The Australian Open announces the kick-off of each new tennis season, and it does so in one of the most relaxing cities in the world. With a population of a little more than one million people, Melbourne consistently ranks amongst the world?s happiest cities. It is a contemporary hub of arts and culture set against the beautiful Yarra River, and Melbourne is home to a diverse, international population with the shared mutual trait of enjoying all the city and its surrounding nature has to offer.
On the east side of the city and just before the Yarra River completes its long journey into Port Phillip Bay, it weaves its way past the Royal Botanic Gardens and a series of iconic blue-surfaced of tennis stadiums and courts that house the friendliest Grand Slam event of the year, the Australian Open. The Australian Open positions itself as the people?s slam: it?s fun and friendly, as if a turquoise-themed party crashed into a massive tennis complex, and the second you approach the event the vibe announces itself, loose and playful, more similar to a music festival than, say, Wimbledon. Wimbledon, for the record, is as if a grass-themed party crashed directly into a royal tea-event being held on a tennis court.
I?ve been to numerous tennis events, from Wimbledon to Newport to Rio, on continents and in countries all over the world. There are many ways to visit a tennis tournament, but for the major ones with larger stadiums and more logistics, I find it?s best to turn to a high-end ...