Australian Open announces 700 extra seats and day-pass cap for 2027

The Australian Open will add 700 seats and increase shade for spectators in 2027, with new Tennis Australia chief executive Andrew Abdo planning to cap day-pass sales to ease crowding. According to the Guardian's reporting from Thursday's tournament launch in Melbourne, the measures are intended to improve visitor comfort as organisers respond to growing demand and queues for courts.

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A temporary grandstand on court six will provide the additional seats and will be the largest temporary stand built at Melbourne Park. Abdo also promised three times as much shade for fans. Grand Slam Oval is set to gain a two-storey structure around its shaded lawn, adding another change to the precinct alongside the expansion of seating on an outer court.

The announcement follows sales of more than 1.3 million tickets for the 2026 tournament, an increase of more than 100,000 compared with the previous year. The Guardian reported that long waits to enter courts have become common, particularly at weekends. Abdo acknowledged that space is a constraint and said organisers must balance selling tickets with ensuring spectators can access the tennis they have come to watch.

Abdo said Tennis Australia wants to keep working with the government to expand the available space, with the aim of avoiding crowd caps in future. For now, he described limiting admissions as an important part of keeping queues manageable and protecting the experience inside the venue. His comments tied the proposed sales restrictions to access and comfort, even as he continued to emphasise growth for the event.

The former NRL chief executive has also appointed himself Australian Open tournament director, combining that position with the chief executive role as his predecessor Craig Tiley did. Defending his background, Abdo said his experience leading in sport and working with skilled staff would help him bring new ideas to tennis administration.

His opening period in the job has included debate over match length. At last month's SportNXT conference, Abdo raised the possibility of shortening men's grand slam matches from the best-of-five format. After criticism, Australian Open social media accounts said five-set tennis would remain. Thursday's launch set out venue and crowd-management changes for 2027 rather than announcing a change to that format.