“Aussie-Aussie-Aussie, oi-oi-oi,” squealed the young fan in John Cain Arena on Monday. “Shut up,” came the retort from another. Giggles and murmurs from the rest.
After all, the match was Alexei Popyrin against Marc Polmans, Australian versus Australian, in the first round of Australia’s grand slam tournament, on the day the event broke its day session attendance record. The oi‑oi‑oi went without saying.
Monday presented nine matches involving local players, building towards the evening clash pitting the Canadian Milos Raonic against the world No 10 – Australia’s top dog Alex de Minaur. There were banks of green and gold watching Popyrin and Polmans, Australian flags doubling as fans as the temperature climbed towards 30C.
After Popyrin won the day’s first all‑Australian duel in straight sets, a group of eight grinning supporters wearing identical yellow admitted they would have been happy with any result. They have made a tradition of coming to the tennis in recent years, but this year thought they would try something different: the matching Australia T-shirts, available for A$15 online. That’s about the same price as a can of beer from the bar nearby, filled to the brim with shade-chasers. Even more popular were the misting fans and free sunscreen.
But most popular of all was the tennis. The crowds snaked around the precinct and into the show courts. Some fans were waiting more than an hour before the clash between Andy Murray and the 30th seed Tomás Martín Etcheverry at Kia Arena.
Even more attention is on the turnout at the tournament this year, after revelations of tens of millions of dollars in subsidies from Victorian taxpayers. The government maintains the event is a good investment, bringing in tourists and showcasing Melbourne. After the crowd on Sunday eclipsed last year’s opening by almost 10,000 fans, and Monday set a day‑session record of more than 51,000 fans, there is hope the total number of visitors for the tournament will pass 1 million in 2024, if the weather holds out.
By the early afternoon the Australians in the Melbourne Park crowds had already been rewarded. The Rockhampton-born, Perth‑bred, Melbourne‑based Storm Hunter started the day by winning her first main‑draw singles match at the tournament, defeating the Italian Sara Errani in straight sets. The doubles world No 1 was taken aback by the level of support there just for her.
“The crowd was incredible, the fans really got behind me,” Hunter said. “I’ve never had that feeling on the doubles court because usually I’m with the teammates, so to walk out there on my own and have that support just for me … it was amazing.”
After he booked his second‑round match against Novak Djokovic with victory against Polmans, Popyrin said he felt the support inside John Cain Arena. “It’s never easy playing a fellow Aussie, a friend, but I was happy that I managed to get through in straight sets,” he added.
It was a mixed day for the other Australians. The local wildcard Taylah Preston was unable to reward her supporters on the court named after a Chinese alcoholic drink brand, going down to the 19th seed Elina Svitolina in straight sets. The wildcard James Duckworth went down in five against France’s Luca Van Assche after losing the final two sets.
In the evening, Daria Saville lost in three sets against Poland’s Magdalena Fręch in a compelling struggle. The match finally ended 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-5 after more than three hours.
As the singles draw progresses, the attendance count typically drops off in the second week. That means the forecast this week – the Bureau of Meteorology is noting a medium chance of showers Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday – is likely to be decisive.
