#wishIpackedmyracket
But let's do things in order!
The flight from Sydney to Melbourne was quick and I was in my next temporary home around lunch time. It's a beautiful but cool day and I walked along the Yarra River to my destination...
(Rowers!) Can you make out the stadium lights?
I bought a grounds pass to the Australian Open. I spent a few hours walking around, checking out all the different zones, eating stadium food and soaking in the tennis buzz.
Found my next tennis outfit, too. Classy and understated! The kangaroos add the je-ne-sais-quoi.
Without tickets to the big Rod Laver stadium, you can't see the big players battle it out (men's semi-final tonight... It's getting close to the end!) on the real court, just on the big screens around the stadium. I did my best Harry Mertin and made friends with the older door fellow taking tickets for the match. He let me poke around the stadium and take some pictures while giving me trivia about the place, which I'll share with you to make this less boring to read:
- the roof takes over twenty minutes to close, unlike the smaller stadium next door which only takes four minutes
- the stadium will be getting a facelift (it's over 20 years old!) with a finish date of 2026ish
- when Elton John played there, he demanded the roof stay open for the concert despite staff warning him of bugs. After he was swarmed by moths, he demanded the roof stay open only 4 inches.
- the ticket collectors/ushers make "very good" money according to buddy: he seemed offended when I asked him if this was a volunteer thing for people who wanted to see the tennis. "No! I don't do anything for free!" Got it.
The set up is great. I've seen various sports live but this was my first tennis experience and the whole event feels more polished and professional. Or maybe I was just there too early for the true tennis shenanigans.
I didn't get any photos but one match that was incredible to watch was between Lucas Sithole and Dylan Alcott. These guys play wheelchair tennis. The speed of their backhand without twisting their body is nuts. Sithole's biography is something worth mentioning, too. He lost his legs and an arm in a train accident when he was 12 in his hometown in South Africa. He didn't pick up tennis until after the accident, loved it and was competing within a year.
Shout out to our hometown favourite!
I left the Open and hopped on the tram that loops around the city and got off a quarter of the way through the route. I needed to stop at a shopping spot to buy runners (story to follow). I didn't find a decent store and managed to get back on the tram the wrong direction. No shoes, no full tour.
Turning on the tennis...
.... and just heard the news anchor say this is the coolest summer they've had in fifteen years. I'm buying a lottery ticket as soon as I get home.
