Bizarre merchandise spotted on sale at Australian Open

A rather surprising item has been spotted on sale inside the Australian Open Shop at Melbourne Park.

Tennis balls, towels, T-shirts and hats.

That’s the usual merchandise fans expect when shopping at the Australian Open.

But what about oven mitts and serving spoons?

Yes, you can get your hands on kitchen items at the AO Shop at Melbourne Park.

A pair of blue rubber oven mitts with the AO logo will set you back $30, while a two pack of wooden serving spoons cleverly designed like tennis rackets come with the same price tag.

Australian Open store. Oven mitts $30, serving spoons $30

As expected, securing some AO merch does not come cheap.

An AO branded marker or lapel pin are priced at $10.

Even a simple blue canvas tote bag is $15.

Australian Open markers are $10.

Australian Open lapel pins are also $10.

Caps are $40 and bucket hats are $45.

Drink bottles range from $39 (a “toddler” 400ml light stainless steel bottle) to a more hefty $69 (1 litre “all-purpose thermo” bottle).

A gym towel is $64.

You can get an AO T-shirt for $55, cap for $40, drink bottle for $59, and canvas tote bag for $15.

On Monday afternoon, day two of tournament, the AO Shop, Ralph Lauren and New Balance stores at Melbourne Park were flooded with people shopping and browsing, while taking advantage of the inside airconditioning.

An attendance record was set with 59,621 people turning up to Melbourne Park on Monday, breaking the previous first Monday attendance record of 51,293 – set last year.

Tennis favourites Nick Kyrgios, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek were all on the schedule.

And the sun was shining all day, unlike opening day on Sunday when rain forced play to be suspended on outside courts.

Originally published as Bizarre merchandise spotted on sale at Australian Open