Australia He is in charge of opening the tennis season each year with a flourish. The men’s (ATP) and women’s (WTA) branches come together in the Australian Openfirst Grand Slam, with a guarantee not only of good games, but also of economic impact.
According to government reports from both the state of Victoria and Australia, the Australian Open is the event with the greatest economic impact in its region, above others such as the Formula 1 Grand Prix or Vivid Sidney, which is a popular music festival.
The most recent edition of Australian Open (2024) left a economic impact close to 328 million dollarsa record figure that has grown by almost 300% in less than two decades. As a curious fact, it exceeds the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of countries such as Portugal, Greece and Qatar in 2024, according to the International Monetary Fund table last October.
“Beyond the significant economic benefits, the Australian Open showcases Melbourne and Victoria to billions of people around the world, inspiring more people to visit our vibrant city and state and further driving our economic growth,” highlighted the director. of the tournament, Craig Tiley, at the end of the 2024 edition.
He revealed that the attendance record that year was 1.11 million attendees between the qualifying and main draw days.
In economic comparison, the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix in 2024 left an impact close to 72 million dollars, that is, just 22% of what the Australian Open left, although clarifying that the motorsports event is three days and tennis is more than two weeks.
After the 2024 edition, Nielsen Sports revealed that the Australian Open has contributed just over $1.93 billion to the economy of the state of Victoria, which has more than 6.5 million inhabitants and whose capital is Melbourne, where the headquarters of the tournament is located. Tennis Grand Slam, Melbourne Park. The main court, Rod Laver Arena, has a capacity of 15,000.
According to Nielsen data, the economic impact of the Australian Open has grown by more than 300% in the last 15 years, going from 98 million dollars in 2010 to 327.75 million in 2024. The expectation is to exceed that figure in 2025.
“Victoria is the capital of major events and sports (in Australia), and this data demonstrates the value that the Australian Open brings in attracting visitors from all over to the heart of Melbourne and, at the same time, showcasing Melbourne to the world,” he highlighted. Steve Dimopoulos, Minister of Tourism, Sports and Major Events of the state of Victoria.
In 2025 the 113th edition in the history of the Australian Open will be held, although it was in 1924 when it received endorsement as grand slam by the international tennis federations. That is why 2024 marked a special moment in his career.
However, there was also a controversy, since media such as The Australian Financial Review and The Age revealed that there was a write-off of $100 million to Tennis Australia, the organization that organizes the Australian Open, following a loan of that amount made by the former Premier of Victoria, Daniel Andrews, during the most critical years of the covid pandemic.
Jacinta Allan, current Prime Minister of Victoria, and Craig Tiley, director of the Australian Open, argued that it was a “responsible” contribution by the state government, thinking that it is an event that generates “much more” in revenue.
The state of Victoria is guaranteed a strong long-term economic benefit, since at the end of last year it became official that the city of Melbourne will remain the host of the Australian Open, at least until 2046.
“The Labor Government has ensured the Australian Open will be held in Melbourne until 2046 and invested almost a billion dollars in the redevelopment of Melbourne Park, thereby ensuring that this iconic international event and world-class venue can continue to attract hundreds of thousands of visitors to Victoria each year,” the State stipulated in a statement.
Economic impact of the Australian Open*
2024 – 327.7 million dollars (American)
2023 – 230.6
2022 – 164.2
2021 – 84.8
2020 – 238.2
2019 – 213.3
2018 – 180.2
*The original figures are in Australian dollars and those shown in this table correspond to an approximation to US dollars at the current exchange rate.
Source: Australian Open with report from Nielsen Sports.
