Sydney struggles

It's such a struggle to think of a post title! Yesterday was my last day attending the Apia International. It is sad to see how empty the stands are. The event is struggling financially in stark contrast to Brisbane having Roger Federer and sell-outs for every session.

A lack of the big name players and the overcast weather may have been contributing factors. The decision to not sell grounds passes, the scheduling of matches and allocations of courts have been questionable. With the expensive tickets today it is no surprise that the stands look so empty, more so than previous years. Even a big tennis fan like myself aren't there for the rest of the week because it's not worth it compared to the value of the Australian Open. Now I'm at home watching Kooyong on tv. Sydney's biggest drawcard Del Potro is now playing in Sydney and they aren't even broadcasting his match entirely - switching between Kooyong and Sydney. I hope they bring back grounds passes and do other things in the next few years to rescue the tournament and get more people through the gates.

At the Kerber/Kanepi match on Court 6 the stands were completely full for the 11am start. Again, I have no idea why they didn't begin play on KRA until 12pm. What is the logic behind that? Well anyways after a point I see the umpire walk over to the other side of the court towards a old lady in the crowd who had slumped over in her seat. It was quite scary, my first thought was that she was dead. Some people looked away, including the players. I shocked but I watched as some people from the crowd laid her on the ground. Luckily the WTA trainer was at the match and she came over. I can't imagine what her husband was feeling. Some people were trying to squeeze past to leave which was extremely rude of them. After a few minutes the medics came and the lady was ok.

Then I left to go to the first set of Mahut v Harrison before going to centre court. Inside KRA saw the win from Mattek-Sands over Aga. A surprising upset but from the look of things it was not the same Aga. I think she was carrying an injury. Another pity for the tournament with the top seed and defending champion losing her first match. The match was followed by a comfortable win for Kvitova over McHale.

At the practice courts I watched Eugenie Bouchard practicing for a bit. Huber was coaching some kids. She was great at it, very cheery and gave them so good advice on basics. Then she was telling them they can do what they want to do and all they need is to work hard. 10,000 hours of practice. They can become professional tennis players or a ballerina haha! The clinic was sponsored by Usana so she told the 12 year olds to take Usana supplements.

Next was Lucie v Wozniacki on the Grandstand. A close contest with Lucie winning in straight sets. I went back inside KRA a little during the Tomic match. Surprisingly a lot of people were still around at that time. Then left for the Davis/Errani match was competitive in the first set. Two diminutive players having long rallies and making it to the drop shots. Errani won in straight sets.

I can't wait for the main draw to come out on Friday. I'm flying to Melbourne early Sunday morning, fingers crossed my sunburn would be healed by then! It is going to be hot there. Until then, ciao.