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Rod Laver Arena

Rod Laver Arena is a multipurpose arena located within Melbourne Park, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The arena is the main venue for the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tennis tournament of the calendar year.

Rod Laver Arena
The Tennis Centre
Rod Laver Arena at a night session of the 2020 Australian Open
Full nameRod Laver Arena at Melbourne Park
Former namesNational Tennis Centre at Flinders Park (1988–1996)
Centre Court (1996–2000)
LocationOlympic Boulevard and Batman Avenue
Melbourne, VIC 3001
Australia
Coordinates37°49′18″S 144°58′42″E / 37.82167°S 144.97833°E / -37.82167; 144.97833Coordinates: 37°49′18″S 144°58′42″E / 37.82167°S 144.97833°E / -37.82167; 144.97833
OwnerMelbourne and Olympic Parks Trust
Capacity14,820[2]
Record attendance16,183 – Justin Timberlake, 18 November 2007
SurfaceGreenSet (tennis)
Hardwood (basketball)
Construction
Broke ground1985
Opened11 January 1988 (1988-01-11)
Renovated1995
Construction costA$94 million (Original)
($271 million in 2018 dollars[1])
$23 million (1996 renovations)
($40.1 million in 2018 dollars[1])
Architect
Main contractorsLendlease (formerly Civil & Civic)
Tenants
Website
Venue Website

History

 
Exterior facade of Rod Laver Arena in 2006.

Replacing the aging Kooyong Stadium, construction on the arena began in 1985.[3] It was undertaken by Civil & Civic[4] was completed in 1987 at a cost of AU$94 million.[5] It opened on 11 January 1988 for the 1988 Australian Open.[6]

Originally known in 1988 as the National Tennis Centre at Flinders Park,[7] the arena has officially changed its name twice. First in 1996, when it was known as the Centre Court, and again on 16 January 2000 to honour Rod Laver, a three-time winner of the Australian Open and one of the world's greatest tennis players.[8][9]

Features

 
Interior of arena during the 2016 Australian Open

Rod Laver Arena has a seating capacity of 14,820, with a capacity of 15,400 for sports such as basketball, when extra seats are added around the court, and up to 14,200 for concerts with floor seating.[10] The arena currently attracts over 1.5 million visitors per year.

The arena was the first tennis venue in the world and the first arena of any kind in Australia to have a retractable roof installed. The idea for such a roof came about at the suggestion of John Cain, the premier of Victoria around 1980, who came up with the compromise idea after Tennis Australia requested the government to build an open air tennis facility next to a preexisting government project to build a closed roof entertainment center.[11]

The Rod Laver Arena is the largest indoor arena in Australia without a permanent roof (not counting the 56,347 seat Docklands Stadium, also in Melbourne, which is classed as a stadium rather than an arena). It is also the second largest indoor arena in Australia behind the 21,032 capacity Sydney Super Dome. The arena's retractable roof allows competitors to continue play during rain or extreme heat.

Rod Laver Arena is equipped with the Hawk-Eye electronic system which allows tennis players to challenge the umpire's decision on calls made throughout championships.

Sports and events

Rod Laver Arena is the centrepiece of the National Tennis Centre at Melbourne Park, and besides tennis, the arena has hosted basketball, motorbike super-crosses, music concerts, conferences, World Wrestling Entertainment events and ballet. Other than for tennis, during sporting events or concerts, a section of the southern lower seating bowl is retracted to allow space for a stage or special floor level seating.

Tennis

Rod Laver Arena acts as the centre court for the Australian Open tennis championships every year. The player after whom the arena is named, Rod Laver, is a frequent guest of honour at Championships and has presented the trophy to the men's singles champion on several occasions. Laver is widely considered the best player of his generation and amongst the consideration in the best players of all time.[a]

Rod Laver Arena was the scene for Australia's famous Davis Cup victories in 2003. The arena hosted the semi-final and Final, at which Australia was successful in recording their 28th Davis Cup title.

Basketball

Aside from tennis, the sport most often held at Rod Laver Arena in the past was basketball. The arena's first basketball game was in 1991 when the Australian Boomers played host to a touring All-Star team headlined by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, with over 15,000 in attendance.

On 3 April 1992, the arena became the home of Melbourne basketball when the Melbourne Tigers (now known as Melbourne United) defeated the Canberra Cannons 112–104. The venue was actually criticised in its early days as a basketball venue due to the poor quality of the backboards and rings used. However, these concerns were quickly addressed and the arena became known as one of the best in the country, especially with anywhere near a full house in attendance. The arena was also home to the South East Melbourne Magic (later renamed the Victoria Titans in 1998 after merging with the North Melbourne Giants) with both teams attracting some of the largest crowds in the history of the NBL. Rod Laver Arena was also the site of the first ever "outdoor" pro basketball game in Australia when the Magic hosted the Adelaide 36ers on 31 December 1997 with the roof open.

The largest basketball crowd at Rod Laver Arena was set in 1996 when 15,366 attended a local derby game between the Magic and Tigers. This remains the second largest NBL basketball attendance ever in Australia behind the 17,803 who attended a game between the Sydney Kings and West Sydney Razorbacks at the Sydney Super Dome in 1999. Game two of the 1996 NBL Grand Final series, also between the Magic and Tigers, saw the NBL's largest ever single game Grand Final crowd when 15,064 watched the Magic defeat the Tigers 88–84.[21]

1992 saw the first time two teams from the one city had reached the NBL Grand Final series when the Magic faced fellow Melbourne Park tenants the Tigers. With all games being played at the league's largest venue a record aggregate of 43,605 (average 14,535) fans saw the Magic win their first championship two games to one, coming back to win games two and three 115–93 and 95–88 after losing game one 98–116.

In all, Rod Laver Arena hosted 287 NBL games including NBL Championship deciders in 1992, 1996, 1997 and 1999, and played host to its last game in April 2000 before Melbourne Arena opened in 2000 and became the new home of basketball in Melbourne. The arena hosted the Australian Boomers on numerous occasions, including playing against the Magic Johnson All-Stars in 1995, as well as hosting the 1997 FIBA Under-22 World Championship, which Australia won for the first time.[22][23] The arena also played host to the 1993 NBL All-Star Game with the NBL Stars defeating the Boomers 124–119.

On 15 August 2015, Rod Laver Arena played host to the opening game of the 2015 FIBA Men's Oceania Basketball Championship between the Australian Boomers and the New Zealand Tall Blacks. In front of 15,062 fans Australia ran out 71–59 winners.[24]

Swimming

Rod Laver Arena was the centrepiece of the 12th FINA World Aquatics Championships, which were held from 17 March-1 April 2007. A temporary swimming pool, named the Susie O'Neill Pool after Australian swimming champion Susie O'Neill, was built at significant cost.

Commonwealth Games

Rod Laver was the host venue for the gymnastics competition at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

Other sports

The venue has hosted professional wrestling events such as World Wrestling Entertainment, World Championship Wrestling, World Wrestling All-Stars and World Cup skateboarding.[25][26] In July 2012, the venue hosted its first netball match, when the Melbourne Vixens were forced to move a home semi-final to the arena after their usual home venue was booked for a concert.[27] On 10 February 2019, the venue hosted UFC 234: Adesanya vs. Silva.[28]

Esports

Rod Laver Arena was one of the host venues, along with Margaret Court Arena and Melbourne Arena, for the second Melbourne Esports Open on the weekend of 31 August to 1 September 2019. It featured three major regional esports tournaments across League of Legends, Overwatch and Rainbow Six Siege.[29][30]

Concerts

Rod Laver Arena consistently hosts Melbourne's highest-profile musical and entertainment concerts. In 2009, the arena polled 9th out of 50 worldwide top arenas for first-quarter ticket sales, making it the second highest ticket selling venue in Australia, second to Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena, which placed third. In 2012, the arena became Australia's highest selling venue and 4th in the world, based on 2011 ticket sales.[31]

Rod Laver Arena's record attendance of 16,183 was set on 18 November 2007 for a Justin Timberlake concert during his FutureSex/LoveShow tour.[32]

American singer P!nk performed a record-breaking 18 concerts at the venue in the winter of 2013 with her Truth About Love Tour, beating her own record of 17 shows from the Funhouse Tour in 2009.[33] She is currently the artist who holds the record for most shows at the venue.

 
A panoramic view of Rod Laver Arena during a day session at the 2020 Australian Open

Tennis surface

 
Interior of Rod Laver Arena with the original Rebound Ace surface

From 1988 until 2007, the surface of the court at the Australian Open and on Rod Laver Arena was Rebound Ace, which was coloured green and played slowly. The surface was also blamed for many injuries in the Australian Open, with many players claiming that the surface became sticky in hot weather, making it difficult to play on.

In 2008, the surface was changed to Plexicushion, and coloured blue. The surface is similar in properties to DecoTurf, the surface used in the US Open. This has more cushioning and more give than Rebound Ace. In 2019 the surface was changed again to Greenset, though retained its blue appearance and similarities to the Plexicushion.

It has also had a temporary grass court in use, during the 1993 Davis Cup quarterfinals, 2001 Davis Cup final and the 2003 Davis Cup final.

Refurbishment

 
A view of the redeveloped Rod Laver Arena in January 2020.

In June 2015, it was announced that the arena would undergo a redevelopment of its exterior facade and interior customer features, such as bars and other facilities. The refurbishment constituted the main aspect of the $338 million second stage of redevelopments that occurred at the Melbourne Park precinct, which included a new pedestrian bridge linking Melbourne Park and Birrarung Marr and a new media and administration centre.[34][35] Construction began in April 2016.[34] The refurbishment included a new eastern-facing primary entrance, an expanded public concourse space and other amenities designed to "open up" the arena and provide enhanced facilities and entry points for spectators.[36] A new four-level Player Pod was constructed which increased the space for training, treatment, recovery, dining and lounging for athletes at major tournaments such as the Australian Open.[37] In addition, the venue's roof was upgraded to allow for it to be closed for inclement weather in five minutes, dropping from the 30 minutes it took beforehand.[38][39] The refurbishment was completed in late December 2018.[40]

Naming

  • National Tennis Centre at Flinders Park (11 January 1988 – 28 January 1996)
  • Centre Court (29 January 1996 – 15 January 2000)
  • Rod Laver Arena (16 January 2000 – present)

Record attendances

Concert

Basketball

Tennis

See also

Notes

References

  1. ^ a b 1850-1899: McLean, I.W. (1999), Consumer Prices and Expenditure Patterns in Australia 1850–1914. Australian Economic History Review, 39: 1-28. For later years, Australian Consumer Price Inflation figures follow the Long Term Linked Series provided in Australian Bureau of Statistics (2011) 6461.0 – Consumer Price Index: Concepts, Sources and Methods, 2011 as explained at §§3.10–3.11; this series comprises "from 1901 to 1914, the A Series Retail Price Index; from 1914 to 1946–47, the C Series Retail Price Index; from 1946–47 to 1948–49, a combination of the C Series Index, excluding rent, and the housing group of the CPI; and from 1948–49 onwards, the CPI." (3.10). Retrieved May 4, 2015
  2. ^ "History". Rod Laver Arena. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  3. ^ . Melbourne & Olympic Parks. Archived from the original on 27 February 2012. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  4. ^ "Some Post-War Sports Buildings" (PDF). Stuart Harrison. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  5. ^ National Tennis Centre Trust and Zoological Board of Victoria (Report) (20 ed.). L.V. North. April 1993. p. 5. ISBN 0730634353.
  6. ^ Colebatch, Tim (12 January 1988). "Melbourne's state-of-the-art tennis centre is a knockout". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
  7. ^ Sources for original venue name:
    • Rabar, Julia (18 January 2013). "Looking back at the Australian Open from Kooyong to Melbourne Park". Herald Sun. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
    • "25 Years of Retractable Roof Tennis in Australia". World Tennis Magazine. 10 January 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
    • Feinstein, John (1991). "The Flinders Park Jinx". Hard Courts: Real Life on the Professional Tennis Tours. New York City: Villard Books. ISBN 9780307800961.
    • Higdon, David (30 January 1994). "Women's Tennis Misses Seles As Graf Wins Again". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
    • Rowthron, Chris (September 2002). Landragin, Alex; Daly, Kate (eds.). Victoria (4th ed.). Melbourne: Lonely Planet. p. 137. ISBN 1740592409.
    • Beckley, Rachel (1 December 2012). "10Best: The History of Melbourne Park, Home of the Australian Open". USA Today. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
    • "How Peddle Thorp designed opening roof at Melbourne Tennis Centre". Peddle Thorp Architects. 3 February 2012. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  8. ^ "Centre court named after Laver". New Straits Times. Kuala Lumpur]. 22 December 1999. p. 43. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
  9. ^ "History – Rod Laver Arena". Rod Laver Arena. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  10. ^ Brandie, Lars (13 May 2013). "Pink's Australian Arena Tour Grows to 45 Shows". Billboard. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  11. ^ Feinstein, John (1991). Hard Courts.
  12. ^ . Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on 18 September 2010. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  13. ^ . MSNBC. 28 August 2006. Archived from the original on 15 October 2006. Retrieved 6 July 2009.
  14. ^ Alistair Campbell and others on Times Online (2004)
  15. ^ Bruce Jenkins (13 September 2006). "Bruce Jenkins in San Francisco Chronicle (2006)". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 6 July 2009.
  16. ^ Miller, David (15 January 2007). "David Miller in Daily Telegraph (2007)". The Daily Telegraph. UK. Retrieved 6 July 2009.[dead link]
  17. ^ IMG Media (30 January 2008). . Tennisweek.com. Archived from the original on 22 February 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2009.
  18. ^ "John Barrett and Peter Burwash (2004)". Slam.canoe.ca. 1 August 2004. Retrieved 6 July 2009.
  19. ^ "Ray Bowers on Tennis Server (2000)". Tennisserver.com. 23 December 2000. Retrieved 6 July 2009.
  20. ^ IMG Media. . Tennisweek.com. Archived from the original on 28 June 2009. Retrieved 6 July 2009.
  21. ^ [1] 29 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  22. ^ illusiv13 (22 January 2015). "1995 Australian Boomers vs Magic Johnson's All Stars – Melbourne". Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2018 – via YouTube.
  23. ^ nblbball (16 July 2008). "OZ97 semi final australia vs argentina". Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2018 – via YouTube.
  24. ^ "FIBA Oceania Championship 2015". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  25. ^ "Globe World Cup Skateboarding". World Cup Skateboarding. 17 February 2002. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  26. ^ Paul Daffey (13 February 2005). "Thousands thrilled by half-pipe heroes". The Age.
  27. ^ "Vixens home, but playing next door". Herald Sun. 6 July 2012.
  28. ^ Walker, Anthony (10 February 2019). "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of UFC 234". Sherdog. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  29. ^ Andrew Amos (2 September 2019). "Meet Australia's New Esports Champions". Kotaku. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  30. ^ Alex Manisier (5 September 2019). "Melbourne Esports Open is what video games in Australia need". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  31. ^ "World's busiest arenas". PlaceNorthWest. 25 January 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2013.
  32. ^ "Records & Performers – Rod Laver Arena". rodlaverarena.com.au. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  33. ^ Brandle, Lars (27 May 2013). "Pink's Australia Tour Breaks Melbourne Venue Record". Billboard. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  34. ^ a b "Demolition Works Begin at Rod Laver Arena". Premier of Victoria. 5 April 2016.
  35. ^ "Rod Laver Arena plans unveiled". SBS. 2 June 2015.
  36. ^ "Rod Laver Arena". Development Victoria. 29 November 2019.
  37. ^ "AO showcases world's best player facilities". ausopen.com. 8 October 2018.
  38. ^ "Tennis players and fans at the @AustralianOpen will no longer be forced to wait half an hour for @RodLaverArena's roof to close. @DougalBeatty #9News". Nine News Melbourne. Twitter. 22 December 2018.
  39. ^ "Greased lightning – Rod Laver Arena's new retractable roof". Sport and Recreation Victoria. 20 December 2018.
  40. ^ "New facilities completed at Melborune's Rod Laver Arena". Australasian Leisure Management. 18 December 2018.

External links

  •   Media related to Rod Laver Arena at Wikimedia Commons
  • Official website
  • Rod Laver Arena at Austadiums
  • Peddle Thorp Melbourne
  • 30 Years of Rod Laver Arena Documentary – YouTube

laver, arena, tennis, player, whom, this, venue, named, after, laver, multipurpose, arena, located, within, melbourne, park, melbourne, victoria, australia, arena, main, venue, australian, open, first, grand, slam, tennis, tournament, calendar, year, tennis, c. For the tennis player whom this venue is named after see Rod Laver Rod Laver Arena is a multipurpose arena located within Melbourne Park in Melbourne Victoria Australia The arena is the main venue for the Australian Open the first Grand Slam tennis tournament of the calendar year Rod Laver ArenaThe Tennis CentreRod Laver Arena at a night session of the 2020 Australian OpenFull nameRod Laver Arena at Melbourne ParkFormer namesNational Tennis Centre at Flinders Park 1988 1996 Centre Court 1996 2000 LocationOlympic Boulevard and Batman AvenueMelbourne VIC 3001AustraliaCoordinates37 49 18 S 144 58 42 E 37 82167 S 144 97833 E 37 82167 144 97833 Coordinates 37 49 18 S 144 58 42 E 37 82167 S 144 97833 E 37 82167 144 97833OwnerMelbourne and Olympic Parks TrustCapacity14 820 2 Record attendance16 183 Justin Timberlake 18 November 2007SurfaceGreenSet tennis Hardwood basketball ConstructionBroke ground1985Opened11 January 1988 1988 01 11 Renovated1995Construction costA 94 million Original 271 million in 2018 dollars 1 23 million 1996 renovations 40 1 million in 2018 dollars 1 ArchitectPeddle Thorp LearmonthPhilip CoxMain contractorsLendlease formerly Civil amp Civic TenantsAustralian Open 1988 present Melbourne Tigers 1992 2000 South East Melbourne Magic 1992 1998 Victoria Titans 1998 2000 Major sporting events hosted2006 Commonwealth Games gymnasticsWebsiteVenue Website Contents 1 History 2 Features 3 Sports and events 3 1 Tennis 3 2 Basketball 3 3 Swimming 3 4 Commonwealth Games 3 5 Other sports 3 6 Esports 3 7 Concerts 4 Tennis surface 5 Refurbishment 6 Naming 7 Record attendances 7 1 Concert 7 2 Basketball 7 3 Tennis 8 See also 9 Notes 10 References 11 External linksHistory Edit Exterior facade of Rod Laver Arena in 2006 Replacing the aging Kooyong Stadium construction on the arena began in 1985 3 It was undertaken by Civil amp Civic 4 was completed in 1987 at a cost of AU 94 million 5 It opened on 11 January 1988 for the 1988 Australian Open 6 Originally known in 1988 as the National Tennis Centre at Flinders Park 7 the arena has officially changed its name twice First in 1996 when it was known as the Centre Court and again on 16 January 2000 to honour Rod Laver a three time winner of the Australian Open and one of the world s greatest tennis players 8 9 Features Edit Interior of arena during the 2016 Australian Open Rod Laver Arena has a seating capacity of 14 820 with a capacity of 15 400 for sports such as basketball when extra seats are added around the court and up to 14 200 for concerts with floor seating 10 The arena currently attracts over 1 5 million visitors per year The arena was the first tennis venue in the world and the first arena of any kind in Australia to have a retractable roof installed The idea for such a roof came about at the suggestion of John Cain the premier of Victoria around 1980 who came up with the compromise idea after Tennis Australia requested the government to build an open air tennis facility next to a preexisting government project to build a closed roof entertainment center 11 The Rod Laver Arena is the largest indoor arena in Australia without a permanent roof not counting the 56 347 seat Docklands Stadium also in Melbourne which is classed as a stadium rather than an arena It is also the second largest indoor arena in Australia behind the 21 032 capacity Sydney Super Dome The arena s retractable roof allows competitors to continue play during rain or extreme heat Rod Laver Arena is equipped with the Hawk Eye electronic system which allows tennis players to challenge the umpire s decision on calls made throughout championships Sports and events EditRod Laver Arena is the centrepiece of the National Tennis Centre at Melbourne Park and besides tennis the arena has hosted basketball motorbike super crosses music concerts conferences World Wrestling Entertainment events and ballet Other than for tennis during sporting events or concerts a section of the southern lower seating bowl is retracted to allow space for a stage or special floor level seating Tennis Edit Rod Laver Arena acts as the centre court for the Australian Open tennis championships every year The player after whom the arena is named Rod Laver is a frequent guest of honour at Championships and has presented the trophy to the men s singles champion on several occasions Laver is widely considered the best player of his generation and amongst the consideration in the best players of all time a Rod Laver Arena was the scene for Australia s famous Davis Cup victories in 2003 The arena hosted the semi final and Final at which Australia was successful in recording their 28th Davis Cup title Basketball Edit Aside from tennis the sport most often held at Rod Laver Arena in the past was basketball The arena s first basketball game was in 1991 when the Australian Boomers played host to a touring All Star team headlined by Kareem Abdul Jabbar with over 15 000 in attendance On 3 April 1992 the arena became the home of Melbourne basketball when the Melbourne Tigers now known as Melbourne United defeated the Canberra Cannons 112 104 The venue was actually criticised in its early days as a basketball venue due to the poor quality of the backboards and rings used However these concerns were quickly addressed and the arena became known as one of the best in the country especially with anywhere near a full house in attendance The arena was also home to the South East Melbourne Magic later renamed the Victoria Titans in 1998 after merging with the North Melbourne Giants with both teams attracting some of the largest crowds in the history of the NBL Rod Laver Arena was also the site of the first ever outdoor pro basketball game in Australia when the Magic hosted the Adelaide 36ers on 31 December 1997 with the roof open The largest basketball crowd at Rod Laver Arena was set in 1996 when 15 366 attended a local derby game between the Magic and Tigers This remains the second largest NBL basketball attendance ever in Australia behind the 17 803 who attended a game between the Sydney Kings and West Sydney Razorbacks at the Sydney Super Dome in 1999 Game two of the 1996 NBL Grand Final series also between the Magic and Tigers saw the NBL s largest ever single game Grand Final crowd when 15 064 watched the Magic defeat the Tigers 88 84 21 1992 saw the first time two teams from the one city had reached the NBL Grand Final series when the Magic faced fellow Melbourne Park tenants the Tigers With all games being played at the league s largest venue a record aggregate of 43 605 average 14 535 fans saw the Magic win their first championship two games to one coming back to win games two and three 115 93 and 95 88 after losing game one 98 116 In all Rod Laver Arena hosted 287 NBL games including NBL Championship deciders in 1992 1996 1997 and 1999 and played host to its last game in April 2000 before Melbourne Arena opened in 2000 and became the new home of basketball in Melbourne The arena hosted the Australian Boomers on numerous occasions including playing against the Magic Johnson All Stars in 1995 as well as hosting the 1997 FIBA Under 22 World Championship which Australia won for the first time 22 23 The arena also played host to the 1993 NBL All Star Game with the NBL Stars defeating the Boomers 124 119 On 15 August 2015 Rod Laver Arena played host to the opening game of the 2015 FIBA Men s Oceania Basketball Championship between the Australian Boomers and the New Zealand Tall Blacks In front of 15 062 fans Australia ran out 71 59 winners 24 Swimming Edit Rod Laver Arena was the centrepiece of the 12th FINA World Aquatics Championships which were held from 17 March 1 April 2007 A temporary swimming pool named the Susie O Neill Pool after Australian swimming champion Susie O Neill was built at significant cost Commonwealth Games Edit Rod Laver was the host venue for the gymnastics competition at the 2006 Commonwealth Games Other sports Edit The venue has hosted professional wrestling events such as World Wrestling Entertainment World Championship Wrestling World Wrestling All Stars and World Cup skateboarding 25 26 In July 2012 the venue hosted its first netball match when the Melbourne Vixens were forced to move a home semi final to the arena after their usual home venue was booked for a concert 27 On 10 February 2019 the venue hosted UFC 234 Adesanya vs Silva 28 Esports Edit Rod Laver Arena was one of the host venues along with Margaret Court Arena and Melbourne Arena for the second Melbourne Esports Open on the weekend of 31 August to 1 September 2019 It featured three major regional esports tournaments across League of Legends Overwatch and Rainbow Six Siege 29 30 Concerts Edit See also Entertainment events at Rod Laver Arena Rod Laver Arena consistently hosts Melbourne s highest profile musical and entertainment concerts In 2009 the arena polled 9th out of 50 worldwide top arenas for first quarter ticket sales making it the second highest ticket selling venue in Australia second to Sydney s Qudos Bank Arena which placed third In 2012 the arena became Australia s highest selling venue and 4th in the world based on 2011 ticket sales 31 Rod Laver Arena s record attendance of 16 183 was set on 18 November 2007 for a Justin Timberlake concert during his FutureSex LoveShow tour 32 American singer P nk performed a record breaking 18 concerts at the venue in the winter of 2013 with her Truth About Love Tour beating her own record of 17 shows from the Funhouse Tour in 2009 33 She is currently the artist who holds the record for most shows at the venue A panoramic view of Rod Laver Arena during a day session at the 2020 Australian OpenTennis surface Edit Interior of Rod Laver Arena with the original Rebound Ace surface From 1988 until 2007 the surface of the court at the Australian Open and on Rod Laver Arena was Rebound Ace which was coloured green and played slowly The surface was also blamed for many injuries in the Australian Open with many players claiming that the surface became sticky in hot weather making it difficult to play on In 2008 the surface was changed to Plexicushion and coloured blue The surface is similar in properties to DecoTurf the surface used in the US Open This has more cushioning and more give than Rebound Ace In 2019 the surface was changed again to Greenset though retained its blue appearance and similarities to the Plexicushion It has also had a temporary grass court in use during the 1993 Davis Cup quarterfinals 2001 Davis Cup final and the 2003 Davis Cup final Refurbishment Edit A view of the redeveloped Rod Laver Arena in January 2020 In June 2015 it was announced that the arena would undergo a redevelopment of its exterior facade and interior customer features such as bars and other facilities The refurbishment constituted the main aspect of the 338 million second stage of redevelopments that occurred at the Melbourne Park precinct which included a new pedestrian bridge linking Melbourne Park and Birrarung Marr and a new media and administration centre 34 35 Construction began in April 2016 34 The refurbishment included a new eastern facing primary entrance an expanded public concourse space and other amenities designed to open up the arena and provide enhanced facilities and entry points for spectators 36 A new four level Player Pod was constructed which increased the space for training treatment recovery dining and lounging for athletes at major tournaments such as the Australian Open 37 In addition the venue s roof was upgraded to allow for it to be closed for inclement weather in five minutes dropping from the 30 minutes it took beforehand 38 39 The refurbishment was completed in late December 2018 40 Naming EditNational Tennis Centre at Flinders Park 11 January 1988 28 January 1996 Centre Court 29 January 1996 15 January 2000 Rod Laver Arena 16 January 2000 present Record attendances EditConcert Edit 16 183 Justin Timberlake 18 November 2007Basketball Edit National Basketball League 15 366 South East Melbourne Magic vs Melbourne Tigers 22 June 1996 International 15 062 Australia vs New Zealand 15 August 2015Tennis Edit 14 820 Australian Open Davis Cup various See also Edit Australia portal Sports portal Tennis portalList of sports venues named after individuals List of tennis stadiums by capacity List of indoor arenas in AustraliaNotes Edit See 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 References Edit a b 1850 1899 McLean I W 1999 Consumer Prices and Expenditure Patterns in Australia 1850 1914 Australian Economic History Review 39 1 28 For later years Australian Consumer Price Inflation figures follow the Long Term Linked Series provided in Australian Bureau of Statistics 2011 6461 0 Consumer Price Index Concepts Sources and Methods 2011 as explained at 3 10 3 11 this series comprises from 1901 to 1914 the A Series Retail Price Index from 1914 to 1946 47 the C Series Retail Price Index from 1946 47 to 1948 49 a combination of the C Series Index excluding rent and the housing group of the CPI and from 1948 49 onwards the CPI 3 10 Retrieved May 4 2015 History Rod Laver Arena Retrieved 20 June 2021 Tennis Melbourne amp Olympic Parks Archived from the original on 27 February 2012 Retrieved 28 June 2013 Some Post War Sports Buildings PDF Stuart Harrison Retrieved 28 October 2022 National Tennis Centre Trust and Zoological Board of Victoria Report 20 ed L V North April 1993 p 5 ISBN 0730634353 Colebatch Tim 12 January 1988 Melbourne s state of the art tennis centre is a knockout The Age Melbourne Retrieved 21 October 2013 Sources for original venue name Rabar Julia 18 January 2013 Looking back at the Australian Open from Kooyong to Melbourne Park Herald Sun Retrieved 19 May 2015 25 Years of Retractable Roof Tennis in Australia World Tennis Magazine 10 January 2013 Retrieved 19 May 2013 Feinstein John 1991 The Flinders Park Jinx Hard Courts Real Life on the Professional Tennis Tours New York City Villard Books ISBN 9780307800961 Higdon David 30 January 1994 Women s Tennis Misses Seles As Graf Wins Again Sun Sentinel Retrieved 19 May 2015 Rowthron Chris September 2002 Landragin Alex Daly Kate eds Victoria 4th ed Melbourne Lonely Planet p 137 ISBN 1740592409 Beckley Rachel 1 December 2012 10Best The History of Melbourne Park Home of the Australian Open USA Today Retrieved 19 May 2015 How Peddle Thorp designed opening roof at Melbourne Tennis Centre Peddle Thorp Architects 3 February 2012 Retrieved 19 May 2015 Centre court named after Laver New Straits Times Kuala Lumpur 22 December 1999 p 43 Retrieved 21 October 2013 History Rod Laver Arena Rod Laver Arena Retrieved 28 January 2018 Brandie Lars 13 May 2013 Pink s Australian Arena Tour Grows to 45 Shows Billboard Retrieved 19 May 2015 Feinstein John 1991 Hard Courts Rod Laver Top 10 Men s Tennis Players of All Time Sports Illustrated Archived from the original on 18 September 2010 Retrieved 10 June 2017 Bud Collins on MSNBC 2006 MSNBC 28 August 2006 Archived from the original on 15 October 2006 Retrieved 6 July 2009 Alistair Campbell and others on Times Online 2004 Bruce Jenkins 13 September 2006 Bruce Jenkins in San Francisco Chronicle 2006 San Francisco Chronicle Retrieved 6 July 2009 Miller David 15 January 2007 David Miller in Daily Telegraph 2007 The Daily Telegraph UK Retrieved 6 July 2009 dead link IMG Media 30 January 2008 The Tennis Week Interview Tony Trabert Tennisweek com Archived from the original on 22 February 2021 Retrieved 6 July 2009 John Barrett and Peter Burwash 2004 Slam canoe ca 1 August 2004 Retrieved 6 July 2009 Ray Bowers on Tennis Server 2000 Tennisserver com 23 December 2000 Retrieved 6 July 2009 IMG Media Raymond Lee The greatest tennis player of all time A statistical Analysis on Tennis week 14 September 2007 Tennisweek com Archived from the original on 28 June 2009 Retrieved 6 July 2009 1 Archived 29 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine illusiv13 22 January 2015 1995 Australian Boomers vs Magic Johnson s All Stars Melbourne Archived from the original on 12 December 2021 Retrieved 17 March 2018 via YouTube nblbball 16 July 2008 OZ97 semi final australia vs argentina Archived from the original on 12 December 2021 Retrieved 17 March 2018 via YouTube FIBA Oceania Championship 2015 FIBA basketball Retrieved 17 March 2018 Globe World Cup Skateboarding World Cup Skateboarding 17 February 2002 Retrieved 5 October 2017 Paul Daffey 13 February 2005 Thousands thrilled by half pipe heroes The Age Vixens home but playing next door Herald Sun 6 July 2012 Walker Anthony 10 February 2019 The Good the Bad and the Ugly of UFC 234 Sherdog Retrieved 16 August 2022 Andrew Amos 2 September 2019 Meet Australia s New Esports Champions Kotaku Retrieved 19 October 2019 Alex Manisier 5 September 2019 Melbourne Esports Open is what video games in Australia need Brisbane Times Retrieved 19 October 2019 World s busiest arenas PlaceNorthWest 25 January 2012 Retrieved 22 August 2013 Records amp Performers Rod Laver Arena rodlaverarena com au Retrieved 17 March 2018 Brandle Lars 27 May 2013 Pink s Australia Tour Breaks Melbourne Venue Record Billboard Retrieved 28 June 2013 a b Demolition Works Begin at Rod Laver Arena Premier of Victoria 5 April 2016 Rod Laver Arena plans unveiled SBS 2 June 2015 Rod Laver Arena Development Victoria 29 November 2019 AO showcases world s best player facilities ausopen com 8 October 2018 Tennis players and fans at the AustralianOpen will no longer be forced to wait half an hour for RodLaverArena s roof to close DougalBeatty 9News Nine News Melbourne Twitter 22 December 2018 Greased lightning Rod Laver Arena s new retractable roof Sport and Recreation Victoria 20 December 2018 New facilities completed at Melborune s Rod Laver Arena Australasian Leisure Management 18 December 2018 External links Edit Media related to Rod Laver Arena at Wikimedia Commons Official website Rod Laver Arena at Austadiums Peddle Thorp Melbourne 30 Years of Rod Laver Arena Documentary YouTube Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Rod Laver Arena amp oldid 1137136122, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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