If you are a tennis fan then I am pretty sure that going to all the Grand Slam tournaments is probably on your bucket list of things to do. Am I right? Well, if this is true then please keep on reading.
I need to clarify that I am not a tennis expert but because my mother is, I set a personal goal almost five years ago to take her to all tournaments to make her lifelong dream come true. Although let me tell you that I did have a great time as well. I was able to attend matches while sightseeing the different cities. So it was a win-win for both of us.
The ATP tour each year starts in January and although there are many tournaments in a year there are only four tournaments that mean the most to professional players. The four Tennis Grand Slam tournaments are the Australian Open, the French Open, the Championships Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open.
Unless you are not working probably it will be unrealistic to try to do all four in a year. It is also expensive, so financial planning is of essence. Not only the cost of the tickets are pricy and need to be bought ahead of time, but at destination it will be consider high season so hotels and transportation will be costly as well.
AUSTRALIAN OPEN
The first tennis tournament of the year takes place in January, Australian Open in Melbourne. The entire experience here was fantastic. Probably because of the price of flights and distance, it felt as attendance is not as big as the others. This made everything feel more tailored. We took a flight from Los Angeles with a connecting flight in Fiji to make it less expensive, but you can find direct flights from many countries. The tournament was very well organized, superb customer service, very easy access to transportation and a friendly atmosphere. To get tickets and more information go to AO. We stayed at the Inter-Continental Hotel, very well located and excellent customer service.
Melbourne is a beautiful city with lots to do, plan accordingly, give yourself few days to explore. A cosmopolitan city with great restaurants and night life. We took a couple of day to go to museums, the beach (the famous Bondi Beach) and took a tour to the Twelve Apostles, a spectacular display of natures beauty. It is something you must try to see when you are there.
FRENCH OPEN
The second tennis tournament is the French Open in May. I personally had high expectations because I love France. Always had a great time when there but the French Open was not what I had expected. This is my personal opinion and experience. Not to say you have to agree with me. Not only the seats at the stadiums where very uncomfortable in comparison with others, but organization was not as tight. Still, if you are a tennis lover is something you have to check off your list as this is the only one played on clay courts.
You may have also heard some refer to this tournament as “Roland Garros”, click the link for more details on History Roland Garros .
To purchase tickets go to the official site French Open. if you are not able to get tickets here then reach out to the hotel you will be staying at. Hotels usually work with companies that will have bulk tickets to resell.
Paris is a very big city so depending on where you decide to stay you will have to calculate the time that will take you to get to the stadium. The walk to the stadium from the subway station can take you five to ten minutes. We stayed at the Hotel The Vigny, a boutique hotel close to the Arch of Triumph that was walking distance to the metro station. This is an older hotel, very small rooms and with no amenities but location was excellent for what we needed. If this is your first time in Paris take advantage and spend three or four days sightseeing, is worth it. If you have been there before then enjoy going back to your favorite places or take a trip to the country side. You will not be disappointed.
WIMBLEDON
The third tennis tournament is Wimbledon and to me this was my favorite. The tradition and elegance of it all is remarkable. The actual town of Wimbledon is very pretty and worth walking around. This is the one tournament where getting tickets is very different and kind of complicated, not impossible but it takes work. There are four ways: the public ballot (like a lottery), the queue (stay in line to try to get tickets for the same day), official hospitality packages and ticketmaster (the only authorized agent).
Just a little story about what happened to me so you can be aware of. I bought tickets on a website not being ticketmaster and the company went out of business couple of months before the tournament. I almost had a heart attack as this was going to be a surprised trip for my mother. Lucky enough I paid with American Express and they AMEX refunded all the money back. I was able to get tickets through the hotel we stayed at. The Arch London, a boutique hotel, located by the Arch was fantastic.
London is a very interesting city, a beautiful melting pot of cultures where you will not get bored. Always something to do. After you are done exploring all the neighborhood as well as trying “tearooms” (my favorites), then you can explore the country side. We were in England a total of 10 days and went to Bath and Stonehenge in Wiltshire. Overall a great trip.
US OPEN
And last but not least, the US OPEN that takes place at the end of August. This tennis tournament is very well organized and transportation is excellent. The subway station is within walking distance and they have everything set to avoid any disruption. Of the four tournaments this OPEN is very produced and entertaining. The grounds are very much set intentionally for visitors to buy souvenirs and food.
We stayed in Manhattan at the Cassa Hotel on 45th street and we had no problem getting to the stadium. Buying tickets is very easy, you can use Ticketmaster. For details visit US OPEN. New York City has lots to offer so if you are attending the tournament you must spend a couple of days at least enjoying the Big Apple.
Planning on writing about each city in future posts but feel free to comment or leave questions for me to answer about this specific post.