Less exuberant than the US Open but far from the very felted Wimbledon, the Melbourne tournament, nicknamed “Happy Slam”, is a joyful fair.
by Elisabeth Pineau ( Melbourne, Special Envoy)
In the good chic good kind of tennis family, each of the four Grand Salm lifes skillfully cultivates its difference. There is Wimbledon, the elegant dean, a little outdated. The romantic gringal, Roland-Garros. The turbulent teenager, the US Open. And then there is the Australian Open, the last casual. The first meeting of the season is not the most prestigious, but the event with a fluorescent decor is known as the “Happy Slam” (“Joyeux Spem”). The legend says that the paternity of this nickname returns to Roger Federer to describe the atmosphere that reigns each year at the antipodes.
“Everything is practical here, it is well organized. I am not saying that the others are not, but this one is really nice and relaxed, it helps a lot”, still rented the Swiss there are a few years.
It hasn’t always been so. Between the 1970s and the early 1980s, the event was snubbed by the best. Björn Borg and Ilie Nastase only disputed it once, Jimmy Connors only two. The journey to the end of the world was considered too tiring by the players of the northern hemisphere, especially since the fortnight fell in the middle of Christmas.
In the Mitan of the 1980s, the Australian Open decided to make its revolution: the tournament is shifted in January, it leaves the suburbs of Melbourne to get closer to the city center and acquired roofs and a new area , passing from grass to hard. First to take the train of modernity, the ex-canopy becomes the first in the class.
In the middle of the southern summer, Melbourne Park, just twenty minutes away from the skyscrapers of the business district, turns around fifteen into a happy fair for small and (very) Large children who vibrate in unison for the little felt ball. From the four major tournaments, the Australian Grand Chelem is undoubtedly the most intergenerational, symbol of a sporting culture which is transmitted from the cradle.
in Melbourne, the thermometer plays yoyo
In Garden Square, the large garden located in the shade of the Rod Laver Arena, baptized in honor of the local legend and its two big home calendar (win the four adults in a calendar year), families sting -Innate on lawns that flourish the lemongrass by watching the matches on a giant screen. They can also share table tennis, padel and other animations installed on the 20 hectares of the site, to the edge of the Yarra river – next to it, Roland -Garros does not exceed 12.5 hectares after its Recent extension, even if for some, this is precisely what makes its charm. The under 10s even have their amusement park, to play Lego or test their agility on an tree climbing course.
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