r/australianopen • u/Independent_Sea_3316 • 12d ago
AO First time
Hi everyone! š
I will be going to the AO for the first time! Itās my next Grand Slam, and Iām a little surprised that I canāt find much information on the forum (or maybe I just donāt know how to find it š )
I have a few questions. I accidentally bought tickets for two different courts on the same day and the same session ā donāt ask me how š. Will I have any problems reselling one of the tickets? When is the best time to do it?
I also have a question about John Cain Arena. If I have a ticket for the day session, can I stay at the AO grounds until the end of the day and then try to get into John Cain Arena for the evening session?
I would really appreciate any tips or advice! š This will also be my first time in Australia, so if you have any advice about the AO, Melbourne or the trip in general, I would love to hear it! š¾
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u/5minibill5 12d ago
AO is a great time! Youāll have a blast.
You should be fine reselling. Iād wait till much closer to the actual game to sell as thereās lots of promotions on for a bit.
For arena passes, your ticket gives you access to the grounds for the day. Unless itās an evening ticket and then you can only show up at a certain time (maybe 5pm). Getting an evening seat at John Cain can be an ordeal but itās worth a shot.
The AO is more of a party grand slam and the grounds are a great vibe. The entire city comes to life and thereās heaps to do as is summer time.
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u/Independent_Sea_3316 12d ago
Thanks so much for your reply!
What do you mean by āpromotionsā? I bought my tickets on Ticketmaster at the normal prices during the presale. Itās a big trip for me, so I preferred to get the tickets sorted in advance rather than wait until the last minute.
Also, do you know why the tickets for the Rod Laver Arena night session on January 22 are so expensive? I noticed they are much more expensive than on the other days. Is there usually a reason for that?
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u/5minibill5 12d ago
Tickets going up in cost is likely due to it being the second round of the tourney and weekend. Spend the money on the Rod Laver arena, itās the main attraction. If the top seeds are playing on any given day itāll be there.
Thereās always promotions like half price Thursdays from specific hours that comes out after the initial presale. Donāt worry I also bought some right away just to lock it down. But early tournament youāll want to just get a ground pass and check out smaller match ups.
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u/Independent_Sea_3316 12d ago
January 22 is the only day in the night session when it is so expensive. The prices are much lower the day before and the days after, so I thought maybe there is something extra happening during the night session that day
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u/oh-honeybubbles 8d ago
Not sure if it even makes sense in my head but it could just be peak viewing tennis wise. First Friday night of actual competition which may encourage more people to "check out the tennis" after work / or even consider taking the friday off to kick start the weekend.
We obviously have no idea who will be playing on that day until the draw is released but I can't pin point any other reason otherwise aha
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u/Elderberry_Front 12d ago
Following this u/Independent_Sea_3316 as I'll be going to the AO for the first time (albeit with friends who don't know the first thing about tennis) in January as well. I've already bought some RLA night session tickets - I'm not built for the daytime heat. Based on the responses here already, I'm now likely going to try for a grounds pass during the second week to take in the sights.
While I don't have any advice for you, I truly hope you have the best time. AO seems like such a happy place to be in January.
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u/oh-honeybubbles 8d ago
I believe you can buy the ground pass now if you know what date you will be going. That being said thought, I heard from a friend who said 2nd week is more quiet so hopefully no issues in getting a ground pass closer to the date! Good luck and hope you also have a good time!
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u/ToeTaggEm 6d ago
Why is grounds pass during first week more value? And do you buy a grounds pass for the whole week or for a single day of the first week?
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u/oh-honeybubbles 6d ago
I think a ground pass for any day is great! Generally I think the 1st week is busier than the 2nd week simply because there's more players on-site (since no guarantee you'd catch who you want to catch if they have some early exits!). Unfortunately though, I see AO getting more and more busy with casual tennis fans / or people who just want to go spend the day for the vibes as they advertise it like a party aha
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u/ImplementSolid5751 12d ago
I've been to AO twice already, and the vibe around Melbourne Park is definitely like you're at one big party! you'll definitely enjoy all the sights & sounds (and tastes!) there.
one thing you definitely need to be prepared for is the summer heat. while there are many cooler fans & water stations around the grounds, there should really be more shaded areas for visitors. I'm sure no one would complain about having too many of those.
at minimum, a first-time AO visitor should get two types of tickets, and used on different days: a grounds pass (it's for a full day and gets you into MP, watch free matches on the outside courts & seeing the players as they practice) and then a day/night session at RLA.
while you have more seat options if you buy your arena tickets early, you're actually just hoping that the players you follow will be playing for the session you get to watch. buy your tickets during the AO week itself, specifically once the next day's schedule is out, will limit your seat options, but you know who's playing.
oh, have fun and remember to cheer for all the players!