This video “Rod Laver leaves his mark on 1573 Arena | Australian Open 2019” was posted by Australian Open TV.
“Rod Laver leaves his mark on 1573 Arena”
Australian Open Official YouTube Channel
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What is the 1573 Arena?
Show Court 2 at Melbourne, home of the Australian Open, is known as 1573 Arena for sponsorship reasons. The court is the equal-fifth largest tennis court at Melbourne Park, in Melbourne, Australia, the venue of the Australian Open.
Show Court 2 was constructed along with the rest of the original Melbourne Park precinct in 1987, debuting at the 1988 Australian Open.
The court has always been available on a walk-up basis for spectators at the Australian Open with a ground pass.
It is located to the immediate west of Margaret Court Arena. The court has no roof, but includes seating and shaded areas, and is usually heavily populated in the first week of the Australian Open for outside matches.
Why is Show Court 2 Called “1573 Arena”?
For the 2019 Australian Open and onwards, it was renamed 1573 Arena for commercial purposes, after Chinese distillery Luzhou Laojiao, producer of a baijiu labelled Guojiao 1573, made a five-year sponsorship deal with Tennis Australia, which also featured corner signage on both Margaret Court and Rod Laver Arena.
The deal is speculated to be almost as expensive as Kia’s major partnership deal with the Australian Open. The court has a permanent capacity of 3,000 people.
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