Tennis · International
Australian Open 2025 sets attendance records across Opening Week and main draw
Melbourne Park recorded 1,218,831 visits across the three-week Australian Open programme, including new highs for Opening Week and the main draw.
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Three weeks finish with new records
The Australian Open set attendance records in January 2025 for both its main draw and its full three-week programme. Tennis Australia’s post-event figures recorded 1,218,831 entries, compared with 1,110,657 in 2024. Opening Week accounted for 116,528 and the main draw for 1,102,303. Both components exceeded their corresponding totals from the previous year.
The figures measure attendance across a multi-day event. They should therefore be read as gate entries, rather than a count of different individuals. The overall increase was 108,174 entries, calculated from the two published annual totals.
The calendar behind the total
The tournament’s announced dates ran from 6 to 26 January. Opening Week began six days before the main draw, providing a separate period of qualifying, practice viewing and family events. This distinction matters when comparing the full event with the two weeks generally associated with the singles championship.
The main draw began on Sunday 12 January, the second consecutive year of a Sunday start. First-round singles matches were spread over three days. Doubles then joined the schedule before mixed doubles began on 16 January. The wider calendar provided different competitions throughout the fortnight, ending with the women’s doubles and men’s singles finals on 26 January.
Competition before the first main-draw ball
Qualifying was scheduled over three rounds from 6 to 9 January. In each singles competition, 128 players pursued 16 main-draw places. That programme gave Opening Week a sporting purpose alongside open practice sessions and charity matches in Rod Laver Arena. Kids Tennis Day followed on 11 January, immediately before the main draw began.
The second week broadened the competition again. Wheelchair qualifying began on 20 January, with wheelchair main-draw singles starting on 21 January. Boys’ and girls’ wheelchair singles and doubles were added to the established men’s, women’s and quad events. The expanded programme meant the grounds continued to host several kinds of tennis as the senior singles draws narrowed.
A precinct prepared for a larger programme
Tennis Australia had announced additional shade and viewing spaces when outlining the 2025 event. The changes included shade over the seating bowl at 1573 Arena and new shaded platforms in the practice-court Village between John Cain Arena and Kia Arena. The programme also introduced TOPCOURT, with a public padel court among its attractions. The October plans also expanded the two-storey Courtside Bar’s capacity and viewing areas, alongside open practice sessions designed to make preparation visible to ticket holders during Opening Week.
The accompanying photograph documents 1573 Arena during this Australian Open on 21 January, including its overhead shade structure. It is an event photograph of the venue, rather than an image of a named match. The attendance figures establish the scale of the completed tournament; the earlier plans explain the programme visitors could attend. They do not by themselves show which change caused the increase.
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