The Australian Open has been an overwhelming success in 2026, but fans have complained about the sheer number of fans on site at Melbourne Park.
Fans swarmed to Alexandra Eala’s first round match at the Australian Open and there have been several other arenas that have seen lengthy queues over the first week of the Grand Slam.
While the popularity of the Australian Open is a great thing for tennis, the overcrowding has irked some fans at Melbourne Park and on social media.
Multi-time Grand Slam champion Pam Shriver believes there’s a simple solution that could ease the issues at the Australian Open.
Pam Shriver’s solution for the Australian Open’s overcrowding problem
While the Australian Open has always been popular, it has come on leaps and bounds after the past three years.
That has seen attendance figures rise for site tickets, which allows fans into the smaller stadiums in Melbourne Park.
Shriver believes attendances at every court should be logged and fans should be able to see if they were busy before they decided to try and enter.
Who has impressed you most so far at the Australian Open?
Speaking on social media, Shriver said: “After a week of seeing forever lines onto courts and eateries, all four majors need to develop an app for spectators and ticket holders to know how long arena lines are.
“Theme parks have been doing this for years. I feel for people expecting to watch tennis only to queue for hours.”
The Australian Open will become less busy in the second week of Grand Slam, with events mainly taking place on the main arenas.
However, Shriver’s idea could help at future events, especially if the Australian Open continues to grow in popularity.
How many fans have visited the Australian Open already?
The Australian Open has broken tournament records four times already for the event in the Grand Slam’s first week.
Over 100,000 fans flocked to Melbourne Park for four of its first seven days, with only day 3, day 6, and day 7 attracting less than six figures.
Who has impressed you the most?
In total, the Australian Open has attracted 679,399 fans to Melbourne Park across the first week of the Grand Slam.
If those figures continue, the ‘Happy Slam’ will undoubtedly hit 1,000,000 fans before the champions are crowned.
