Australian Open Sets Grand Slam Attendance Record

Tennis - Australian Open - Men's Singles Final - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 29, 2023 Serbia's Novak Djokovic celebrates after winning his final match against Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas. (Reuters)
Tennis - Australian Open - Men's Singles Final - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 29, 2023 Serbia's Novak Djokovic celebrates after winning his final match against Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas. (Reuters)
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Australian Open Sets Grand Slam Attendance Record

Tennis - Australian Open - Men's Singles Final - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 29, 2023 Serbia's Novak Djokovic celebrates after winning his final match against Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas. (Reuters)
Tennis - Australian Open - Men's Singles Final - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 29, 2023 Serbia's Novak Djokovic celebrates after winning his final match against Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas. (Reuters)

The Australian Open set a Grand Slam attendance record with more than 900,000 spectators visiting over three weeks, organizers said on Tuesday, despite the absence of some big-name players and schedule disruptions due to rain.

A record 839,192 fans flocked to Melbourne Park from Jan. 16-29 for the first tournament in two years free of COVID-19 restrictions, beating the previous mark of 812,174 set in January 2020.

The figures eclipse last year's attendance numbers at other Grand Slam main draws - 515,164 visited Wimbledon, 613,500 were at the French Open and 776,120 went to the US Open.

Over 60,000 also watched the qualifying events in Melbourne, bringing the total up to 902,312.

The tournament, missing the retired Serena Williams, Roger Federer and last year's homegrown champion Ash Barty, broke its single-day attendance mark with 94,854 fans visiting on Jan. 21. The previous record was 93,709 set in 2020.

"It was reported that we didn't have the greats any more, that it was going to be terrible. But people just want to be entertained," Tennis Australia chief executive Craig Tiley told the Melbourne Age.

"They want to have some fun, and tennis is a great option for them, and it's become a summer thing to do for Melburnians and for Australians and also for our guests from around the world."

Tiley has set his sights on breaching the one million mark next year.

"This year was the start of it," Tiley said. "It's going to be a three-week extravaganza."

Novak Djokovic beat Stefanos Tsitsipas on Sunday to win his 10th Australian Open crown, drawing level with Rafa Nadal on 22 majors, and reclaim the world number one ranking.

Aryna Sabalena won her first Grand Slam title with victory over Elena Rybakina on Saturday.



Brazil Coach Ancelotti Sentenced to One-year Jail Term in Spain over Tax Fraud

(FILES) Brazil's football team new head coach, Italian Carlo Ancelotti, walks on arrival for his official presentation at a hotel in Barra da Tijuca neighbourhood, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on May 26, 2025. (Photo by Mauro PIMENTEL / AFP)
(FILES) Brazil's football team new head coach, Italian Carlo Ancelotti, walks on arrival for his official presentation at a hotel in Barra da Tijuca neighbourhood, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on May 26, 2025. (Photo by Mauro PIMENTEL / AFP)
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Brazil Coach Ancelotti Sentenced to One-year Jail Term in Spain over Tax Fraud

(FILES) Brazil's football team new head coach, Italian Carlo Ancelotti, walks on arrival for his official presentation at a hotel in Barra da Tijuca neighbourhood, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on May 26, 2025. (Photo by Mauro PIMENTEL / AFP)
(FILES) Brazil's football team new head coach, Italian Carlo Ancelotti, walks on arrival for his official presentation at a hotel in Barra da Tijuca neighbourhood, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on May 26, 2025. (Photo by Mauro PIMENTEL / AFP)

A Spanish court on Wednesday sentenced Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti to a one-year prison term for tax fraud when he was Real Madrid manager in 2014.

The Madrid court also fined Ancelotti €386,000 ($452,187).

Spanish prosecutors accused Ancelotti of defrauding the state of 1 million euros ($1 million) in 2014 and 2015. State prosecutors sought a prison sentence of up to four years and nine months on two counts of tax fraud.

In March 2024, they accused Ancelotti of having used shell companies to hide his true earnings. Prosecutors claimed Ancelotti, for example, used one company that lacked “any real (economic) activity” in the Virgin Islands as part of an alleged scheme.

Carlos Sánchez, Ancelotti’s press officer, told The Associated Press that the coach “will not make comments for now.”

Ancelotti is one of soccer’s most successful coaches. He is the only coach to have won the Champions League five times, three with Madrid and twice with AC Milan, and the only coach to have won domestic league titles in England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France.