Australian Open To Enhance Its Image As The Asia-Pacific Grand Slam Event
Australian Open To Enhance Its Image As The Asia-Pacific Grand Slam Event | 
The Australian Open has made a move to strengthen its hand in the lucrative Asian tennis market by staging a series of wild card playoff matches straight in the heart of China, the world’s current economic cash cow.
And in a subtle bit of complex cross-marketing, the initiative will be bankrolled by Melbourne’s huge Crown casino complex, which would certainly love to poach some of the Asian big bettors who currently roll the dice in Macau and Singapore.
The importance of the initiative was shown by the traveling delegation, which included Victorian state premier Ted Baillieu. He was joined by China’s WTA tennis heroine Li Na, 2011 French Open winner and first from her nation to win a Grand Slam singles title.
Winners of the Asian men’s and women’s events will earn wildcards into the 2013 Open in January, using the format by which Australian hopefuls go through December playoffs in Melbourne for a similar reward.
The event has been trying for years to re-brand itself as the region-friendly Grand Slam of the Asia-Pacific with limited success. With casino money and state support at the ready, the latest iteration of a plan might have a fighting chance of success.
“I’m delighted to announce the first Asia-Pacific Wildcard Play-off for Australian Open 2013 will take place in Nanjing, China, in October,” said Baillieu.
“Melbourne boasts a world class events calendar and the Australian Open, Grand Slam of Asia-Pacific, is one of Victoria’s, and indeed Australia’s, most successful events and attracts thousands of visitors from Asia each year. The success of China’s home-grown champion, Li, continues to build interest and excitement for both the sport and the tournament.”
The Open will also reach out to Chinese kids, announcing a program with the upcoming China Open in Beijing to select six Chinese ballkids to work at the Open,
“We appreciate the support of the Victorian government, not only for their assistance in promoting the event internationally, but for their long term commitment to upgrading our home at Melbourne Park. The current $363 million redevelopment project will see the Australian Open lead the world in Grand Slam facilities, with three stadium courts featuring retractable roofs by 2015.
With heavy pressure starting to build from ATP players to receive more than their current share (in the teens in terms of gross percentage) of lucrative and growing intake from the event, the Open is keen to build cash flow. And the Asian market remains the key to the future in the region, even in the face of a slow meltdown of Australia’s mineral and mining sales to China.
Officials say that Asian visitors to the tournament have grown by 400 percent over the past eight years and a 30 percent increase in ticket swales form the region.
“More than half the Australian Open’s global media value is now generated from the Asia-Pacific region and new broadcast deals include access to an additional 65 million homes,” said Open CEO Steve Woods.
“When Li Na made her historic run to the final in 2011 we achieved the highest ever broadcast exposure throughout Asia, and China in particular, with 135 million tuning in across the region.”
As part of the package, China’s wild card winners will get rooms in the five-star Crown hotel complex on Melbourne’s Southbank riverside, the VIP venue preferred by the likes of World No. 1 Roger Federer,, Maria Sharapova and others in the world tennis elite
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