"Once again, there was record crowd attendance at the Australian Open today..."
"TV ratings were at record highs once again for the tournament..."
We often hear these words from the commentators on the tube or read similar quotes in the newspaper articles during the Australian Open. The tournament has earned the "most fan-friendly Slam tournament" title few years back. One can be certain that the tournament organizers cherish the reputation and the seem to be doing everything in their power to ensure that nothing rocks that boat.
Spending time at the Australian Open's Melbourne Park is a delightful experience. The workers are friendly, people are relaxed. It seems that the organizers have designed every detail of the tournament with one principal in mind: fans come first.
If you think this should be nothing to write home about and that every big tournament should hold itself to these types of standards, think again. After thinking again, if you still have not changed your mind, go visit Wimbledon during the tournament.
Unlike the Australian Open, one ticket will not get you anywhere. Certain parts of the grounds will seem to be sacred and you will feel like secret demons will come out after you if you happen to venture that way. Not to mention, the ground crew is anything but relaxed and if you happen to ask an annoying question (by their standards, of course). They will not feel a bit disturbed if by the end of the day they have made you feel like the lowest denominator in the real world. The prices are also outrageous, but to be fair that is a London problem, not a Wimbledon one.
At the U.S. Open and French Open, the experience is more pleasant than at Wimbledon, but it still pales in comparison to Melbourne Park.
The last few days of the tournament promise some top quality tennis as Lindsay Davenport, Serena Williams, and Maria Sharapova are in the semifinals. On the men's side, Lleyton Hewitt, Andy Roddick, Marat Safin, and Roger Federer are still in the hunt. Or shall we say, "everyone is hunting Federer?" No matter how you interpret it, fans will be treated to top notch competition.
For all the superior qualities that Australian Open has to offer, tennis fans of Australia have been shortchanged for a long time. Australia has had seven players who have won Grand Slams elsewhere but failed to reward its home fans by grabbing the title in their home. To the fans' dismay, Tony Roche, Pat Cash, and currently Lleyton Hewitt are amongst those Australian champions who have never won the title at this prestigious tournament. Pat Cash reached the finals twice losing both.
In fact, to find the last homegrown talents to be victorious at the Australian open, you have to go back to mid-'70s. This is the reason why I am so pleased to see that Alicia Molik and Lleyton Hewitt are providing some major excitement to their fans. Granted, just about an hour before this article was written, Molik was defeated by Davenport in a thrilling and extended three-set duel. Nevertheless, she had a fantastic run that included Venus Williams and symbolized hope for the home crowd well into the middle of second week.
On the men's side, Lleyton Hewitt is in the quarterfinals and will face the giant-killer David Nalbandian, who seems to give nightmares to some top player at every Slam tournament. For the tournament's sake, I hope Lleyton Hewitt advances all the way to the finals and rewards the fans of this truly wonderful tournament. Perhaps Federer being on the other side of the draw was heaven sent.
Aussies have provided the tennis world with a top quality tournament for many years. People from all over the world enjoyed the pleasant hospitality provided by these people. It is time for them to enjoy the tournament with a little added adrenaline factor by proudly supporting one of their own to the very end.
Regardless of what the next few days bring, our gratitude goes out to everyone who plays a role in making this tournament popular. We will be back next year, in attendance and in ratings.
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