A record 839 192 fans flocked to Melbourne Park from January 16 to 29 for the first tournament in two years free of COVID-19 restrictions, beating the previous mark of 812 174 set in January 2020.
The figures eclipse last year’s attendance numbers at other Grand Slam main draws – 515 164 visited Wimbledon, 613 500 were at the French Open and 776 120 went to the US Open.The tournament, missing the retired Serena Williams, Roger Federer and last year’s homegrown champion Ash Barty, broke its single-day attendance mark with 94 854 fans visiting on January 21. The previous record was 93 709 set in 2020.
“It was reported that we didn’t have the greats anymore, that it was going to be terrible. But people just want to be entertained,” Tennis Australia chief executive Craig Tiley told the“They want to have some fun, and tennis is a great option for them, and it’s become a summer thing to do for Melburnians and for Australians and also for our guests from around the world.”“This year was the start of it,” Tiley said. “It’s going to be a three-week extravaganza.