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How the Australian Open became the tennis Silicon Valley, from roofs to party courts

Published

1 year ago

January 28, 2025

How the Australian Open became the tennis Silicon Valley, from roofs to party courts

MELBOURNE, Australia — There are plenty of reasons to travel to Melbourne for the Australian Open each January, especially from a winter climate.

It’s sunny, it’s warm and Aussies at Melbourne Park are good with beer at noon and banter all day. Roger Federer had it about right when he nicknamed this event the “happy slam”.

The Australian Open also doesn’t treat tennis like a fragile museum piece, never to be touched or tweaked because ‘that’s not the way it’s done’, or one of those other haughty phrases the guardians of the game use to rationalize their stodginess.

This is the signal Grand Slam: the event that starts each season and offers a window into where tennis is headed with remarkable and deliberate regularity, all on the north bank of the Yarra River. Retractable roofs; 10-point deciding tiebreaks; cameras in the player tunnels and glitching cartoon tennis stars: it all debuted here. What California is to America, Australia has often been for tennis — the lab where new stuff goes for a test drive before being pushed out in so many other places.

“We’ve always tried to keep pushing the business,” said Machar Reid, the head of innovation for Tennis Australia, in an interview in Melbourne.

This year’s innovations have been especially visible. Coaches are sitting in pods on the three main courts with tablet computers packed with live stats, rather than in a box above the court and in the stands, where they had to lean over to chat with players craning their necks and cupping their ears to hear a potential gem among the noise.

Carlos Alcaraz talks with his coaching team during his fourth-round match against Jack Draper. (Clive Brunskill / Getty Images)

Even players who were against allowing any coaching, who really hated having a rule against coaching when it was happening match in, match out, have got on board.

“I always thought tennis is an individual sport where you kind of have to figure things out on your own in a way,” said Alexander Zverev, world No. 2.

“If tennis is going that way, then it should go that way to 100 percent.”

Novak Djokovic and his coach Andy Murray are having a face-to-face chat between sets. Iga Swiatek and her coach Wim Fissette are trading words between points. That kind of closeness is natural for a tournament that turned its underbelly — the tunnels under Melbourne Park that house the player areas and allow the best in the world to move freely and privately between the gym, the lounge, and their matches, bumping fists and talking shop as they go — into one large Big Brother live feed.

It’s probably a safe bet this is all coming soon to a tournament near you. Maybe not the Big Brother.

GO DEEPER

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The AO, as it calls itself (a little less grand than Wimbledon’s “The Championships”) was the first Grand Slam to have one retractable roof, then two, then three. It was the first to bring cameras into the bowels of the stadium, following players as they walked to the court through that fancy tunnel with all the photos and names of past champions.

The net camera first became a main staple here, according to organizers. It had the first heat scale, and the first air quality scale.

The U.S. Open fashions itself as a food and style and tennis technology hotbed. Tennis Australia has gotten some heat for that this year, as the tournament, along with some other Grand Slams have done away with the electronic let sensor. The chair umpire makes the call based on whether they hear the ball tick the net, a system tournament officials insist is reliable.

Players don’t agree. Zverev called it “quite ridiculous”.

“Every single corner of everything has a camera. We have video review and all the high-end technologies that we can possibly have. But a simple let machine that we’ve been using for the past 25 years is not available at a Grand Slam.”

Chances are, most spectators don’t pay it any mind. At the Australian Open, fans come for the tennis, but stay for the music festival.

All afternoon and into the evening, there are guitarists and singers performing in the main plaza between the courts, where fans take a break from the matches — if they ever make it to them in the first place. Those couches and pillows strewn across the shaded, artificial grass where the music plays make for an awfully pleasant spot to spend an evening sipping lager and whiskey.

Tennis fans enjoy the ‘Finals Festival’ at the Australian Open in 2023. (Kim Landy / Getty Images)

Last year, the tournament introduced innovations — by tennis standards — that have been long overdue.

Ushers began letting people take their seats between every game, rather than having to wait for a changeover, the old rule penalizing fans for going to the toilet, making them potentially miss 20 minutes of action. Players were caught slightly off-guard on the first day, but quickly got used to it and the change has spread elsewhere, especially in the higher sections of stadiums.

“We have been a little bit behind the other sports with changes and trying to keep the pace with the evolution of society and the new generation that we all know doesn’t have that much of a great attention span, and they want the movement,” Djokovic said Thursday night, after his third-round win over Tomas Machac. “That’s one of the ways to really try to open up a bit more and not have strict rules.”

There was another change — a bar and cafe next to a court instead of a bank of stands, with music and no limitations on noise during play. Last year, there was one. This year there is another. And just like that, taking a child to a tennis match, or catching up with a friend a few feet away from the action, becomes doable. Watching tennis no longer feels like the punishment your parents hand down when you misbehave: sit still and be quiet for the next three hours!

On the afternoon of the first Saturday, Rachel and Miki Petrovic, who were on their annual trip to the Australian Open from their home in Serbia, took in an otherwise forgettable doubles match over a beer as their seven-week-old infant, Violetta, rested beside them in a stroller.

“I have a baby,” Rachel told The Athletic. “Here I don’t have to worry about being annoying.”

A few feet away, Andrew Matthews and Danny Sincic, longtime Melbournians and attendees but first-time party-court visitors were enjoying a ginger beer and an IPA.

“Never been to anything like this,” Sincic said. “Makes it feel a bit more social than having to sit in the stadium without talking.”

“I don’t know how the players feel, but it’s good for us,” Matthews said.

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The players are basically fine with it. At this point, they know that when they play tennis in Melbourne Park, it might feel like a rugby match — especially if they play an Aussie. Chair umpires and stadium officials will attempt to keep the hometown faithful in line, but they don’t try that hard.

After all, that would rob the tournament of its more moments, such as Danielle Collins’ second-round win over home favorite Destanee Aiava. After enduring more than two hours of harassment from the Australian fans, Collins blew kisses to the crowd and thanked them in her on-court interview for helping her land a “big fat pay check”.

Djokovic, who ends up trolling crowds more often than anyone, gave Collins his full backing.

“Big fan of Danielle Collins,” he said the Thursday night after Collins’ interview. “We should try to look to connect more with the younger people and bring them. I want to see a little bit more entertainment.”

He has thoughts, including on-court dancers during changeovers or some version of a Super Bowl half-time show mid-match. Coco Gauff points out that in a sport with one-minute changeovers, it doesn’t really work. Maybe, somewhere in Melbourne, it’s already been noted on a whiteboard.

(Top photo: Brett Price / VWPics via Associated Press)

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2026 World Cup Odds: How Far Can Mexico Go After Winning Group A?

Published

3 hours ago

June 19, 2026

Press Room

2026 World Cup Odds: How Far Can Mexico Go After Winning Group A?

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After its massive 1-0 win over South Korea on Thursday night, Mexico has won Group A and officially clinched a spot in the knockout round.

El Tri will play its Round of 32 game in Mexico City, and will face the third-place finisher in either Group C/E/F/H/I.

This is the fourth time that Mexico has topped the group stage of a World Cup, with the other three coming in 1986, 1994 and 2002.

With the win, Mexico remains unbeaten in World Cup group games at home, going a combined 6-2-0 (W-D-L), with two wins and a draw in 1970 and 1986, and now two wins in 2026.

Before the tournament began, Mexico was listed at +6500 to win the World Cup. Now, after winning its first two games of the tournament, Mexico has surged up the oddsboard to +5000.

Can Mexico build off its first two matches and make a deep run in this tournament? Let’s check out the updated odds for El Tri as of June 19.

This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.

Team Mexico — Stage of Elimination

Last 32: +125 (bet $10 to win $22.50 total)
Last 16: +135 (bet $10 to win $23.50 total)
Quarterfinals: +600 (bet $10 to win $70 total)
Semifinals: +1600 (bet $10 to win $170 total)
Runner-up: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)
Outright winner: +5000 (bet $10 to win $510 total)

Mexico is currently +5000 to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup after winning Group A (Getty Images).

Mexico’s Past World Cup Results:

1930: Group stage
1934: Did not qualify
1938: Withdrew
1950: Group stage
1954: Group stage
1958: Group stage
1962: Group stage
1966: Group stage
1970: Quarterfinals
1974: Did not qualify
1978: Group stage
1982: Did not qualify
1986: Quarterfinals
1990: Banned
1994: Round of 16
1998: Round of 16
2002: Round of 16
2006: Round of 16
2010: Round of 16
2014: Round of 16
2018: Round of 16
2022: Group stage
2026: TBD

What to know: Mexico has made a habit of being in the running, but never really being in the running. Make sense? Consider this: El Tri made it out of the group stage in seven consecutive World Cups (1994-2018), but never made it past the Round of 16 in any of those years. In 2022, Mexico failed to make it out of the group stage, and it will look to get back to its winning ways in 2026 after a great start to the tournament. With its win Thursday night, Mexico has now advanced to the knockout stage in eight of the last nine World Cups. It is important to note, however, that Mexico has never made it past the quarterfinals at a FIFA men’s World Cup.

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Goalkeeper Raúl Rangel’s elite play and South Korea’s mistake help Mexico advance

Published

4 hours ago

June 19, 2026

Press Room

Goalkeeper Raúl Rangel’s elite play and South Korea’s mistake help Mexico advance

GUADALAJARA, Mexico — Three and a half years after its biggest failure on the World Cup stage in half a century, the Mexican national team needed only two games to advance to the knockout round of this year’s tournament as winner of Group A.

Mexico’s defense held off a spirited final push by South Korea, earning a 1-0 win on Thursday night at Guadalajara Stadium in front of a fiery announced sellout crowd of 45,522.

“It was a very tough game,” Mexico coach Javier Aguirre said.

Goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu made a mistake in the 50th minute, failing to stop what appeared to be a simple cross and bobbling the ball. That allowed Mexico’s Luis Romo to easily tap the ball into the net and claim a 1-0 lead.

“In the end, a mistake was going to tip the scales,” Aguirre said.

Mexico goalkeeper Raúl Rangel blocks a shot from South Korea’s Son Heung-min during their World Cup match at Guadalajara Stadium on Thursday.

(Natacha Pisarenko / Ap Photo/natacha Pisarenko)

“You always want to be there; I felt it, and I got the chance,” said Romo, who started the game after starting the opener on the bench — a strategic change by the Mexican coach that paid off.

South Korea put pressure on the Mexican team throughout the game. Late in the scoreless first half, Jae-sung Lee came close to giving South Korea the lead. Aguirre hoped his team would shake off nerves following the emotional opener at Azteca Stadium and show more bite in its second game against South Korea, but his team didn’t have much power behind its attack during the game’s first 45 minutes.

The crowd in Guadalajara grew frustrated and began booing the Mexican national team’s performance at the end of the first half.

Mexico, however, won back their cheers when it capitalized on South Korea’s costly mistake and converted it into a goal.

Obed Vargas replaced Romo in the 71st minute and was close to scoring a spectacular goal if not for Seung-gyu’s save.

El Tri earned a win without any other goals thanks, in part, to a great night by goalkeeper Raúl Rangel, who stopped a header by Cho Gue-sung in the 87th minute. Captain Edson Álvarez helped turn away South Korea’s attack late, holding up relatively well despite having left ankle surgery during the past year.

“It was just a reflex,” said Rangel, whose club team Chivas plays at at Guadalajara Stadium. “I was very focused and stepped up when the team needed me, and I’m happy about that.”

LAFC star and South Korea captain Son Heung-min fired one shot over Mexico’s goalkeeper in the first half, but Álvarez cleared it off the line before the referee ruled Son was offsides.

South Korea finished controlling possession 58% of the time, but it only earned two shots on target.

“It wasn’t a good game because they didn’t let us do much,” Aguirre said.

Mexico was coming off a comfortable 2-0 victory over South Africa, while the South Koreans had defeated the Czech Republic 2-1, marking their first World Cup opening-match win since 2010.

During the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Mexico was eliminated in the group stage for the first time since 1978, breaking a streak of seven consecutive appearances in the knockout rounds. However, playing on home soil, the team’s goal is to emulate El Tri’s achievements in 1970 and 1986, when they reached the quarterfinals — the country’s best World Cup finish.

Due to the new 48-team format, Mexico would need to win two knockout-round matches and reach a sixth game to realize its goals.

“We’re taking it one step at a time; first, there’s the third game,” Romo said.

Mexico's Luis Romo celebrates with his teammates after scoring during a match against South Korea at Guadalajara Stadium

After the win over South Korea, Mexico will close out group play against Czechia at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City on Wednesday. El Tri will get to play the first two games of the knockout round — should it win the first one — at Azteca Stadium, a venue where it has never lost a World Cup game.

South Korea has four points and will be favored when it plays South Africa Wednesday in Monterrey. If South Korea wins the match, it would be the Group A runner-up and advance to play the Group B runner-up on June 28 at SoFi Stadium.

“We want all nine points,” Vargas said of Mexico’s goal entering its next game against Czechia.

Sports

2026 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot Race Tracker: Lionel Messi Is Alone At The Top

Published

14 hours ago

June 18, 2026

Press Room

2026 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot Race Tracker: Lionel Messi Is Alone At The Top

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Who’ll win the Golden Boot at the 2026 FIFA World Cup? The race is on for who’ll score the most goals at the tournament, and it is set to be one of the tournament’s most closely watched storylines.

Several of the world’s top forwards will be aiming to finish as the competition’s leading goalscorer. Kylian Mbappé enters the tournament after winning the Golden Boot at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, while Harry Kane, Erling Haaland, Lionel Messi, and Mikel Oyarzabal are among the other players expected to challenge for the award.

And check out our list of all the 2026 World Cup goals, ranked!

Favorites To Win The Golden Boot

Harry Kane: +310 (bet $10 to win $41 total)
Lionel Messi: +350 (bet $10 to win $45 total)
Kylian Mbappé: +350 (bet $10 to win $45 total)
Erling Haaland: +1000 (bet $10 to win $110 total)
Kai Havertz: +1300 (bet $10 to win $140 total)
Vinícius Júnior: +3300 (bet $10 to win $340 total)
Folarin Balogun: +3500 (bet $10 to win $360 total)
Mikel Oyarzabal: +3500 (bet $10 to win $360 total)
Lamine Yamal: +3500 (bet $10 to win $360 total)
Raphinha: +4500 (bet $10 to win $460 total)
Michael Olise: +4500 (bet $10 to win $460 total)
Romelu Lukaku: +4500 (bet $10 to win $460 total)
Viktor Gyökeres: +4500 (bet $10 to win $460 total)
Cody Gakpo: +5500 (bet $10 to win $560 total)
Cristiano Ronaldo: +5500 (bet $10 to win $560 total)

3 Goals

Lionel Messi (Argentina)

2 Goals

Johan Manzambi (Switzerland)
Harry Kane (England)
Erling Haaland (Norway)
Kylian Mbappé (France)
Harry Kane (England)
Elijah Just (New Zealand)
Yasin Ayari (Sweden)
Kai Havertz (Germany)
Folarin Balogun (USA)

1 Goal

Granit Xhaka (Switzerland)
Rubén Vargas (Switzerland)
Ermin Mahmic (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Michal Sadilek (Czechia)
Teboho Mokoena (South Africa)
Jáminton Campaz (Colombia)
Luis Díaz (Colombia)
Daniel Muñoz (Colombia)
Abbosbek Fayzullaev (Uzbekistan)
Caleb Yirenkyi (Ghana)
Jude Bellingham (England)
Marcus Rashford (England)
Martin Baturina (Croatia)
Petar Musa (Croatia)
Yoane Wissa (DR Congo)
João Neves (Portugal)
Marko Arnautović (Austria)
Jude Bellingham (England)
Marcus Rashford (England)
Yoane Wissa (DR Congo)
João Neves (Portugal)
Caleb Yirenkyi (Ghana)
Ali Olwan (Jordan)
Romano Schmid (Austria)
Leo Østigard (Norway)
Ayman Hussein (Iraq)
Ibrahim Mbaye (Senegal)
Bradley Barcola (France)
Ramin Rezaeian (Iran)
Mohammad Mohebbi (Iran)
Maxi Araújo (Uruguay)
Abdulelah Al-Amri (Saudi Arabia)
Emam Ashour (Egypt)
Alexander Isak (Sweden)
Viktor Gyökeres (Sweden)
Mattias Svanberg (Sweden)
Omar Rekik (Tunisia)
Amad Diallo (Ivory Coast)
Keito Nakamura (Japan)
Daichi Kamada (Japan)
Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands)
Crysencio Summerville (Netherlands)
Felix Nmecha (Germany)
Nico Schlotterbeck (Germany)
Jamal Musiala (Germany)
Nathaniel Brown (Germany)
Deniz Undav (Germany)
Connor Metcalfe (Australia)
Nestory Irankunda (Australia)
John McGinn (Scotland)
Ismael Saibari (Morocco)
Vinícius Júnior (Brazil)
Breel Embolo (Switzerland)
Gio Reyna (USA)
Mauricio (Paraguay)
Cyle Larin (Canada)
Jovo Lukić (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Ladislav Krejcí (Czechia)
Julián Quiñones (Mexico)
Raúl Jimenez (Mexico)
Hwang In-Beom (South Korea)
Oh Hyeon-Gyu (South Korea)