Australian Open, the international season opener in tennis, has its tickets priced at a minimum of 76-109 dollars (with the best seat being at $805), which, in Indian currency, is approximately Rs. 40,000. But the ticket game is on a different gear in the tournament that seasons stars for the challenge Down Under.
The Tata Open Maharashtra, starting December 30 at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune, slashed its prices to an amount as less as Rs. 150. There are three other categories — Rs. 245, Rs. 500 and the maximum, Rs. 750.
It has been learnt that the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) had a ‘minimum guarantee’ pact with the ticket company, which it didn’t avail. “Irrespective of tickets being sold or not, we would have got that minimum amount. But we decided not to take that much money. It was a lot of money, but that wouldn’t have made the event affordable for people. We would rather want crowd than think of profits at the moment,” informed Sunder Iyer, Honorary Secretary, MSLTA.
The prices are also set keeping in mind the alternative competition from the multiplex boom at weekends. “There are families buying tickets. If a family of four buys tickets priced at Rs 500, it will add to Rs 2,000 — which is a lot of money for an Indian middle class family to spend for an entertainment purpose. At movies, everyone is covered within Rs 1,000, so we decided to have lower rates as well,” he added.
In the last edition of the tournament, when it was called the Chennai Open, the lowest rate offered was Rs. 300 and then, there were season passes for Rs. 1,500, Rs. 3,000 and Rs. 5,000. There is no season pass this time around.
However, the tournament will offer spectators a glimpse of international champions such as Marin Cilic and Kevin Anderson, before they raise their stakes and deepen their pockets in Australia.
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