Australian Open 2010 Update

The world’s hottest tennis players return to Melbourne Park in January, 2010, when the Australian Open tennis hits town. Sportsnet holidays have been flat out producing the best Australian Open packages for the event & I am happy to say we are caning last years figures (thanks everyone).
Roger Federer returns after a successful year in which he completed his career Grand Slam, whilst Rafael Nadal will be back to defend his throne as Aust Open Champion, as will Serena Williams. Australian Open tickets will be at a premium as young guns like Del Potro, Djokovic, Murray, Ivanovic, Dementieva and Safina aspire to the crown, as Australia’s own Lleyton Hewitt, Bernard Tomic and Sam Stosur try to do us proud on Rod Laver Arena.
Will we see a repeat of last years epic Mens Final battle between Fed and Rafa, or renewed hostilities between the Williams sisters and the Russians? My money in on Kim & Justine to make the front page in the first week and with wild cards you could see them close up in the outer courts . I am having a break before the tennis as we have hundreds of tickets to get out and there are always loads of last minute bookings once Hopman Cup & the feeder tournaments like Medibank & Hobart kick in. So I dont need to remind you not to wait until its kicked off to book as it will be tight in 2010 judging on business volumes to date.

“Oh to be in England” (well Britain actually), it is not often that you will hear anyone who lives in the beautiful Melbourne saying, “oh to be in England” but if you are a sports fan and a traveller you can’t help looking enviously at the British summer of sport. They have Formula One drivers taking pole position and winning F1 meets. They have had a compelling Wimbledon Tennis Tournament with their own man Andy Murray nearly going the distance. They have the Ashes which is shaping up to be a sensational final match with plenty of grudge and controversy,that’s the way we like it. The British Open Championship Golf has been on and the course looks like it has been cut out of picture book, sophisticated magnificent & lush. As if that is not all their man Cavendish has been tearing up the sprints in the Tour De France and grabbing the headlines. Even on the bikes the three cylinder Triumph is ripping it up on the track. To make matters worse we Aussies have gone down to the Kiwis in the Bledislow Cup when even the UK Lions have managed a few wins. If you are still up for a bit of self torture the EPL is on this weekend.

So what is the good news? Summers is just around the corner and I live in Melbourne and let me tell you it does not get any better than this in a single city of just over 3 million! We have: the Phillip Island Moto GP, the Australian Masters Golf in Melbourne the Tour Down Under with Lance Armstrong and a host of Aussies cyclists, The Australian Open and the soon to be announced dates for the Australian Grand Prix. If I had a friend called Willis I’d be tempted to say, “That’s what I am talking about!”

US Open Tennis Travel

There is one more Grand Slam to go for 2009 and as far as tennis travel goes the US Open at Flushing Meadows is not really a big one for us. Don’t get me wrong, I would love it to be as big as our Wimbledon Packages or our French Open travel and we definitely get enquiries. Each year we do a limited number of customised individual tennis travel packages built around the US Open, I just want to do more of them. The US Open should be huge after all it is the last one of the year, it is in New York (officially one of, if not the safest city in America) and it is summer time.

I have lived in New York both on Manhattan and in Queens and it is a special place on the planet for the sports traveller, the cultural sophisticate or the fan of popular culture. I love my Architecture and Modernist Art, after all that true Aussie Icon the Blue Polls was painted in New York. As for popular culture, most of us have a soft spot for either Seinfeld, Sex in the City or any of the Dick Wolf crime dramas.

This year you can get to New York for about $1000 as the deregulation of the trans-pacific air routes and the GFC have put fares in a tail spin, it is not too late to go! If you can’t make New York and most of us can’t get in early for the first of grand slam of 2010 The Australian Open. Australian Open tickets with travel packages have been on sale for a while and six months out is not too early to secure a great hotel and Australian Open Finals tickets as 2010 will see more of old guard or the next wave of hero’s.

Tennis Travel & Sportsnet Holidays Banners

I got this photo off our Sportsnet Holidays facebook site. It was taken during the 2009 Australian Open and I am angling to use it in our Australian Open 2010 marketing. As the enquires are starting to flow for Wimbledon 2009 and The French Open I was thinking how I would love to see one of our role out banners at either event. While they are great for the Open in Melbourne where the fans have alot of fun they don't seem very Lawn Tennis or Roland Garros.

We also just got a new offical image for the 2010 Hopman Cup I have been pleasantly suprised by how many people have got themselves organised to sign up for the Hopman Cup and The 2010 Australian Open.