AO Gallery: Randomness Down Under

From stadium shots to crowds to those little yellow things the players keep hitting across the net, we wrap up our look back at the Australian Open right here with a few more photos.

Published Feburary 08, 2013 12:00

All week wtatennis.com has been bringing you leftovers from Melbourne - here are a few more...

Wilson supplies more than 4000 dozen tennis balls for use during the Australian Open fortnight.

Six new balls are used for the warm-up and seven games, then six new ones every nine games after.

As Maria Sharapova says, you never know who will win - there's a reason the nets go up each day.

And all of those aforementioned 4000 dozen tennis balls will be hit into the net at some point.

They will probably all make their way into the hands of the expert ball crew at some point, too.

The regulation tennis balls aren't the only ones, either - training balls are around the grounds.

Rod Laver Arena has been the main stadium at Melbourne Park since 1988, renamed to that in 2000.

The hardcourts, more specifically Plexicushion, are trademarked 'Australian Open True Blue'.

Rod Laver Arena has a seating capacity of almost 15,000 and isn't only used for the tournament...

The arena is also used for concerts - such as Elton John, Coldplay, P!nk, Lady Gaga and Kylie.

The arena has a retractable roof, which Angelique Kerber and Madison Keys played under this year.

While Rod Laver Arena has over 1.5 million visitors every year, the outside courts are packed too.

A total of 684,457 tennis fans came through the turnstiles at the Australian Open this year.

And just like the US Open, play around the grounds at the Australian Open goes well into the night.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•