“We’ve listened to feedback from the players and fans and are excited to deliver a solution to minimise late finishes while continuing to provide a fair and equitable schedule on the stadium courts,” he said. “The additional day will achieve this,benefiting scheduling for fans and players alike.”
The Sunday start will increase the number of Australian Open sessions in the tournament’s three arenas,Rod Laver,Margaret Court and John Cain,from 47 to 52.
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“The first round will now be played over three days instead of two,also giving fans an extra day of unbelievable tennis,entertainment,food and family fun,” Tiley said.
Extending the length of the tournament gives the Australian Open a chance to sell more tickets after it broke attendance records last year with 839,192 fans through the gates.
“This is another opportunity to grow what is already the biggest annual sporting event in the world in January,” Tiley said.
Australian tennis great Todd Woodbridge said the extra day was a good move for the tournament and could enable the Open to sell another 40,000 to 50,000 tickets.