HELLO FROM AUSTRALIA
Week one of the Australian Open done and we’ve just about caught our breath. The first Monday’s stormy downpour ominously predicted shock early-round exits for Ruud, Rublev and last year’s finalist, Zheng. Elsewhere there were thunderous performances from the tour’s teenagers (Andreeva, Fonseca, Mensik and Tien), the old guard continued to reverse time with youthful displays (Monfils, Djokovic and Pavlyuchenkova), and favourites Sinner, Alcaraz, Coco and Sabalenka seemed to be on cruise control. After BAGEL’s first outing at the Australian Open, here’s our Melbourne dispatch.
THE COURTS
Two-toned blue courts meet gradient blue skies. Its an Instagram wet dream and a serotonin hit like no other. The light and the colourways are probably the biggest factor in this being known as “The Happy Slam”. If you’re deciding on which courts to book tickets for next year, court 1573 is super special, with its skyscraper backdrop for an extra architectural delight.
Shout out to the Rod Laver Arena during the night sessions too - as the sun begins to settle, the blues turn to purples for an incredible sunset view over the tennis. General ground pass tickets are unique in Melbourne Park because not only do they allow access to the outside courts, but they get you onto three show court stadiums as well: Kia Arena, 1573 and Court 3. Big courts, sweet views and abundant atmosphere. There’s very little shade though, so make sure you cream up.
COACHES’ CORNER
Whilst the rules previously forbade it, we all knew coaching was happening from the sidelines. Now, the game’s worst kept secret has been officially sanctioned by the ATP and WTA. In the corners of three show courts, the AO debuted their coaching pods, which seat four team members per player. Each pod is equipped with monitors feeding live match data and statistics to coaches, which they can feed through to the players. It’ll be interesting to see which competitors benefit the most and whether other tournaments will follow suit.
HIDDEN COMPETITION
Taking place at exactly the same time as the on-court battles, is another competition hidden away in the stands: statisticians tracking every single point using small-buttoned devices. Their data transmitted is directly to screens that keep fans informed of the number of winners, aces, double faults, forced and unforced errors during a match. The statisticians are constantly being assessed for their accuracy, so that only the most efficient are selected to run data in the finals. Tense!
THROWING SHADE
The blazing sun means hats and eyewear are an absolute necessity. So what are the trends at the AO? The bucket hat that Carlos Alcaraz made so popular at last year’s Wimbledon is still the go-to choice to beat the heat. We also spotted plenty of traditional, outback-style Akubra hats and 80s/90s wrap-around sports sunnies on the tennis-loving Melbournians.
MULTICULTURAL FANDOM
Melbourne is a melting pot of cultures with the fans coming out in force to support their own. Cheering for Italian, Greek, Japanese, Croatian, Serbian and Lebanese players is off the charts here. Just ask Hady Habib: the trailblazing Lebanese player’s historic first round match, tucked away on Court 15, drew a huge crowd of rowdy fellow countrypeople. Fans climbed up the lights and onto seating whilst sounds of the iconic zaghrouta rang out loud after every point. Magical.
Words: Julian Cirrone
Images: Zebe Haupt