"Rafael Nadal and Ashleigh Barty winning, couldn't have scripted a better outcome" - Australian Open director Craig Tiley on 2022 edition

Craig Tiley recently asserted that Rafael Nadal and Ashleigh Barty winning the men's singles and women's singles titles at the 2022 Australian Open helped the tournament witness immense success.

The Australian Open director recently appeared on "Rock n Roll Tennis Podcast", which is hosted by Keith Fraser and former British No. 1 John Lloyd.

During the interaction, Tiley was asked to give his thoughts on how he ensured the Major thrived amid Novak Djokovic's battle with Australian immigration over not being vaccinated against COVID-19.

In his response, Tiley claimed that he and his team paid little heed to the bureaucracy and restrictions in play.

"Basically, everyone had been in a lockdown. And in 2022, we had the Australian Open with a whole series of conditions around it. Vaccinations and medical exemption, which was confusing for everyone at the time. So we focussed on what was needed to be done to run an event," Tiley said. "My job was to run an event, not to issue visas or medical exemptions, but to run a great event. I think we achieved that."

He added they could not have hoped for a better outcome with 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal and home favorite Ashleigh Barty emerging victorious in men's and women's singles events, respectively.

"It was one of the most successful events. Rafael Nadal winning and Ash Barty winning the Australian Open, we couldn't have scripted a better outcome," he said.

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Rafael Nadal and Ashleigh Barty's Australian Open triumph raked in millions of viewers countrywide

Rafael Nadal kisses the Australian Open winner's trophy as runner-up Daniil Medvedev looks on

Both Rafael Nadal and Ashleigh Barty enthralled their fans in the title bouts of the 2022 Australian Open with their game and aura.

Nadal defeated Daniil Medvedev in the men's singles final in emphatic fashion, registering a 2-6, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 victory in five hours and 24 minutes. The championship bout raked in some big-time TV ratings in Australia.

The men's final had a peak audience of 3.14 million, tuning in at one point, while securing a national average audience of 2.095 million. It was also the most-watched men's final in Melbourne since the 2018 championship match between Roger Federer and Marin Cilic.

Ashleigh Barty, meanwhile, beat the above numbers during her maiden Melbourne triumph over American Danielle Collins. The title victory unforeseeably turned out to be her last, though, as the three-time Major winner retired from tennis two months later.

The women's final enjoyed a peak audience of 4.261 million and an average audience of 3.58 million. It was also the highest-rated women's final in the tournament's history since audience measurement provider OzTAM started its journey.