Australian Open 2012 tickets on sale
Originally published on: 05/10/11 10:17
The season may still have plenty of life left in it yet as ATP and WTA tennis continues in Asia ahead of the year-end Barclays ATP World Tour Finals and the WTA Championships, but we can’t help but keep half an eye on the next Grand Slam season.
Happily for us, organisers of the Australian Open are on the same wavelength and the first tickets for the opening Grand Slam of 2012 officially go on sale today.
Series packages are open to the general public from today until Sunday October 9, while single session tickets and ground passes will be available from 9am (AEST) on Monday 10 October.
Pre-purchased tickets for single day or night sessions on Rod Laver Arena range from $67.90(AUD) in the opening week through to a whopping $369.90(AUD) for the final, or you can snap up single session Hisense Arena tickets for a more modest $49.90 (AUD).
As expected of the ever-innovating Grand Slams, Australian Open organisers have plenty of impovements planned for the 2012 tournament.
To coincide with the ticket release, organisers announced that next year’s event will be the richest tournament in Grand Slam tennis history, with the winners of both the men’s and the women’s singles set to pocket a colossal $2.3million (AUD), while a total of $26million(AUD) will be paid out overall.
It has also been announced that the Hawk-Eye line calling system will be expanded from two to three show courts for the January 16-29 tournament.
January’s event marks the 100th time the men’s singles championships has been contested and to celebrate, the 2012 champion will receive a one off-medallion to mark the occasion.
“We are really looking forward to presenting the winner of the 100th Australian Open men’s singles championships with the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup and a specially struck commemorative medal,” said Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley.
“Tennis has a rich history, nowhere more so than in Australia, and the players respect the traditions and enjoy celebrating the milestones of our great sport.”
Tiley went on to add that Kim Clijsters and Serena Williams, who have each missed a significant portion of the 2011 season through injury, will both return to Melbourne in a bid to win the title again.
“We know that Kim’s been out for most of the year, but she’s planning on being back to defend her title,” Tiley said. “We’ve still got three months to go, but the last communication is she’s planning on being back.
“The same thing with Serena, she unfortunately missed this year’s Open with her injury, but she’s back playing, we all saw at the finals of the US Open, and she’ll be here too.”
To view tickets and packages for the 2012 Australian Open, click here, or call +61 3 9039 9407.
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