The Australian Open vs. the U.S. Open: A Yank’s-Eye View | Attending The Australian Open From T…

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The Australian Open vs. the U.S. Open: A Yank’s-Eye View

MELBOURNE — I’ve been fortunate to attend 14 U.S. Opens—and the last three as a credentialed member of the media—so I am familiar with the operations of that tournament, down to details such as the approximate time of day that the sun goes behind the Western bleachers of Court 17. Hence, I was excited to head down under this year for my first Australian Open and get a fresh tennis viewing experience.

The Australian Open has developed a reputation for being as much a festival as it is a sporting event, and the party vibe at Melbourne Park outside of the tennis courts was immediately apparent. Between lawn recliners, bean bag chairs and open grassy areas, there are nearly a dozen spaces where people comfortably congregate to watch tennis on big screens mounted outside the courts. That doesn’t even include the massive dining area or the fan entertainment zone, both of which are somewhat separated from the tennis-focused areas of the grounds.

Attending The Australian Open From The USA Is Actually Cheaper Than Traveling To Go To The U.S. Open

You might be coming in from a cold northern hemisphere day, watching the best tennis players in the world vie for the Australian Open title on TV, and start dreaming of your own escape to Melbourne. Maybe you ignore this desire, thinking of the expense of it all. However, I ran the numbers, and it’s actually less expensive to attend the AO than it is to attend the US Open in New York (at least from the West Coast of the USA.) Flights from California to NYC, for instance, are going to run in the $450 range roundtrip, while you can expect about $1200 round trip from San Francisco or Los Angeles. For the sake of this piece, however, we’re going to drill down into the other costs and suggest you save your miles for your Trans-Pacific flight to Australia next year. 

'Extraordinary' Williams refuses to rule out return

Serena Williams has not played since losing to Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round of the US Open in 2022

Serena Williams has refused to rule out returning to professional tennis after recently filing the necessary paperwork.

Williams, who won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, retired after the 2022 US Open.

In December, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) confirmed to BBC Sport that the 44-year-old was back on the list of players registered for the drug testing pool.

At the time, the American said she was "not coming back" but during an interview on the Today Show on Wednesday, Williams did not rule out stepping back on to the court.

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