Australian Open hits yet another record-breaking attendance
Twelve months ago, Roger Federer had defended his Australian Open crown and it was a perfect recipe for another record-breaking attendance at the Melbourne Park, with the crowd of 743,667 (there were 728,763 spectators in 2017)! Widely considered as the fastest-growing Major and the most advanced event among the 'special four,' the organizers of the Australian Open have been pushing the limits since they announced the Melbourne Park Redevelopment in 2010. A state-of-art complex currently contains three main courts with a retractable roof and there is always something new to make the crowd more comfortable and to offer them the best possible experience both on and off the stands once they pass the Melbourne Park gates.
The third stage of the Redevelopment will start shortly, with the plan to complete the brand new 5,000-seat Show Court, media plus broadcast facilities and the central kitchen in less than four years. Before that, the organizers have proudly announced the new attendance record for the 2019 edition, with over 780,000 spectators watching the matches in the past two weeks which is a significant improvement in comparison to already great 2018. Roger Federer lost in the fourth round although the crowd had the opportunity to watch the upcoming youngsters like Frances Tiafoe, Alex de Minaur and Stefanos Tsitsipas battling against Rafael Nadal who advanced into his fifth Australian Open final, losing the title match to Novak Djokovic who has become the record holder with seven Australian Open trophies.
In women's draw, Karolina Pliskova saved four match points against Serena Williams in a thrilling win and the Rod Laver Arena hosted the title match between the 21-year-old Naomi Osaka and Petra Kvitova, who fought both for the title and the world no. 1 spot. Osaka prevailed in three sets to conquer the second Grand Slam crown in a row and become the youngest player on the WTA throne since Caroline Wozniacki in 2010. Two weeks of fantastic tennis are behind us and there is no doubt the organizers will do their best to attract the crowd of magical 800,000 in 2020 and continue their growth that is unlikely to stop anytime soon.
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2CTPeVt
No comments