It is no secret that the reason I chose to settle in Melbourne over other Australian cities is because of its reputation of being a sports mad city. This is not in any way over exaggerated and it doesn't matter if it is AFL, cricket, rugby, tennis or tiddly-winks the people will come out in large numbers to support. Sport is very much something that is in the blood of Melbournians and this aspect of the city has helped me to feel at home very easily. I fully intend to attend as many sporting events held in this city over the coming months.
First up for me was cricket, a game I have learned to appreciate and enjoy much more in recent years. Among the uneducated it is seen as a monotonous sport played by snobby upper class men. However once the basics are understood it becomes much more enjoyable. On the 27th December I attended the second day of the 4th Ashes test between Australia and England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the iconic stadium that played host to the 1956 Olympic Games. The ground was filled to two thirds of the total capacity with an impressive 67,000 people in attendance. However the large local contingent had very little to cheer about as the English proceeded to absolutely humiliate Ricky Ponting's troops. Although the Melbourne natives were virtually mute all day this did not spoil the atmosphere one bit thanks to a fantastic group of English supporters nicknamed the Barmy Army. This vocal group of people are very similar to English football fans in how they support their team. They spent the entire 8 hours of cricket shouting and roaring, chanting at the opposition players, and just being all round lunatics, drunk on an excessive amount of overpriced watered down beer. However there is one difference and that is the lack of the scum and violence element that has given football supporters from England such a terrible name around the world. By contrast the antics of the Barmy Army was merely good natured banter and nothing more.
If the cricket was good then the tennis was even better.For two weeks every January Melbourne Park plays host to the Australian Open, the first grand slam championship of the year. I dedicated an entire weekend to witnessing some of the best players on earth. On the Saturday I purchased a ground pass for a very reasonable price of 29 dollars which gave me access to all but the two main show courts: Rod Laver Arena and Hisense Arena. The grounds of Melbourne Park were packed and a 90 minute queue was needed to gain access to Margaret Court Arena where Marc Wilford Tsonga was playing his 3rd round encounter with Alexandr Dolgopolov. Such was the Frenchman's popularity that it was not until midway through the third set that I was able to take my place among the 6000 enthusiasts in this intimate arena named after the great Australian who holds the record for the most grand slam wins for a woman with 24 titles to her name. Unfortunately Tsonga picked up an injury when leading by two sets to one and swiftly faded away and was defeated in a one sided final set.
However the main course of the day was still to come as American John Isner and Croatian Marin Cilic played out a four and a half hour epic. Isner, one of the heroes of last year's Wimbledon Championships when winning the longest tennis match in history (11 hours and 5 minutes, 70-68 in the final set against Nicolas Mahut), was the subject of numerous hilarious football style chants by a group of louty yet banterful Irish people. My personal favorite was certainly "IF...YOU...LOVE JOHNNY ISNER CLAP YOUR HANDS! IF YOU LOVE JOHNNY ISNER CLAP YOUR HANDS, IF YOU LOVE JOHNNY ISNER AND YOU REALLY WANNA SHOW IT IF YOU LOVE JOHNNY ISNER CLAP YOUR HANDS!". There was plenty of other ridiculous tunes and the local crowd were absolutely loving it. So much so that when the security guards forced the Irish lads to vacate Margaret Court Arena the entire 6000 capacity crowd started booing at the tops of their lungs followed by a standing ovation for these banterheads as they made their exit. One of the guys somehow managed to survive the boot and remained for the conclusion of a thrilling game of tennis. What made the antics of these guys so funny was that they gave the impression that they actually cared that John Isner won when in reality they were just taking the mick. The lines "This would put years on ya" and "Come on John, keep the head, forget about that last point" when Isner was struggling deep in the 5th set are among the finest quotes I've heard in a while. You'd wonder what Isner must have been thinking at such random support. Alas it was not to be for the American as Marin Cilic took the spoils winning a tense final set by 9 games to 7 much to the delight of the small but vocal Croatian contingent. The atmosphere was certainly up there with the best I have witnessed at a live sporting event.
The next day had a lot to live up to but it certainly did not disappoint. Firstly I managed to catch Roger Federer warming up on the practice courts. It was a pleasant and unexpected surprise to catch a glimpse of the finest tennis player in history. I wasn't the only one there however and it certainly was mayhem trying to get towards the front to secure the best view possible. Afterwards I witnessed Andy Murray going through a similar routine in the burning midday Melbourne sunshine. I didn't stay long to watch the grumpy Scotsman however as it was time to take my seat in Hisense Arena to see the eventual championship winner Novak Djokavic absolutely annihilate his opponent Nicolas Almagro. He certainly put on an impressive demonstration but the atmosphere was very muted as a result of the one sided match.
Next up was the women's 4th round match between Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova and Italian Francesca Schiavone, two former grand slam winners. The contest began slowly and the crowd didn't seem too bothered getting involved. There was even one chap in the corporate section in front of me who was reading the paper much to my own disgust. He ended up leaving early and missed out on what was to unfold. The final set took three hours and the entire match lasted for 4 hours 44 minutes, the longest women's singles grand slam match in history with numerous twists and turns throughout. The Italian eventually claimed the victory by 16 games to 14 in the marathon final set but only after saving about a dozen match points. The game was every bit as exciting as the events the day before and once again the atmosphere reached deafening tones.
I certainly got my money's worth and I now have a burning desire to go to the other three grand slams: Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open at Flushing Meadows. Live tennis is certainly up there with the best that sport has to offer, for atmosphere and drama.
There is plenty more sport to come over the coming months. The Formula One Grand Prix takes place in Albert Park in a few weeks time and the Melbourne Track Classic in Olympic Park in early March will see David Rudisha, world record holder for 800m among others compete. The AFL season is not far away with 9 of the 16 teams being from Melbourne and there is also the Melbourne Cup later in the year. This is only some of the great sporting action that the people of Melbourne have the privilege of witnessing and I intend to see as many of these events as possible over the coming months. But for now I have to go pack for a weekend travelling through the Grampians National Park and the Great Ocean Road.
Bye for now.
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