Articles

Jesse, Roving reporter

Australian Open 2009

Being the massive sport lover that I am, the fact that I had never been to see the tennis was a ghastly blemish on my life and its memories. So when youthcentral asked me if I'd like take a trip to the 2009 Australian Open, I didn't need much convincing.

I took the walk from Richmond station with the horde of supporters. Some were draped in flags and covered in face paint. Others chose a more simplistic appearance. It was at about this point that I realised I had forgotten sunscreen.

Segregation

I was segregated from the crowd when I arrived at the tennis centre, or perhaps they were from me. While the masses filed into queues that rivalled scenes of the half time urinal lines at the MCG, the special ticket that hung from my neck showed me through an entry point at which there wasn't a single person waiting.

My date with the blue Plexicushion surface of Rod Laver Arena took me to the second row of the great tennis stadium. My ticket gifted me with corporate access - a free bar and buffet lunch awaited me in a secret room whenever I should feel the need. I wondered many times throughout the day how it was that I came to be so lucky.

Beauty and the beastly voice

The booming voice of announcer Craig Willis echoed across the court and up into the stands to let us know that the first match would be between the fifth seed glamour girl from Serbia, Ana Ivanovic, and little known Italian Alberta Brianti.

It was the second round of the tournament. Every step Ivanovic took, the Channel Seven camera followed the Serbian only inches away. She claimed the honours in straight sets.

At lunch I was seated on the Victorian Government table. Eavesdropping on some conversation, I heard one of them say, "…there's a reason why youthcentral gets more hits than any other government website." That has nothing to do with my day of tennis. I just wanted to throw it in because I felt chuffed.

The other thing about lunch was the free stuff that they were willing to dish out. The food and drinks aside, I was presented with the official Australian Open program, a packet of mints and the perfect, match-sized bottle of sunscreen. I was set.

As I walked back to my seat, I complained about how cold the two bottles of water and the small box of ice cream that I had taken from lunch felt against my arm. I then noticed that the people I walked from the station with were paying four bucks for the same bottle of water. I stopped being difficult.

World number three Novak Djokovic was on court when I found my seat again. The speed and intensity of the men's game was remarkable compared to the women's game I had witnessed just a short time before.

Star spotting

I was wedged between a couple of notable spectators. As I sat, to my right were the former almost-Australian Idol Anthony Callea, and So You Think You Can Dance judge Jason Coleman. To my left was the players box. The latter was particularly vocal during Djokovic's match as he went on to win through to the third round in straight sets.

Closing out the day session at Rod Laver was the Swiss superstar Roger Federer. For quite some time he was one of the more dominant people in world sport. He still oozes class.

It was a privilege to watch him swing his racket in the flesh and something I will never forget. This time he was up against Russian qualifier, Evgeny Korolev, who upset Spaniard Carlos Moya in round one. Continuing the trend of the day, Federer knocked over his opponent in straight sets, leaving me to catch an early train home.

Walking back along Batman Avenue towards Richmond station, I felt almost as though I should be travelling home in a limousine. Or at the very least, some kind of rickshaw. I settled for walking as one of the horde. I knew my place once again.

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