Australian Open: "Grand Slam of Asia/Pacific"
Over the past several years, the Australian Open has begin to label and market itself as the “Grand Slam of Asia/Pacific.” Given its position on the global map compared to the other Grand Slam tournaments, major sponsorship by Korean Kia Motors, as well as the growth of tennis is Asia, this has been a smart move by Tennis Australia. For 2008, there are plans to expand this effort both on-site at Melbourne Park, as well as across
Asia. For example, there will be a live site in Shanghai which is expected to attract up to one million people during the tournament. Australian Open logo merchandise will also be sold across China. In addition, there will continue to be ballkids from Asia as part of the Aviva ballkid international program, i.e. 20 from Korea and 4 from India. The 2008 Australian Open website will also continue to provide extensive coverage in Korean, Chinese and Japanese language versions of the site. One of the more substantial enhancements for 2008 will be the designation of an “Asian court” which, whenever possible, will feature matches “of special significance to the region.” The Australian Open has always had a strong country-specific fan base, e.g. the Swedish fans, Greek fans, etc. Therefore, these new Asian-focused initiatives will provide new ways to build a potentially huge fan base for the sport of tennis, which is always a great play!
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