My perception of professional tennis tournaments being a “high society” event diminished when we arrived at the 2011 Australian Open to find colorful, screaming fanfare, the most memorable group being a shirtless, twenty-something foursome hanging over the court chanting a catchy tune for Scottish pro Andy Murray (who later went on to fall to Novak Djokovic in the finals). We were already in Melbourne, Australia, for the Aussie Millions Poker Championship, so we were excited to find tickets online for opening day. (To get to the tournament, we took the metro from Flinders Street Station downtown to Jolimont Station near Melbourne Park.)
We cheered on some of our favorite U.S. players such as Venus Williams and Andy Roddick, both who demonstrated extreme athleticism on the court, as they fought for one of the four Grand Slam titles of the year. Even more so than the passionate fanfare, Venus’ wardrobe may have been the most impressive (and controversial) during the event. She brought her usual chic style to the court — a Tiffany Blue tennis dress, white gold drop earrings and sequined tote. Between her and sister Serena (who has a signature line of women’s wear and accessories), the Williams sisters certainly bring a much needed sense of fashion to the sport.
One Grand Slam tournament down, three to go.
↓ Gael Monfils v. Thiemo da Bakker
Monfils won 6-7, 2-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-1
↓ Dressed in new Aussie attire
↓ Andy Roddick vs. Jan Hajek
Roddick won 6-1, 6-2, 6-2
↓ Venus Williams v. Sara Errani
Venus won 6-3, 6-2
↓ Andy Murray v. Karol Beck
Murray won 6-3, 6-1, 4-2
