Changeover notes from Australian Open days 1-2

Coachella comes for the Aussies, a sprinkle of upsets, and kit sponsorship struggles.

If you’re new here (and there are a lot of you, hi!) you might not know that in the early days of Hard Court (a long six months ago) most of my posts were split into a few rotating sections. As things took off I started doing more long-form pieces, but I think the original format is still great for big tournaments where there’s an abundance of info to touch on. You can go home again after all.

The Replay

The Australian Open gets its own Coachella comparisons

It was only a matter of time before the music festival vibes of the US Open seeped like a sticky Honey Deuce into other Grand Slams and, in Australia, they have officially arrived (some might say with a vengeance). Melbourne Park set its highest single day attendance record on Monday with 101,696 spectators, according to Melbourne newspaper The Age. Multiple reports said that on opening day, lines to get into the tournament took over an hour long and that transportation was in gridlock. Tournament director Craig Tiley responded on da…