For some tennis fans, news of Sunday’s long lines was an early alarm. Mel Sims and daughter Liv were at the front of the queue at Garden Square bright and early.
This is their third day at the tournament, having been at the Opening Ceremony on Saturday and John Cain Arena on Sunday night.
Mel Sims and daughter Liv at the Australian Open.Credit: Gemma Grant
The pair woke up at 7 a.m. and were online by 8:40 a.m., about 11⁄2 hours before the gates were scheduled to open to the public.
“It’s so good here … there’s so much for everyone,” says Liv, who traveled from Sydney to attend her first Australian Open.
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Yvonne Heditores was just as organized, arriving an hour before opening time at the entrance to the Grand Slam Oval. On vacation from the United States, she wanted to make the most of her one day at the tournament.
“I heard the lines were really long, so I came early… Whenever possible, I pay extra to get into the express line,” she said with a laugh.
Other attendees on Monday were bracing themselves for a long wait, but were pleasantly surprised when they walked in with a few issues.
Andrea and Rachel Thornley traveled to the Australian Open from Brisbane and entered the Garden Square gate shortly before noon.
In the end they only waited about 30 minutes. “We moved very quickly, considering the amount of people,” Andrea said.
“They had everything under control. Everything was moving…the tram attendants were telling us stories while we waited. They’re trying to make it easy,” Rachel agreed.
Tennis fans wait to enter the complex on Monday.Credit: Eddie Jim
Andrea and Rachel are happy to be out of the gates and looking forward to a nice day as they go through the Margaret Court Arena during the day and the Rod Laver Arena in the evening.
“I guess you could call us tennis tragedies,” Andrea said with a laugh.
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