37°49′22″S144°58′48″E / 37.82267°S 144.98005°E /-37.82267; 144.98005
Melbourne Park is a sports venue in theMelbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct inMelbourne,Victoria,Australia. Since 1988,Australia's bicentenary, Melbourne Park has been home of theAustralian Open Grand Slamtennis tournament played annually in January. The park has multiple venues where the Australian Open matches take place.Rod Laver Arena is the largest venue with a capacity of 15,000, whileJohn Cain Arena seats 10,500 andMargaret Court Arena 7,500. The three venues feature retractable roofs, allowing events to be played indoors or outdoors. Other venues include Show Court 3 and 1573 Arena which both have a 3,000 seating capacity, and the new 5,000-seat Kia Arena, which opened in 2022. In total there are 35 outdoorGreenset tennis courts at Melbourne Park.
Melbourne Park is owned by theVictorian Government and managed by the Melbourne & Olympic Parks Trust, which also runs the adjacentMelbourne Rectangular Stadium. TheYarra Park section of the Sports and Entertainment Precinct is run separately.
The park was originally known asFlinders Park until 1996, when then-premierJeff Kennett decided to change the name to Melbourne Park, mainly to advertise the name "Melbourne" to a wide international audience during events held there. The decision was met with opposition, and was compared by some to renamingStade Roland Garros (home to theFrench Open in Paris) "Paris Park". However, over the years, the name has become accepted by Melburnians.[1]
Melbourne Park was developed in 1988 beside theJolimont Yard as a new precinct to host theAustralian Open. The previous venue,Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club, had become too small for the burgeoning tournament. Construction of the park was completed in 1988 at a cost of at least $94 million.[2] The unveiling of the new precinct was met with incredibly positive reviews by players and spectators, with some labelling the facilities and amenities the best of the fourGrand Slams.[3] Another expansion of the precinct occurred in 1996, when a further $23 million was invested to create two fully seated and larger show courts and eight new courts, as well as a large grassy space, now known as Grand Slam Oval.[1]
The organisation responsible for managing the precinct is the Melbourne & Olympic Parks Trust,[4] which was established in October 1995 in accordance with the provisions of the amended Melbourne & Olympic Parks Act 1985. In April 2018,Tennis Australia revealed it harboured ambitions to take over management rights of the entire precinct, with the hope of maximising its use for other sporting and cultural events outside of the Australian Open.[5]
While it is best known for being a tennis venue, Melbourne Park also plays host to a number of other sports and musical events throughout the year. The venue tends to be used by more popular international performers, as it is the largest the city has to offer, excluding theDocklands Stadium in theDocklands and the nearbyMelbourne Cricket Ground. All three stadium courts/arenas are multi-purpose, being used for a variety of events, including theAustralian Open commitments in January, but theRod Laver Arena and Margaret Court Arena venues are most commonly used formusic concerts.
Aside from the tennis tournament, which typically attracts crowds in excess of 800,000, the park has facilities that allows other sports to be played regularly at Melbourne Park's arenas, such asnetball (Super Netball teams,Melbourne Vixens andCollingwood Magpies play home matches atJohn Cain Arena andMargaret Court Arena) andbasketball (National Basketball League teamMelbourne United play home matches at John Cain Arena). In the past Melbourne Park has hostedice skating,track cycling, internationalswimming andmotorsport events.
The Australian Open presentedpickleball for the first time at the2025 Australian Open. From January 24 to the 26th theAO Pickleball Slam tournament was held on Court 3. One hundred thousand dollars in prize money was awarded to some of Australia's top professional pickleball players.[6]
Melbourne Park is the onlyGrand Slam tennis venue to have three courts installed with aretractable roof, allowing play to continue in the event ofrain orextreme heat. The courts were Plexicushion from 2008 to 2019.[4]
| Court | Picture | Opened | Capacity | Arena Roof | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rod Laver Arena |  | 1988 | 14,820 | Retractable | [7] |
| John Cain Arena |  | 2000 | 10,300 | Retractable | [8] |
| Margaret Court Arena (Formerly Show Court 1) | .jpg) | 1988 | 7,500 | Retractable | [9] |
| Show Court Arena (Kia Arena) | .jpg) | 2021 | 5,000 | No | [10] |
| Show Court 2 (1573 Arena) |  | 1988 | 3,000 | No | [11] |
| Court 3 (Formerly Show Court 3) |  | 1988 | 3,000 | No | [11] |
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Formerly known as Centre Court,Rod Laver Arena has a capacity of nearly 15,000 and has a retractable roof. The arena was opened in 1988 prior tothat year's championships and was originally known as theNational Tennis Centre at Flinders Park.[3][12] It was not until January 2000 that the arena was named after one of the greatestAustralian tennis players,Rod Laver.[13]
Rod Laver Arena has played host to some of the most memorable tennis matches, such as:
The second largest court isJohn Cain Arena (originally known as the Multi-Purpose Venue, as it was referred to during the2006 Commonwealth Games, Vodafone Arena, Hisense Arena and Melbourne Arena) which was opened in 2000. It has a capacity of 10,500, and also has a retractable roof. Completed in 2000 for a cost of $65 million, the arena has hosted a wide variety of sporting and other events since its inception includingboxing bouts such asAnthony Mundine vs.Lester Ellis, as well asGrand Finals in netball and basketball and concerts performed byScissor Sisters,B. B. King,Nicki Minaj andOne Direction.[17]
During theAustralian Open, John Cain Arena hosts numerous day and night matches up to the end of the fourth round. Most notably it is the venue of the longest women's singles match in a Grand Slam.Francesca Schiavone defeatedSvetlana Kuznetsova 6–4 1–6 16–14 in four hours and forty-four minutes at the fourth round of the2011 Australian Open.[18] John Cain Arena has been accessible for Australian Open patrons with a ground pass (i.e.: cheapest form of ticketing available) since 2015 and subsequently the arena has developed a reputation for being, like most outdoor courts, an incredibly passionate venue with terrific atmosphere, particularly when Australians are playing on the court.[19][20]
Formerly known as Show Court 1,Margaret Court Arena was opened in 1988 along with the Melbourne Park precinct. Originally seating 6,000 spectators, the arena underwent a renovation which increased the capacity to 7,500 and added a retractable roof – the fastest of its kind in the world, opening or closing in just five minutes.[21] The redevelopment was completed prior to the2015 Australian Open.[22] The arena is also used for regular music concerts and is one of the two home courts ofSuper Netball team theMelbourne Vixens.
Conjecture over the name of the arena has caused significant debate in Australian society. Named in honour ofMargaret Court, statistically Australia's greatest Grand Slam singles player, Court has sparked controversy over her public views onLGBT issues. As recently as 2017 there were calls from several public figures for the arena's name to be changed.[23][24] Venue management has previously stated that it does not support Court's comments and "embrace[s] equality, diversity and inclusion".[25]
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In April 2019 construction of theShow Court Arena (known commercially asKia Arena) commenced on the site of the old Eastern Courts 16–23, between Rod Laver and John Cain Arenas. The open-air arena is partially sunken into the ground and has a roof structure capable of protecting most of the spectators from the extremities, however unlike the larger arenas it does not have a retractable roof capable of being shut during inclement weather. Construction of the arena was the signature element of the $271.5 million third stage of redevelopments of Melbourne Park and was completed prior to the 2022 Australian Open. The arena seats 5,000 spectators.[26][27][28]
Aside from a further 35 match day and practice courts,[4] many of which have temporary standing of up to 2,500 capacity attached to them for the Australian Open, there are two Show Courts at Melbourne Park,Show Court 2 (known for commercial purposes as the1573 Arena) andCourt 3 (formerly known as Show Court 3), each with a permanent seating capacity of approximately 3,000.[29]
Like all the other tennis courts at Melbourne Park, these show courts remain as tennis courts throughout the year and are available for use by the general public.[citation needed] The remaining courts at Melbourne Park are outdoor courts located mostly on the western side of the precinct closer toBirrarung Marr. They have seating of anywhere from 50 to 2,500 installed for the Australian Open.
Opened in September 2021,Centrepiece replaced the old function and media centre, is located near Garden Square andRod Laver Arena. The building is capable of hosting large events and banquets of varying capacity inside the grand ballroom, and is also equipped with media and television broadcast facilities, studios and meeting rooms, and a 250-seat auditorium.[30]
The Melbourne Park Redevelopment was the process by which the precinct underwent three significant stages of redevelopment between 2010 and 2022. The Stage 1 redevelopment included the construction of a new Eastern Plaza to host an elite tennis training facility and a new bridge linking Melbourne Park to the nearbyAAMI Park stadium andOlympic Park Oval, as well as an upgrade toMargaret Court Arena. The Eastern Plaza Tennis Training Facility, which was later renamed the National Tennis Centre, features eight indoor and 13 outdoor courts, eight of which areEuropean-styleclay courts. It was unveiled in January 2013.[31][32] Margaret Court Arena had its seating capacity expanded to 7,500 and a retractable roof installed, and was opened ahead of the2015 Australian Open.[33] The cost of the Stage 1 redevelopment was $366 million.[34]
Stage 2 of the redevelopment began in June 2015, when it was announced thatRod Laver Arena would undergo a redevelopment of its exterior facade and interior features, such as bars and other player and spectator facilities.[35][36] The broader second stage upgrade included a new footbridge linking Melbourne Park andBirrarung Marr and an Administration and Media Building, to houseTennis Australia and Melbourne & Olympic Parks Trust headquarters. The new footbridge, named Tanderrum Bridge, was unveiled in December 2016 and the Administration and Media Building was completed two months earlier.[37][38] The Rod Laver Arena refurbishment included a new four-level training, leisure and multi-dining facility for athletes at the Australian Open and the general public at other times; this was completed in December 2018.[39] Rod Laver Arena's retractable roof was also upgraded to allow for it to be closed for inclement weather in five minutes, dropping from the 30 minutes it took to close beforehand.[40] The Stage 2 redevelopment cost $338 million and was fully completed in September 2019.[41]
The final phase of redevelopment (Stage 3) was announced in April 2017 by theVictorian Government; a further $271.3 million was invested to complete upgrades for Melbourne Park.[42][34] Construction of Stage 3 began in April 2019.[43] The signature elements of this phase of redevelopment was the construction ofa new 5,000-seat sunken show court arena located between Rod Laver and John Cain arenas, and the construction of a double-storey function and media centre namedCentrepiece, on the site of the old function centre. TheCentrepiece building features a Grand Hall capable of seating up to 1400 people at a banquet, a press conference-style auditorium for up to 250 people and several broadcast studios capable of being converted into meeting rooms, boardrooms or cocktail events.[44] Other upgrades to the park as part of this stage was the installation of a central logistics hub which included a kitchen and loading dock, additional grassed public spaces, and two match tennis courts with seating for several hundred spectators.[42][34] Construction of theCentrepiece facility was completed in August 2021.[45][non-primary source needed][46] Overall, a total of $972 million was spent on the multi-year redevelopment of the Melbourne Park precinct. Completion of all works at the precinct was achieved in December 2021, shortly prior to the2022 Australian Open in January.[27][47][28]
Melbourne Park is adjacent to theMelbourne Cricket Ground inYarra Park, and there are several pedestrian bridges linking the two across the separating railway lines. The park is five minutes walk fromRichmond andJolimont railway stations, and five minutes from the city centre bytram (route 70) or ten minutes on foot.
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