I’ve been following the Australian Open for years, it’s like the kick-off party for the Grand Slam season, you know? This year, I noticed something different, the court speed felt slower. I mean, it wasn’t just me, right? I did a little digging around to figure out what was going on.
So, apparently, there’s this thing called the Court Pace Rating (CPR), sounds kinda serious, huh? And this year, it’s been hanging around 42, which is considered medium-fast. But it feels slower than before. From what I gathered, they changed the court surface this year, and that’s probably why it feels different.
- The Australian Open is held in Melbourne every year, pretty cool, right?
- There are these three main courts: Rod Laver Arena, John Cain Arena, and Margaret Court Arena.
- Rod Laver Arena is the biggest one, it can hold almost 15,000 people! It’s named after this legendary Australian tennis player, Rod Laver, who won 11 major titles.
I also tried to figure out the best seats to watch the matches, because, let’s be honest, who wants to be stuck in the sun all day? You might think the south side of the stadium is good because it gets some shade for the first match. But, if you’re planning to stay for a while, the north side is better. Sections 20-24 or 52-55 are your best bet for maximum shade. I tried to sit in section 22 and it worked out really well. It wasn’t blazing hot, and I could still see all the action on the court.
One thing I found kinda interesting is that they need 128 players to fill up the whole tournament. That’s a lot of tennis players, all competing to be the champion.
So, to wrap it up, the Australian Open court speed might feel a bit slower this year because of the new surface. But hey, it’s still awesome tennis, and it’s still the first Grand Slam of the year, so who’s complaining? Plus, now you know where to sit to avoid getting roasted by the sun!
