Melbourne Park, 2 October 2013 | Tennis Australia

Tennis fans will enjoy more shade on-site than ever before as the Australian Open edges closer to being the only Grand Slam event boasting three retractable-roof stadiums.

Margaret Court Arena (MCA), the scene of many stunning Australian Open battles, is undergoing an incredible transformation and will sport a dramatic new look for the tournament in 2014, including:

• a distinctive new roof providing fans with shaded seating areas. The roof will be fixed in an open position for AO 2014 and fully operational for AO 2015
• more than 3200 square metres of shade 360 degrees around the MCA concourse level.

The spectacular new National Tennis Centre (NTC), located on the eastern side of Hisense Arena, opened just weeks prior to Australian Open 2013 and was universally acclaimed by the world’s top players and coaches. For Australian Open 2014 the state-of-the-art facility will be used for:

• Australian Open Junior Championships tournament control, locker rooms and player lounge
• an expanded gym, recovery and lounge facilities for all Australian Open players
• additional practice courts (both indoor and outdoor).

In another first, players can book practice courts and take advantage of the spacious and relaxed training environment offered within the NTC, a particularly appealing option on days when they are not playing matches.

The Eastern Plaza, delivered ahead of schedule before the Australian Open this year, included an upgraded entry to Hisense Arena and the completion of the Edwin Flack pedestrian bridge, linking the MCG, Melbourne Park and AAMI Park.

• At Australian Open 2014 attractions at the Eastern Plaza include:
• access from 8 am during the first eight days
• unique early access to watch the top players practising and warming up
• food and beverage outlets offering a special breakfast menu
• giant video screens telecasting match highlights, interviews and all the news from on and off the court
• café style seating and umbrellas.

Series tickets for Australian Open 2014 go on sale through Ticketek from 9:00 am on Wednesday 2 October to 5:00 pm Monday 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) Tuesday 8 October.

Fans are encouraged to pre-purchase and save on tickets for Australian Open 2014. Tournament pricing applies to all tickets purchased from Monday 13 January.

> Purchase Australian Open and AO Series multi-session tickets now