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New Australian Open director Andrew Abdo commits avoidable gaffe at press conference

Andrew Abdo will steer the 2027 Australian Open after longtime director Craig Tiley departed to take over the US Open. The new Melbourne tournament chief stumbled in his first press conference, mistakenly calling Italy’s Jannik Sinner “Jacob Sinner” and referring to Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina as “Robakina.”

The event is slated for Jan. 11‑31, with defending champions Carlos Alcaraz and Elena Rybakina expected to defend their 2026 titles, and Sinner possibly returning to the ATP calendar in Melbourne for the first time in over six months.

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