Melbourne, Australia, 2 October 2012 | Tennis Australia

The Australian Open Ground Pass is set for a price rise for the first time since 2007.

For the new price of $34 patrons can enjoy world-class tennis on the outdoor and show courts, gather in Garden Square to watch the Rod Laver Arena action on the big screen, or relax and enjoy the festival atmosphere and great entertainment of Grand Slam® Oval.

“We’ve conducted our annual review process on all our pricing and session attendances and believe we’ve come up with a formula that continues to offer excellent value to our fans at all levels,” Tennis Australia CEO Steve Wood said today.

“The Australian Open is the biggest sporting event in the world in January and we continually focus on new ways to improve the experience for our fans. The demand for ground passes this year was unprecedented, with the middle Saturday very close to an official sell-out.

“We’ve managed to maintain the Ground Pass price for six years, a pretty extraordinary effort considering how much more entertainment is on offer and the increased costs of staging this world-class event. The AO ground pass is widely acknowledged as one of the best value sporting and entertainment tickets in Australia.

“The financial return from the AO is invested back into tennis in Australia, funding the growth of the sport in everything from rebuilding and refurbishing courts and clubs across the nation, getting kids to play through MLC Tennis Hot Shots or paving the way for our elite athletes,” Wood continued.

Fans are encouraged to save by pre-purchasing tickets for Australian Open 2013. Event pricing applies to all tickets purchased during the tournament, commencing Monday 14 January.

Series tickets for Australian Open 2013 go on sale through Ticketek from 9:00 am on Wednesday 3 October to 5:00 pm Sunday 7 October (AEDST).

Rod Laver Arena and Hisense Arena single session tickets and Australian Open ground passes are on sale from 9:00 am (AEDST) Monday 8 October.

The great value $34 Australian Open ground pass gives fans access to all the outside courts and free entertainment on Grand Slam Oval and in Garden Square.

Fans are encouraged to pre-purchase and save on tickets for Australian Open 2013. Tournament pricing applies to all tickets purchased from Monday 14 January.