into a three-week event, with a series of exhibition matches and events featuring big-name players coinciding with the qualifying tournament, so the national body is almost certain to not be the Kooyong Classic’s saviour.
Any potential new partner is more likely to come from overseas, the same sources said.
The development comes during a tumultuous period for the high-profile club, which reported in October a loss of $962,652 in the last financial year despite an increase in memberships and record operational levels.