The first grand slam of the tennis year is almost upon us. All the top players have been frantically trying to get as much match practice as possible before they enter the cauldron of Melbourne Park and the intense heat of the Australian summer. The Australian Open starts in Melbourne next week and here at Love Tennis Blog we look at why this grand slam is called the Happy Slam.
The Fans
The Aussie Open fans are often more knowledgeable about tennis than their counterparts in other countries. Wimbledon could be accused of attracting the upper crust of society and the cucumber sandwich eating brigade. The French Open fans are known as a particular fickle crowd whereas the Americans who pack out the US Open are there for the beer and hotdogs rather than the tennis. Go to Melbourne and watch a local player in action to see what diehard support is all about. Their singing songs of support for guys like Bernie, Kyrgios and Groth are a fantastic leg up especially in the legendary Rod Laver evening sessions.
Lleyton Hewitt.
Lleyton Hewitt for me is the absolute epitome of fighting warrior spirit and for the past 19 years has played at Melbourne park. The two time grand slam winner makes his final appearance on a tennis court this Summer at the Australian Open as after the tournament he will hang up his racket for good. For us tennis fans Hewitt has given us so many epic moments, countless times in which he was David trying to slay Goliath and coming out on top. Lleyton Hewitt is an iconic Australian sportsman the like of which may never be seen again and has the right to mentioned with fellow Aussie tennis greats for his contribution to the game Down Under.
The City
After a day at the tennis in Melbourne Park, why not take a walk into town to discover a little bit more about this famous city. Melbourne Park is situated on the Yarra River not far from downtown Melbourne one of the most attractive and intriguing cities in the world. Melbourne boasts an incredible nightlife for all tastes, for the night crawlers looking to boogie to the connoisseurs of fine food and drink. Melbourne has it all. Why not stay in some of the fantastic hotels the city has to offer? Melbourne is absolutely alive during Aussie Open fortnight, go on lap it up!
Bolters!
Its the middle of January, many big names have had patchwork pre seasons due to Christmas and New Year. Most players arrive at Melbourne undercooked at aim to get a few matches under their belt to get up to speed with their games. If there is one slam that can provide the upset its the Australian Open. If we think of Wawrinka a few years back, Tsonga and Bouchard have caused big upsets in the past. Melbourne is where these big shocks happen. I wonder who will be the Bolter of 2016?
So on the eve of the tournament, what more reason do you need to go and witness the biggest names in sport, Federer, Djokovic, Rafa, Serena and Sharapova?
The post The Magic of Melbourne. appeared first on LOVE Tennis Blog.
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