Around 50-percent of the usual crowd capacity at the Australian Open tennis will be able to attend next month’s tournament.
30,000 spectators a day will be allowed into Melbourne Park across the day and night sessions, before it’s reduced to 25,000 a day for the final six days.
Victoria’s sports minister says it’ll be “the most significant event with crowds that the world has seen for many, many months”.
“Over the 14 days, it means we will have up to 390,000 people here at Melbourne Park, about 50% of the average over the past few years,” Martin Pakula has confirmed.
“Rod Laver Arena will have incredible atmosphere, not that different to the atmosphere we’ve seen at all the Opens in the years past.
“It will not be the same … but it will be the most significant international event with crowds that the world has seen in many, many months.”
Tennis Australia chief executive Craig Tiley is hoping the upcoming Grand Slam will be a chance to showcase Melbourne as “the world’s capital of sport and entertainment”.
Players are exiting their quarantine ahead of the tournament this weekend and Tiley insists that 99.9-percent of the competitors were satisfied with the conditions.
“I think we all underestimated the amount of work and effort and intensity that went into these two weeks,” he said. “But we’ve come out of it with a great success.
“That period of time, while it may in an athlete’s mind not be perfectly ideal, it is enough of a period of time to get as ready as you possibly can be.
“But it would be no different to inclement weather stopping training or to someone being a bit sick and having to take a few days out.”
