As the Australian Open remains on track to break its 1 million supporter goal with the tournament’s traditional spectator peak on Saturday, Tennis Australia has cited a recovery in international tourism as a key reason for the surging crowds at Melbourne Park.
The tournament’s busiest is day is normally the first Saturday, and Tennis Australia is preparing for close to 100,000 fans – possibly more – to attend the precinct across the day and night sessions. “The weather looks perfect tomorrow and we look forward to welcoming lots of fans to another incredible day,” a spokesperson said.
The single day record was set on the first Saturday of the 2023 tournament, when 94,854 watched players such as Alex de Minaur, Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka. There are no Australians in action in singles on the first Saturday this year, but matches still feature major drawcards including Iga Swiatek, Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev.
“Ensuring everyone on site has a fantastic experience is our number one priority, rather than focusing on breaking records,” Tennis Australia said.
A crowd of 839,192 attended the two weeks of the tournament last year, establishing the current benchmark. Crowds are up more than 100,000 on the same stage of the tournament last year – helped by the first ever Sunday start – and there is a high likelihood the 1 million figure will be surpassed, especially if the 90,000 fans who attended the week of qualifying are counted.
Rain has mostly stayed away during the week, and the Bureau of Meteorology forecast a top of 27 degreeson Saturday with “near zero chance” of showers at Melbourne Park.
It is a relief for tournament organisers. The Australian Open was heavily affected during the pandemic, both directly by lockdowns in 2021 that closed gates for five days, and indirectly through the restrictions in international travel. It reduced the two-week total in 2022 to 346,468, less than half the number who attended 2020’s tournament.
“We’ve seen really strong numbers of overseas visitors – these numbers have bounced back now that international travel has returned to normal,” Tennis Australia said. “The biggest markets for overseas ticket purchases are the US, New Zealand, and the UK. Countries across Asia also contribute heavily to international visitor numbers.”
A new “party court” has been constructed this year and it has drawn complaints from some players. Australian player John Millman backed the changes and the tournament director, Craig Tiley, said he hopes to expand the model in future.
In another change designed to improve fan experiences, spectators are now being allowed to move from and between seats with more regularity during matches, a relaxation of once rigid rules. “The majority of feedback from fans has been that they love these changes as it gives them more opportunities to get up close to the action and to watch more tennis,” Tennis Australia said.
