A crowd of 24,798 attended yesterday's Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal Australian Open men's singles final, pushing the tournament to its highest attendance total "since the tournament came into being," according to THE AUSTRALIAN. The two-week total was 728,763, besting the previous Australian Open record of 720,363. That mark was "only 12 months old, being set" in '16 (THEAUSTRALIAN.com, 1/29). Tournament Dir Craig Tiley prior to the Federer-Nadal match said, "I expect us to fully surpass any record we’ve had previously, from a global audience point of view." In Melbourne, Peter Rolfe noted more than 500,000 fans "visited Melbourne Park for the first week of the tournament," the first time that has happened. Record crowds also were "notched up for 12 sessions" leading up to the men's final. Tiley "vowed to do even more next year to continue the tournament’s growth" (Melbourne HERALD SUN, 1/29). In N.Y., Ben Rothenberg notes fans "dug deep into their bank accounts and traveled long distances to witness the improbable rematch" between Federer and Nadal. Ticket prices for the final, which ranged from about $300-600 (all figures U.S.) at face value, "quickly spiraled upward." Tickets for under $1,500 for anywhere in Rod Laver Arena were "nearly impossible to find." One Ticketmaster listing "offered a pair of front-row seats for about $20,000 each" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/30). SI.com's Jon Wertheim wrote the Australian Open, like no other Grand Slam, "absolutely captivates the hometown." From the "moment you get off the plane, you’re bombarded with tennis." There is tournament signage "everywhere." There are also "viewing areas throughout town" and match results "on the front page and leading the local news" (SI.com, 1/29).
BETTER WITH AGE: Serena Williams defeated her sister, Venus, to claim her 23rd Grand Slam singles title, and in Melbourne, Michael Gleeson writes the men's and women's finals between the "most compelling thirty somethings 'rivals' in the game" had been "unseen for ten years in grand slam finals." Federer and Nadal in the final was "enough but on top of that: Serena and Venus played a final." Gleeson: "Thirties were the new twenties with all finalists and most of the quarter-finalists aged thirty something" (Melbourne AGE, 1/30). The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Jason Gay writes it is "dangerous to claim that a single outcome is 'good' for a sport." But the "rush of positive energy and goodwill generated" by Federer-Nadal was "undeniable" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 1/30). SI's Wertheim wrote the tourney "represented tennis at its most elevated, a two-week infomercial for everything right about the sport" (SI.com, 1/29).
