With price rises across the board, the Australian Open qualifiers are now $10 per day entry to attend (previously free). On the Monday that means you're better off heading to the Kino cinemas ($8.50) than the tennis. More info here. The price may put an end to people heading to the qualifiers briefly after work or during their lunch-break.
Ground passes are now $59 and $75 up from $49 and $59. Kids ground pass prices have also been bumped $5.
The tickets I purchased in 2022 for $99 are now $174 and not on a public holiday (the latter more due to the Gregorian calendar not Tennis Australia).
The concerts appear no longer daily but combined into a Finals Festival weekend for $34/night. These were suspended during COVID.
That said, the dropping of mask mandates will make a huge difference to some fans. I still wear mine all-the-time but on an open air court with a couple of spare seats around you - it didn't seem to make a lot of sense. There is also no additional service/booking fees on tickets.
It remains to be seen whether the on-again/off-again after 5pm ground pass will make a comeback, I suspect it will depend on demand. The price rises contrast with the fairly good deals we saw on the ATP Cup this summer.
Hopefully these changes are opposed by the fans and don't stick around for 2024. Some may even appreciate a ticketed qualifiers as crowd numbers might be quite thin. If so or if you have any takes feel free to comment below.
Tennis Australia is just stringing us along. It's time to make a racket and tell them they're a bunch of deuce bags.