Australian Open Tennis in Adelaide
Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2022 5:54 pm
Let’s bring the Australian Open tennis to Adelaide!
The Australian Open is contracted for Melbourne until 2036 and is up for grabs after that! The Australian Open will not stay in Melbourne forever, and I do want the Australian Open tennis to come to Adelaide after Melbourne’s time is up!
The Australian Open tennis is a grand slam event, and given Australia’s strong tennis culture, should remain a grand slam should it relocate to Adelaide! Tennis is popular in Europe and Adelaide is the closest major Australian city that resembles Europe so it’s a no brainer to host Australian Open in Adelaide! It will also ensure Adelaide is competitive against Sydney and Melbourne, and other global cities like Paris, London, New York and Los Angeles.
The Australian Open is a two-week event, and should it come to Adelaide, it means the world’s attention will be on Adelaide for the 14 days that the tennis is held there! It is an opportunity for Adelaide to market itself to the world, providing another reason for people to come to Adelaide and South Australia, and send a message to incoming arrivals to Australia that there is more to Australia than just Sydney and Melbourne.
As more people become aware of Adelaide, more events will come to that city, and who knows what lies ahead? In 30 to 40 years’ time, I think Adelaide and South Australia could be in a strong position to host Australia’s fourth Olympic Games! South Australia embraces events very well, with Fringe and Festival, the Adelaide 500 and the Tour Down Under, among the major events drawing massive crowds!
Memorial Drive in Adelaide has a strong tennis heritage and will be among the sites for the Australian Open, it has a stadium that seats 6,500 people, and can be further upgraded to a fully enclosed arena that will host other indoor sports like netball. Another show court, with a canopy roof, could be built to accommodate 4,000 people, and another show court with a canopy roof already in place can be expanded to hold 2,000 people. The Memorial Drive footprint will be expanded, with more tennis courts, including those to replace Adelaide Oval No. 2 which include grass and clay courts, additional temporary seating placed along the other tennis courts, indoor tennis courts and Pinky Flat transformed to open space, which would be used as a live site for Australian Open tennis as well as other events like the Fringe and Festival and New Year’s Eve celebrations, and feature an urban beach with pop-up beach volleyball courts.
It's not just Memorial Drive that would be used for the Australian Open, with other new and upgraded facilities surrounding Memorial Drive also to be used to host the event.
To the south of the Riverbank, west of the Convention Centre, a new rectangular stadium seating 22,000 people could be built there. The venue will cater to soccer and rugby, and the pitch will be elevated to the top to maximise use of space in the western part of the Riverbank and allow for a main show court seating a total of 19,000 people including 8,000 temporary seats for the Australian Open. The venue can also host concerts, conventions and exhibitions and will be attached to the existing Convention Centre.
To the southwest of Memorial Drive, north of the Riverbank, a new fully indoor stadium seating 15,000 people could be built there. It will be the second show court for the Australian Open, and can also host basketball, netball, concerts, conventions, and exhibitions. A new adjacent theatre could have a tennis specific Esports offering.
Both the rectangular stadium and indoor stadium will require Montefiore Rd to be placed underground to create a truly vibrant Riverbank precinct, and an internal bridge will connect both those venues. An external bridge will also be built connecting both sides of the Riverbank and will be part of a future Australian Open tennis precinct. War Memorial Drive will need to be closed between Par 3 turnoff and King William Road for the duration of the event. Both the new rectangular stadium and the new indoor stadium could be a project completed for South Australia’s bicentenary in 2036, which also allows those venues to be used for a potential Australian Open in Adelaide from 2037 onwards.
The Convention Centre will also be upgraded with the central building to be redeveloped, with increased ceiling height and provisions for temporary seating of 9,000 people for Australian Open tennis and can be divided into sections for conventions and exhibitions of various sizes. For the Australian Open, other parts of the Convention Centre will host a media centre, press conference rooms, Australian Open functions and premium dining and hospitality offerings.
There are a few things that will make a future Australian Open tennis grand slam event in Adelaide stand out from other grand slam venues. Firstly, the location is within walking distance to the Adelaide CBD, increasing the city vibrancy and providing a whole day/night experience for Australian Open fans – perhaps they could shop at Rundle Mall and/or dine in many of Adelaide’s restaurants before attending the Australian Open, and/or they could enjoy a great night out after attending the Australian Open. Secondly, with the 6 largest show courts enclosed, it will allow the Australian Open to proceed in all types of weather conditions, and thirdly, an Australian Open tennis in Adelaide will be spectacular with a small part of the River Torrens being part of the Australian Open precinct, and with great views of the nearby Adelaide Oval and the city skyline.
A future Australian Open precinct in Adelaide could also feature new hotels, and that, along with the existing InterContenential Adelaide hotel, would be used by Australian Open players and officials who will only have to walk to their events along with the many other things the city of Adelaide has to offer. Tennis Australia’s headquarters will also relocate to the precinct. Adelaide CBD and north Adelaide hotels are also within easy reach for Australian Open visitors. Those travelling by public transport to the Australian Open can stop at the Adelaide train station, and there’s plenty of parking near the Australian Open tennis precinct. The Royal Adelaide Hospital is also within striking distance, meaning Australian Open tennis players, officials and spectators can receive easy and fast access to medical assistance if need be.
Outside of the Australian Open tennis precinct, another live site could be set up at the newly revamped Festival Plaza with the big screen and marquees, Elder Park could have the Australian Open live stage (accessed with an Australian Open ticket), and the Adelaide Festival Centre (including a new concert hall) could host cultural events to coincide with the Australian Open. Adelaide Oval could also play a role during the Australian Open, providing catering to service the Australian Open tennis precinct when not in use for their events.
And if the Australian Open relocates to Adelaide, it would be held on the same timeslot as the Australian Open in Melbourne that is currently held in mid to late January. Adelaide’s weather is much better than Melbourne at that time of year with less rain.
The Australian Open is contracted for Melbourne until 2036 and is up for grabs after that! The Australian Open will not stay in Melbourne forever, and I do want the Australian Open tennis to come to Adelaide after Melbourne’s time is up!
The Australian Open tennis is a grand slam event, and given Australia’s strong tennis culture, should remain a grand slam should it relocate to Adelaide! Tennis is popular in Europe and Adelaide is the closest major Australian city that resembles Europe so it’s a no brainer to host Australian Open in Adelaide! It will also ensure Adelaide is competitive against Sydney and Melbourne, and other global cities like Paris, London, New York and Los Angeles.
The Australian Open is a two-week event, and should it come to Adelaide, it means the world’s attention will be on Adelaide for the 14 days that the tennis is held there! It is an opportunity for Adelaide to market itself to the world, providing another reason for people to come to Adelaide and South Australia, and send a message to incoming arrivals to Australia that there is more to Australia than just Sydney and Melbourne.
As more people become aware of Adelaide, more events will come to that city, and who knows what lies ahead? In 30 to 40 years’ time, I think Adelaide and South Australia could be in a strong position to host Australia’s fourth Olympic Games! South Australia embraces events very well, with Fringe and Festival, the Adelaide 500 and the Tour Down Under, among the major events drawing massive crowds!
Memorial Drive in Adelaide has a strong tennis heritage and will be among the sites for the Australian Open, it has a stadium that seats 6,500 people, and can be further upgraded to a fully enclosed arena that will host other indoor sports like netball. Another show court, with a canopy roof, could be built to accommodate 4,000 people, and another show court with a canopy roof already in place can be expanded to hold 2,000 people. The Memorial Drive footprint will be expanded, with more tennis courts, including those to replace Adelaide Oval No. 2 which include grass and clay courts, additional temporary seating placed along the other tennis courts, indoor tennis courts and Pinky Flat transformed to open space, which would be used as a live site for Australian Open tennis as well as other events like the Fringe and Festival and New Year’s Eve celebrations, and feature an urban beach with pop-up beach volleyball courts.
It's not just Memorial Drive that would be used for the Australian Open, with other new and upgraded facilities surrounding Memorial Drive also to be used to host the event.
To the south of the Riverbank, west of the Convention Centre, a new rectangular stadium seating 22,000 people could be built there. The venue will cater to soccer and rugby, and the pitch will be elevated to the top to maximise use of space in the western part of the Riverbank and allow for a main show court seating a total of 19,000 people including 8,000 temporary seats for the Australian Open. The venue can also host concerts, conventions and exhibitions and will be attached to the existing Convention Centre.
To the southwest of Memorial Drive, north of the Riverbank, a new fully indoor stadium seating 15,000 people could be built there. It will be the second show court for the Australian Open, and can also host basketball, netball, concerts, conventions, and exhibitions. A new adjacent theatre could have a tennis specific Esports offering.
Both the rectangular stadium and indoor stadium will require Montefiore Rd to be placed underground to create a truly vibrant Riverbank precinct, and an internal bridge will connect both those venues. An external bridge will also be built connecting both sides of the Riverbank and will be part of a future Australian Open tennis precinct. War Memorial Drive will need to be closed between Par 3 turnoff and King William Road for the duration of the event. Both the new rectangular stadium and the new indoor stadium could be a project completed for South Australia’s bicentenary in 2036, which also allows those venues to be used for a potential Australian Open in Adelaide from 2037 onwards.
The Convention Centre will also be upgraded with the central building to be redeveloped, with increased ceiling height and provisions for temporary seating of 9,000 people for Australian Open tennis and can be divided into sections for conventions and exhibitions of various sizes. For the Australian Open, other parts of the Convention Centre will host a media centre, press conference rooms, Australian Open functions and premium dining and hospitality offerings.
There are a few things that will make a future Australian Open tennis grand slam event in Adelaide stand out from other grand slam venues. Firstly, the location is within walking distance to the Adelaide CBD, increasing the city vibrancy and providing a whole day/night experience for Australian Open fans – perhaps they could shop at Rundle Mall and/or dine in many of Adelaide’s restaurants before attending the Australian Open, and/or they could enjoy a great night out after attending the Australian Open. Secondly, with the 6 largest show courts enclosed, it will allow the Australian Open to proceed in all types of weather conditions, and thirdly, an Australian Open tennis in Adelaide will be spectacular with a small part of the River Torrens being part of the Australian Open precinct, and with great views of the nearby Adelaide Oval and the city skyline.
A future Australian Open precinct in Adelaide could also feature new hotels, and that, along with the existing InterContenential Adelaide hotel, would be used by Australian Open players and officials who will only have to walk to their events along with the many other things the city of Adelaide has to offer. Tennis Australia’s headquarters will also relocate to the precinct. Adelaide CBD and north Adelaide hotels are also within easy reach for Australian Open visitors. Those travelling by public transport to the Australian Open can stop at the Adelaide train station, and there’s plenty of parking near the Australian Open tennis precinct. The Royal Adelaide Hospital is also within striking distance, meaning Australian Open tennis players, officials and spectators can receive easy and fast access to medical assistance if need be.
Outside of the Australian Open tennis precinct, another live site could be set up at the newly revamped Festival Plaza with the big screen and marquees, Elder Park could have the Australian Open live stage (accessed with an Australian Open ticket), and the Adelaide Festival Centre (including a new concert hall) could host cultural events to coincide with the Australian Open. Adelaide Oval could also play a role during the Australian Open, providing catering to service the Australian Open tennis precinct when not in use for their events.
And if the Australian Open relocates to Adelaide, it would be held on the same timeslot as the Australian Open in Melbourne that is currently held in mid to late January. Adelaide’s weather is much better than Melbourne at that time of year with less rain.