With only 88 days to go, the 2025 Australian Open was launched today at the The Lume digital art gallery in Melbourne.
Since opening four years ago, The Lume has hosted projections of the works of Monet, van Gogh and First Nations artists. Currently the venue is presenting images of Leonardo da Vinci’s art. But today, da Vinci was usurped for a couple of hours by imagery from this year’s Australian Open.
Every year, the tournament announces new experiences for tennis fans and those who meet at Melbourne Park for social reasons rather than to watch tennis.
This year, a two storey bar was built at Court 6. According to Tiley, the bar was “a massive hit” – “I promise you the players love it” – and will now be extended right down to the side of the court, replacing the usual seating with bar stools.
When the Australian Open moved to Melbourne Park in 1988, there was no shade on the outside courts. Gradually, over the years, the amount of shade has increased to help fans avoid heatstroke and sunburn.
In 2025, the precinct will provide double the amount of shade compared to this year. The outside feature court 1573 Arena will quadruple its usual shade and courts 16 & 17 will feature new viewing platforms with shade.
There will be “megashade” at the new venue Top Court – “an interactive entertainment precinct for our next generation of fans” based at Birrarung Marr on the bank of the Yarra River. Once inside, fans will be able to indulge in state-of-the-art gaming, new tech and Virtual Reality experiences; promising a “brat summer”.
From fast food to fine dining, the eating and drinking experience at Melbourne Park has certainly diversified over the years.
In what’s become an annual tradition, Stephanos Tsitsipas is expected to visit Stalactites restaurant and serve up some meals, including the souvlaki named in his honour. The Tsitsipas Souvlaki is compromised of lamb gyros, tomato, tzatziki, fresh pomegranate, onion, fresh basil and mint and crumbled feta with a side of chips. Proceeds from sales of the popular souvlaki are often donated to charity.
From the Peach Melba’s first appearance at the Australian Open two years ago, the ice creams have become an in-demand treat for fans. This year, 100,000 Peach Melbas were sold and its deliciousness will be back in 2025.
In the 120th anniversary year of the Australian Open, the grand slam will stick with 2024’s experiment of starting on a Sunday and running for 15 days, ending on the Sunday of the men’s singles final.
The new first Sunday was practically packed to a standstill this year as families flocked through the turnstiles.
Again, as for the last couple of years, the qualifying event will take place the week before the grand slam and be considered an extra week of the tournament. The week will be supplemented with public practice sessions by top players and a multitude of children’s events, including Kids Day.
For those inspired to get some exercise themselves, a full Padel court will be available. No doubt, fans will be hoping that newish padel pro Pat Rafter, formerly the winner of Wimbledon and US Open tennis championships, will pop by to demonstrate his more recently acquired racquet skills.
Otherwise, the usual music festival with take place during the tournament, this year with headliners Benson Boone, Kaytranada, Kesha and Armand Van Helden.
The State of Victoria, of which Melbourne is the capital city, has invested AU$1 billion over the last 10 years to improve the tennis precinct. The 2024 Australian Open reimbursed the State over half a billion dollars of economic value.
Title photo by Vanessa Taylor