The final time when neither Rafael Nadal nor Roger Federer was a part of the Australian Open was method again in 1999. 25 years in the past. It was when, for the primary time in his profession, Andre Agassi completed the 12 months ranked World No. 1, Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi received three doubles titles, together with the French Open and Wimbledon, a 13-year-old Sania Mirza made her debut on the ITF junior circuit, Martina Hingis was in raging type with seven titles and Kim Clijsters took the Newcomer-of-the-Year award. Yeah, that is how lengthy it has been.

With Federer retired and Nadal enduring a second-round loss finally 12 months’s AO, Melbourne was gearing as much as see the Spaniard play his first Grand Slam in a 12 months, earlier than an damage on the Brisbane International earlier this month broke quite a lot of hearts. The metropolis, host to the Australian Open, has by no means actually recovered from the euphoria of the 2017 remaining, the place Nadal and Federer performed out a five-set traditional on the Rod Laver Arena. So, expectedly, the bar had been set fairly excessive. How do you high it? Seven years on, it stays a thriller. There are AO banners all over the place – exterior the airport, on the digital billboards inside the metropolis – however a Grand Slam with out ‘Fedal’ for the primary time in 1 / 4 of a century had the potential to be an enormous bummer. Add to that the absence of native hero Nick Kyrgios, and it is a large void to fill.

Or so that you thought. Because there’s a new vitality on the town. The metropolis appears to have moved on from nostalgia. It likes to revel within the current. An enormous instance is how Gael Monfils was noticed chilling and getting photos clicked with followers on the Crown Metropol, and the youth raving about Jannik Sinner, whom Australians imagine is the perfect ever to carry a racquet.

In truth, the absence of Federer and Nadal has hardly made a distinction to the Australian Open because the organisers are assured about hitting an unprecedented quantity in 2024.

Has there been a dip?

“Not that we’ve seen. Tennis Australia are certainly hoping that they will achieve their target of a million visitors this year. The event is growing and what makes the AO special is that there is always a story; there is always an underdog or a new player. And for the Australians, they have really gotten behind de Minaur. He didn’t make the quarterfinals but he has captured the attention of the people. So, there is always an up and comer and I think Australian fans of tennis love cheering on and new and are excited about the emerging talent,” Shae Keenan, the Chief Marketing Officer at Visit Victoria, tells Hindustan Times.

Events just like the Australian Open are fairly large for the state of Victoria in a few other ways. The AO drives vital visitation from folks throughout Australia and, more and more, folks internationally, however it additionally places Melbourne and Victoria on the worldwide stage by broadcast in order that it permits them to showcase what they recognized Melbourne does greatest, i.e. – host main occasions. It is also the proper solution to encapsulate the vibe of town in summer time and exude the meals, the eating, the bars and in addition their areas – simply how shut Melbourne is to unimaginable nature just like the Penguins of Phillip Island or the good Ocean Road. Outside of the Australian Open, Melbourne boasts a major-events calendar that celebrates all type of sports activities such because the soccer and Boxing Day Test. Even skilled wrestling is slowly clutching its tooth into the Australian market with WWE internet hosting the Super Show-Down on the MCG in 2018 and extra PPVs lined up Down Under for the long run.

Indians, Melbourne and Rohan Bopanna

India is one in all Victoria’s most essential tourism markets. It’s rising steadily and there are a selection of causes. For starters, Melbourne has the biggest Indian neighborhood in Australia – vibrant and thriving – and it provides exponentially to the vitality of Melbourne. Indian college students make up for almost all of it and even the Australian Open has witnessed rising curiosity from Indians. Cricket clearly takes the highest spot when it comes to sports activities however the AO this 12 months has skilled loads of Indians in attendance throughout each arenas of the Melbourne Park. And when it’s Rohan Bopanna creating historical past, partnered by Australia’s very personal Matthew Ebden to win the boys’s doubles title, Indian and Australians coming collectively to rejoice one in all tennis’ most storied finishes is what makes for a dream-come-true second.

Saturday nights in Melbourne are in regards to the youth dressing as much as get pleasure from a night of fantastic wine, beer and the stunning delicacies town has to supply, however on the way in which again from the tennis to the primary metropolis – Russell Street particularly – an enormous chunk of the Indian viewers celebrated Bopanna’s landmark win. An virtually cricket-like ambiance ensued as chants of “Dhai rupay ki Pepsi, Rohan bhai sexy” – albeit not too loud – capped the electrical ambiance of the 43-year-old’s monumental Grand Slam win. And to see a few of the Australians becoming a member of in on the celebrations was icing on the cake.

Bopanna had received. Indians had received. Melbourne had received.