From the A-listers to the tragics, meet the Australian Open fan tribes

The Australian Open is the world’s best-attended grand slam, with organisers targeting a record 900,000 spectators this year. And within that massive crowd you’ll find all types of people: the mega-fans, the posers, the families, the Kyrgios Army.

Never mind the players or the matches - here is our guide to the Happy Slam’s greatest asset: the punters.

The tennis tragics

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They can recite statistics from Iga Swiatek’s head-to-head record against Ons Jabeur and give you a running commentary on Casper Ruud’s footwork. They know their inside-out forehand from their stick volley, and can recount - in great and often extraneous detail - a thrilling set in a Wimbledon quarter-final from six years ago. You won’t find them wandering aimlessly around Melbourne Park or leaving their seats for 10 minutes to stand in a drinks queue; these people are serious about their tennis, and they don’t want to miss a thing.

The Kyrgios fans

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They’re brash, they’re loud, and they’re only there for one thing: to cheer on Aussie Nick Kyrgios as enthusiastically (or depending on your point of view, as obnoxiously) as possible. Last year, they caused quite a stir by chanting “siuuuu” - supposedly a nod to soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo - which sounds a lot like booing when it echoes around a stadium. More likely than most tennis fans to have green and gold stripes painted on their faces or come dressed in matching outfits. Their holy grail is a night match featuring Aussie Nick on John Cain Arena, which can be accessed with a ground pass and is guaranteed to serve up a good time. You either love them or you hate them.

The Fitzroy crowd

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They wouldn’t usually be seen dead at the “sportsball”, but they’ll show up to the Australian Open. Why is it so? Who knows. Perhaps because the tennis has a genteel quality - it is positively middle class, a world away from the brawn of footy or, god forbid, rugby league. It has none of the moral hazards of horse racing or boxing, and tennis stars are unlikely to end up on the 6pm news for Mad Monday breaches of the peace. No one will look at you funny if you turn up to MCA (they don’t call it Margaret Court Arena anymore) in a beret or a cardigan, and the only fight anyone’s likely to get into is a robust argument over whether Novak Djokovic should have been granted a visa.

The A-listers

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The Australian Open is much more than a tennis grand slam - it’s a major social event on the Melbourne and national calendar. Which makes it a drawcard for the great and the good: actors, musicians, politicians and business leaders tend to pop up in the front row flanked by dignitaries including Tennis Australia chair Jayne Hrdlicka and chief executive Craig Tiley. Last year, Russell Crowe was present for the women’s final, while then opposition leader Anthony Albanese, actor Eric Bana and cricketers Dave Warner and the late Shane Warne were in the house for the men’s. They were joined by the big bank bosses, AFL chief Gill McLachlan, then-treasurer Josh Frydenberg and property mogul Harry Triguboff, among many others.

The legacy lovers

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These people are all about cheering on the legends. For years and years it was Serena Williams or Roger Federer, who was always the crowd favourite at Melbourne Park (and in most of the arenas he played in around the world). Even when playing an Australian, Federer would invariably have the support of about half of the stands. These fans love to back a winner, and today they’re likely to barrack for Rafael Nadal, who with 22 grand slams is now the most successful men’s player of all time. As the defending champion, he can expect a groundswell of support at this year’s Open.

The influencers

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More likely to be found clinking glasses at the Piper-Heidsieck tent than in the front row on Rod Laver Arena, the Instagram crowd can’t resist a day or two at the Open. Last year, Acero gym co-owner Amy Castano flew in from Sydney and was “serving lewks” courtside - thanks to Sephora Australia and Ole Henriksen, of course. So did Married at First Sight star Martha Kalifatidis, who documented her ringside seats for Kyrgios vs Daniil Medvedev and a delicious ceviche dish. Former Miss Universe Australia Maria Thattil and AFL coach Nathan Buckley, fresh from the jungle in I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, also put in an appearance at the Piper party last year.

The homeland heroes

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Melbourne’s multiculturalism means visiting players often find a loyal - and vocal - fan base at the Australian Open. Remember Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis? As an unseeded player in 2006, he rode a tidal wave of support from Melbourne’s Greek Australian community all the way to the final, but could not overcome a dominant Roger Federer. More recently, the Greeks have thrown their support behind world No.4 Stefanos Tsitsipas, while Novak Djokovic draws out the loud and proud Serbian fans. Given Djokovic’s recent controversial history in Australia, we should expect them to be even more vocal in their support this year - and potentially to encounter some resistance from other members of the crowd.

The family outing

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The Australian Open takes place in the summer school holidays and as such it’s a perfect day out for the whole family - if they can handle the heat. Shepherding the kids around Melbourne Park when the mercury hits 30 degrees would test any parent’s patience. You can spot the dissenters a mile off; they’re not really into tennis, they might be a bit too young to really get what’s going on, and they want ice cream. But the average punter is an important part of the Open; it’s not for nothing that the tournament is renowned as fan-friendly.

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