Is gramps still telling stories about following The Grateful Dead concerts around the country?
You’ll one-up him someday when you tell your own story of how you followed your fave tennis stars around the globe during the Grand Slam tournaments, also called the Majors.
These are the four most important annual tennis events. Here’s how your epic tale of the four famous courts might go. You might also want to catch up on these top tennis academies where most of the tennis champions have trained or taught.
The Australian Open
It was sometime in mid-January, about the last fortnight of January in Melbourne, Australia and excitement was in the air as the first of the four majors was about to begin.
This Grand Slam tennis tournament is played on outdoor hard courts and takes place in the beautiful environment of Melbourne Park.
With tickets in hand, we were still recovering from a great night on the town, knowing that Melbourne Park was just minutes by foot or water taxi from the center of town. By the way, much easier than scoring Super Bowl tickets.
We opted to jetsetty in luxury so we booked our room at The Sofitel. The accommodation was so elegant with all the French-inspired decor.
We’re also serious foodies, so the hotel’s location at the top of Collins Street put us in a great spot to try out some of Melbourne’s best restaurants, like Cumulus Inc and Mamasita.
The French Open
Ahh, Paris in the springtime. It’s the end of May and we already took care of our ticketing options.
To get closer to the players, we bought a grounds pass, so we could access all but the three main stadiums. So we are good to go!
The French Open, or Championnats Internationaux de France de Tennis as our Parisian friends say, is officially called Roland-Garros, named after a famous French aviator.
This tournament is held at the Stade Roland-Garros in Paris and played on a red clay court which is actually crushed brick.
The French Open is currently the only Grand Slam event held on clay, and it is the zenith of the spring clay court season.
Because of the seven rounds needed for a championship, the slow-playing surface is widely considered to be the most physically demanding tennis tournament in the world.
But that’s another story, and we don’t like to ramble on like gramps.
Continuing our Grand Slam splurge, we stayed at the super-luxe Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme.
We love old historic buildings and Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme is one of the most luxurious hotels in Paris. This beautiful hotel is located near Place Vendôme and Palais Garnier in the heart of the city.
This tournament is held at the Stade Roland-Garros in Paris and the red clay court is actually crushed brick.
Wimbledon
London calling! Time flies and it’s already late June. We love the Wimbledon traditions like the strict all-white dress code for competitors and royal patronage, and this Grand Slam tennis tourney is played on a grass court.
Tempers seem to flair most at Wimbledon with the pros, and we’re guessing the tennis chair umps draw straws to see who gets to take the brunt of the abuse.
Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is regarded by many as the most prestigious. That’s why we had to score our tickets through the public ballot.
The Wimbledon Public Ballot, first launched in 1924, is intended to be the fairest means of obtaining tickets for The Championships.
Entry into the Ballot didn’t automatically entitle us to tickets but to a place in the draw.
It’s not possible to request tickets for specific days or courts, as the day and court offered are chosen randomly by a computerized selection process.
Our fate was left to the robots, but humankind persevered. Sometimes robots are just a bad idea like this velociraptor that checks you out at this hotel in Japan.
Deciding to mix it up a bit, we decided to Airbnb it this time around. looking around Southwest London, we found a quaint vintage Victorian with a touch of glam Near Wimbledon Park.
The homey stay gave us three bright bedrooms and one full bathroom, along with a bonus office with workspace and sleeper sofa. Best of all we were just minutes from Wimbledon.
The U.S. Open
This final Grand Slam tennis match called the US Open starts on the last Monday of August and finally, we’re working in some domestic air miles. New York, here we come!
The United States Open Tennis Championships is a hard-court tennis tournament and consists of five primary championships: men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles, and mixed doubles.
The tournament also includes events for senior, junior, and wheelchair players. Maintaining the “Game of Lords” status, they require a strict code of conduct stating shirts and footwear are required to be worn at all times.
Along with that, you must refrain from the use of foul, abusive, offensive, or inappropriate language or gestures that create a disruptive atmosphere. That’s reserved for the players.
We decided to pass on the luxury suites and private lounge at the Arthur Ashe Stadium since we wanted to do a little of the New York thing- may catch a show on Broadway.
Since the U.S. Open takes place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Player in Queens, Queens it is.
The New York LaGuardia Airport Marriott has been a top choice for tennis players and TV crews covering the U.S. Open for years so that works just fine.
The hotel is across the street from LaGuardia Airport and offers a quick shuttle to the U.S. Open and Arthur Ashe Stadium. They have quality rooms and the service is superior with prices cheaper than Manhattan. Hey, we’re running low on cash!
