Australian Open insulates tennis from extreme heat but still faces million-dollar hit

"Tens of thousands of tennis fans are expected to stay away from the Australian Open on Tuesday as temperatures climb above 40C, but the Melbourne Park grand slam has largely been able to insulate itself physically and commercially from the effects of extreme heat. The daytime attendance for the heat-affected Saturday was 51,048, down more than 10,000 compared with the previous and following days, and an even greater decline is expected on Tuesday given widespread publicity of the Victorian heatwave."

"Sales of $35 ground passes have been slow and queues at security appeared shorter than usual shortly after gates opened at 9am. Those who do attend are also less likely to spend as long at the precinct. On Saturday, Melbourne Park was largely empty when play resumed shortly after 7pm, leaving food and beverage vendors twiddling their thumbs at dinnertime when they would usually be run off their feet."

"Yarra Jones, 20, from Melbourne, arrived just before 10am with a friend, having bought a ground pass a few days ago. They planned to rely on the misters and frequenting the air-conditioned areas around the main arenas to stay cool, but were not planning to stay all day. We just figured we'll come for only a few hours and then we can leave when it gets too hot, she said."

Temperatures above 40C are expected to keep tens of thousands of tennis fans away from the Australian Open on Tuesday, though Melbourne Park has largely insulated itself physically and commercially from extreme heat. Daytime attendance for a heat-affected Saturday fell to 51,048, more than 10,000 below adjacent days, and a larger decline is expected on Tuesday. Ground-pass sales and early queues declined, and attendees spent less time on site, reducing food and beverage revenue. The tournament remains on track to break attendance and revenue records and has insurance for major interruptions. Roofed arenas can lower temperatures below 30C and allow play to continue, protecting broadcast, sponsorship and ticket obligations.

Read at www.theguardian.com