How much would it cost to attend all 4 major grand slam tennis tournaments?

Katelyn Caniford | Towpath Tennis Pro

Tournament	Month	Town
Australian Open	January	Melbourne
French Open	May - June	Paris
Wimbledon	June - July	London
US Open	August - September	New York City

 Any tennis fan dreams of attending one of the major grand slam tournaments at some point in their lifetime. However what if you were able to attend not just one, but ALL of the majors. How much would that cost? Where could you secure the best deals? Well we’re here to give you the breakdown of how much multiple trips like this would cost, and the best methods to save money.

Let’s assume that a regular couple living in Akron, Ohio were trying to attend all the major tournaments. They also would love to see the quarterfinals in each event. Economically, the best way for them to save on their finances would be to purchase “tour packages”. These are a perfect option when traveling overseas. Some of the best packages are available on TWS Tennis Tours (http://www.twstennistours.com/) or Tennis Tours (http://www.tennistours.com).

TWS Tennis Tours seemed to have the most bang for your buck as a typical package would include not just tickets to the event itself, but the hotels and flights as well. They have tours for all of the majors aside from the US Open. One of their most popular packages is for the Australian Open which they call the “Australian Luxury Tour Package”.

Included are - 4 quarterfinal tickets (or 3 semi-finals tickets instead),

-          a round trip economy air flight from LAX to Melbourne with private airport transfers to and from the hotel

-          a booking to a five-star suite hotel with daily breakfast buffets

-          At the event itself-access to the championship bar and corporate lounges, and VIP access to the main gates

-          Private walking tours and a tour of the local art museum are included as well

-          Buggy to ride around in and an exclusive wine tasting

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This particular package assumes that you will be staying for 2 whole weeks and the cost would be $14,950. However, in order to save even more you can drop your stay down or sell off the other tickets included (assuming two individuals are going). This would most likely drop the whole cost down to about $7,500.

Now of course, there are going to be things you’ll need/want to do that might not necessarily be involved in these tour packages. Such as food and attractions. It’s safe to budget about $400 for the attractions assuming that you’re attending about 4 events at $100 each. As for food, you’re looking to spend about $1,100 assuming your meals are eaten at places other than fast food restaurants. Also keep in mind too that if you’re a drinker it might be a good idea to add on another $9-$15 per day depending on how much you plan on consuming.

Similar packages on TW Tennis Tours are not nearly as expensive as they are only over 5 days, don’t include a flight, and typically only give you two tickets instead of four. Their Wimbledon and French Open packages are fairly similar to the Australian package above, except this time costing $6,350. Add in a round trip flight for $1,100 per ticket and you’re at a total of $8,550 just for the essentials. Add on the $400 for attractions and $1,100 for food and you’re looking at about $10,050 for the whole trip.

Fortunately, for a couple living in Akron, Ohio the US Open isn’t nearly as expensive as the overseas tournaments. To attend the quarters and semifinals of the open (types of tickets they offer) and staying in a 3 star hotel over 5 days, you’re looking to spend about $1,695 each. Factor in the food and attraction prices, plus money for gas ($100 on the high end depending on your car) and you’re looking at a little $5,000.

One way to save even more money when traveling to the US Open is by purchasing tickets for the first week of play rather than waiting for the later rounds. That way, not only are you saving money but you also get to explore all the action on the grounds. A lot of the less expensive ticket packages for the first week even grant you access to all of the courts!

Overall on the high end of attending the quarterfinals of all four majors for two people at a moderate comfort level, expect to drop around $33,000. Of course these are all rough estimates and you can definitely eliminate staying at nicer hotels or maybe not eating a high class meal every night. Either way though, definitely be prepared to drop a pretty penny if attending these grand level events is on your bucket list.

For those of you that would LOVE to attend the majors but just can’t fit it into your budgets, there are plenty of other tournaments to attend that might get you more bang for your buck. Indian Wells, Key Biscayne, and the Western & Southern in Cincinnati are just a few that will give fans a more intimate atmosphere to see your favorite players at a much better price tag!

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How to win on clay courts

Kristianne Bontempo | Towpath Tennis Employee | Online Store Manager

It's the end of another exciting French Open where as expected underdogs, such as Lucie Safarova and Stan Wawrinka, rose among a sea of upsets by defeating past Open Champions, Maria Sharapova and Roger Federer, along the way to the finals. Even the domineering Serena Williams struggled to fight for the title on the red clay (and maybe due to a little cold). Nevertheless, the question is raised every year, 'Why do the top seeds in tennis perform poorly on clay?' Many players already understand that you need to adjust to the slower court surface, but many still don't know exactly how to adjust.

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In northeast Ohio we don't see that many red clay courts. In fact, there's only one red clay court facility in the entire State of Ohio (Perry Twp). What we do find a lot of are Har-Tru courts, which are green clay versus the red clay we see at the French Open. The main difference between the two is that the speed and height difference of Har-Tru is not as extreme as it would be on red clay, because of the layer of crushed stone on the surface. However, both clay surfaces call for a game adjustment in order to win and this is how you do just that:

• Play in the right shoes. Clay is a slippery surface and if you were playing on red clay, it would be imperative that you find clay court shoes to help with traction. However, with Har-Tru all you need is to find a pair of All-Court tennis shoes that are in good condition (so ditch those worn-smoothed soles). To help you, we have a huge selection to choose from at towpathtennisshop.com. 
• Be patient! The pace is considerably slower than playing on hard courts and it's quite tempting to rush your shots. To help counter that urge, go back to the basics and as the ball approaches tell yourself, "bounce, hit." It may sound mundane and tedious, but it helps you focus and maintain a proper rhythm.
• Use topspin. Why you may ask? It makes the ball bounce that much higher! Higher bounce=more difficult to return, not to mention tiresome!
• Learn to slide. Har-Tru is not as slippery as red clay, but it sure is slicker than a hard court. 
• Buckle in for longer rallies. Guess what? Those winners you make on hard courts will be easier for your opponent to get to on clay, so be ready to tire your opponent out by mixing up the shots and moving them around the court. 
• Practice ahead of time. Even if you've played on clay before, it helps to warm-up ahead of time to get a feel of the court since most clay surfaces don't play the same. 
• Check a bad call. Don't you always wish to have video replay on those points your opponent called out but looked clearly in? On clay you can! It may not be a video replay, but the ball may leave a distinctive mark that you can double check for yourself. Cheaters beware! 
• Prepare to get dirty! Playing on clay can be downright filthy, so if you're fussing about keeping those sparkling white tennis shoes clean then clay is not your game. And unless you want to be coated green from head to toe, watch out for sliding into those lines that like to bubble up!

So there you have it, all the tips you need to be the next King/Queen of Clay-Nadal you've been warned!

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