Australian Open organisers move quick to fix lacklustre turnout
Despite crowds being capped due to COVID, Australian Open organisers struggled to reach capacity on day one of the tournament.
Tennis
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Australian Open organisers were touting all-day tickets and two-for-one deals after a lacklustre turnout at the Grand Slam event on Monday.
Tennis fans who paid to attend the day session on centre court got a text message late on Monday asking if they wanted to stay at the venue for the night matches, free of charge. Another offer, sent via text, included a two-for-one ticket deal.
The last-minute offers were sent out after a disappointing showing for Serena Williams’ opening round daytime match at Rod Laver Arena.
“It’s getting there, obviously it’s not a full crowd like I’m used to,’’ Williams said. “At the same time compared to last year, it’s definitely different. I think the crowd always motivates me, albeit good or bad.”
While the daily capacity has been reduced to 30,000, it was estimated about half that number attended on Monday.
With some matches played to near-empty houses, Tennis Australia defended the value of its tickets and hoped crowd numbers would rise.
“The AO has a different look this year, with the three zones and all our COVID-safe measures, and we are looking forward to the crowds growing as the fans get used to seeing tennis again,’’ a spokesman said. “Being able to have a crowd at the AO is a tremendous opportunity to show how we can start to return to a level of normality.
“The players certainly appreciate having fans in the stands, and although it doesn’t look the same as 2020, it’s certainly a step up on what they’ve experienced for most of the past year.”
In 2020, the price of a ground pass was $49. This year, a ticket to the Rod Laver Arena zone starts at $62 for a day session and $65 at night.
The Margaret Court Arena zone, with access to western courts and Garden Square, starts at $56 for day sessions, and $60 at night.
Tickets to the John Cain Arena zone, with access to the practice village and part of Grand Slam Oval, start at $49 for weekdays, $59 at weekends, and $39 for children and concession.
World No 3 Naomi Osaka said having a handful of fans in the stands was better than playing to nobody, or fake crowd noise used by TV broadcasters.
“I mean, throughout the match I was really happy to have fans there,’’ Osaka said.
“I felt like there was more interaction than in New York. In New York it was just a generic crowd noise every point. Here it felt like they sort of weighed whether I made a mistake and stuff like that. I thought it was more fun.”
It was a day of mixed emotions for the Aussies, with wildcard Alex Bolt the first local to win while John Millman suffered a five-set loss. Ajla Tomljanovic and James Duckworth also made it through to the second round.
Originally published as Australian Open organisers move quick to fix lacklustre turnout
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