If you’re a love-all type of sports fanatic, you need to be in NSW
between 10th and 16th January for the APIA International tennis
tournament at Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre.
In the pro series schedule, there’s a match a day with round one
through to the quarter finals, singles semi finals, doubles and the grand
finale…the singles final. Start times vary from 12.00pm to 4.00pm for Centre
Court but expect to be cheering on until late evening most nights.
With gates opening from 9.00am on day one, the entry times will
differ depending on whether the matches are starting earlier or later in the
day. So account that on the last day, gates will open 3.30pm as the match will
end 10.00pm. Regardless, the Olympic Park has an abundance of food court areas
or you can bring your own picnic and make a full day and night of it. Remember
to bring strawberries & cream, clotted scones and Pimms so you can replicate
the Wimbledon experience down under.
Hailing from around the globe, the male singles players include
representatives from France, Argentina, Italy and Bulgaria featuring Gilles
Muller, Teymuraz Gabashvili and Janko Tibsarevic. From Czech Republic, the USA
and Poland (to name but a few), the women’s single players include headliners
such as Roberta Vinci, Petra Kvitova and Svetland Kuznetsova.
If you’re craving a tad of ole school type tennis, seven time
Grand Slam singles champ, John McEnroe, alongside Mark Philippoussis are going
to be headlining a Legends field at the APIA. The ‘you can not be serious’ star
will face off against Ken Rosewall on the 15th January so mark that boisterous
date in your diary. With adrenaline pumping, French entertainer Henri Leconte
will perform in a FAST4 Tennis match just prior to the women’s final so expect
to be amused while he causes a racket (pun intended).
Entry prices are incredibly reasonable including a daily Ground
Pass at $15 for adults and $5 for little ones. Maybe you want to splash out
during the first month of January. If so, grab the Platinum, Silver or Gold
passes for each day with prices ranging from $29 to $218 depending on the day
and pampering comfort levels you prefer. You can find more details about the APIA ticket prices
here. Alternatively, you can buy tickets at the gate so don’t sweat that you
must book in advance.
For all those looking to enjoy a unique, free experience of the
APIA, the ‘volunteer’ page details will be shortly posting information about
how you can help out. The jobs will include handling media (always a feat in
itself), transportation and player services – in case you are lucky enough to
rub shoulders with the elite stars.
A mere 28 minutes by car, you can be back at Cremorne Point, sipping more
Pimms and watching the sun go down over the Harbour skyline from Cremorne Point
Manor while you discuss aces, backspins and more importantly, the advantages of
the day. Enjoy!
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