MELBOURNE (JAN 2018)
On New Year’s Day, I cracked open a fortune cookie that told me one of my dreams would come true. I smiled with complete certainty because I had organised to attend a tennis Grand Slam with mom. In January we travelled to Melbourne to watch the Australian Open for a week and had the best trip ever.
Tennis is a huge part of my life. I remember being four years old and trying to hit the ball over the net with the tiniest racket. Mom and I would stay up late (and still do) watching Grand Slams. I watched heroes like Steffi Graf and Pete Sampras battling on television, wishing I could be like them. As a young kid, I practised five days a week and played matches the other two. The sport gave me so much joy and focus. To actually attend a Grand Slam with my mom, who passed on her love of tennis to me, was one of the best moments of my life.
I was told that the AO is the best tournament for fans and I found this to be completely true. While friends who had attended Wimbledon complained of hours-long lines, the AO was a well-oiled machine. Lines moved quickly, security was professional, there was an abundance of friendly “Ask Me” tournament staff, and fans were looked after. The food, while pricey, was much better than food I had eaten at the ASB Classic tournament in Auckland. During our stay, however, there was a serious heat wave and temperatures soared to a sizzling 41 degrees Celsius. Not even a frosé and shade could help us in those conditions, and one day we had no other option but to leave the grounds or suffocate. I am still shocked that none of the athletes passed out on the courts where the temperature was even hotter still.
The slight sunburn was all worth it. I could not stop looking around Rod Laver Arena in awe, wondering if I was hallucinating. It was amazing to see major tennis stars I had watched for years in person. All in one day, I got to see living legends Novak Djokovic and Andre Agassi practise a few meters from me, and then the real surprise was when Rafael Nadal (one of my favourite men’s tennis players of all time, second only to Roger Federer) was scheduled to play on a court that I had front row tickets to! I was so close I could see the sweat dripping off the formidable King of Clay. It was one of those moments you wish you could freeze forever. There were plenty of other stars I would have loved to see, like Serena Williams or Angelique Kerber, but, honestly, I was just happy to be there no matter which players I got to see. There really is nothing like the thrilling atmosphere of watching your favourite sport live.
Something that absolutely made my trip was Grigor Dimitrov (at the time, the #3 ranked player in the tournament) signing my giant tennis ball. It takes a lot of luck to get a ball signed and some people make that their only mission at the AO, but I think that is stressful and takes away from the fun of the tournament. You have to be in the right place at the right time, beat the crowds and even then any player you find has to have time to sign things for fans and be feeling generous. Some players don’t sign anything or interact with fans at all. Not so with Grigor. He impressed me because even though he had played a long match the night before and must have been exhausted, he spent ages taking photos with fans and trying to sign as many things as possible. Thank you for being such a star, Grigor. This fan will treasure that ball forever.
In between tennis, we also took advantage of all the art, culture and food that Melbourne had to offer. Melbourne is such a beautiful city, with something new to experience every day. In contrast to Sydney where the city is so spread out, in Melbourne everything is central and within walking distance. I love that you can turn a different corner than the day before and stumble upon a new arcade full of shops or a lane lined with a dozen new eateries to sample. I found the quality of food and coffee in Melbourne’s eateries to be very high, and was especially grateful for a decent hit of caffeine after a long flight and the expensive sewer water that passes for coffee in Auckland’s airport. However, I must admit I was disappointed in the food at the Queen Victoria night market, which was overpriced and mediocre.
However, the cost of food at the night market was an exception. It probably should not shock me anymore that everywhere else I travel is much cheaper in most respects than New Zealand, but being confronted with the fact that I am subject to daylight robbery on a regular basis in the country I live in still grates me. For example, I found that the cosmetics I use are on average about $30 cheaper than in New Zealand. Needless to say, I did a fair amount of shopping.
Apart from the shopping, I was absolutely blown away by all the art in Melbourne. During the day I explored the graffiti lanes and museums, while at night I watched the best modern musical I have ever seen – The Book of Mormon – at the Princess Theatre. The National Gallery of Victoria was having its Triennial and every floor was packed with jaw-dropping exhibits from dozens of international artists. I particularly loved “Flower Obsession” by Yayoi Kusama featuring rooms obliterated by red blossoms, Pae White’s rainbow-coloured threads in geometric shapes and patterns, and Uki Handoko Eko Saputro’s Javanese mythology meets pop culture art. Being a massive fan since I was a child, I was also excited to see the Wallace and Gromit exhibit at the ACMI, which contained amazingly detailed and hand-made scenes from the clay animation show. While I did enjoy the street art in Melbourne, a lot of it seemed to be tagging rather than actual murals and I personally prefer the street art in cities such as San Francisco and Cape Town.
I really loved my time in Melbourne and without doubt it is a place I would gladly live in. It is a modern cosmopolitan city where international flavours and art reside in beautiful old buildings criss-crossed by bustling tramlines.
Game, set and match, Melbourne. You won a new fan.
All photos are copyright to Storme Sen
