Apia International Sydney 2014

Overview

Watching a tennis match live is a world away from that tiny ping-pong game you see on TV. As David Foster Wallace wrote in his New York Times essay 'Federer as Religious Experience', "TV tennis is to live tennis pretty much as video porn is to the felt reality of human love." From even the back rows of the stadium, but especially courtside, you can see the true speed of that scary-fast ball and appreciate the real technique, tenacity and grace of the players as they stretch out to meet it. The modern tennis game is breakneck.

But that's just on the court. If you're more aesthete than athlete, a tournament like the Apia International Sydney is the perfect opportunity to wear white cotton and plimsolls, grab some strawberries and cream from the stand, and imagine you're part of Rene Lacoste's personal entourage at Wimbledons past.

A single session ticket gets you either a day or a night at the Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre, where you can hop between the Ken Rosewall Arena court with its star players, the outer courts with their more intimate set-ups, and the activity marquees around the grounds. Or, if you take the casual premium hospitality option, a fully stocked esky means you never have to leave your seat at all.

Confirmed for the 2013 tournament are current world no.5 Juan Martin del Potro, former no.1 Caroline Wozniacki, 2011 Wimbledon champ Petra Kvitova and Aussie talent/annoyance Bernard Tomic. It's their last stop before the Australian Open in late January, so they'll really want to go out of this one on a high.

Image: Victoria Azarenka at the Apia International Sydney, Thursday January 12, 2012. Photo by Murray Wilkinson (SMP Images).