No Kyrgios? No Nadal? No problem as Australian Open draws record crowds with hotel demand 'off the scale'

Hotel demand has been ‘off the scale’ for the Australian Open 2024 despite the absence of some notable starts.

The first Grand Slam of the year has already begun in Melbourne where players from all over the world are battling it out to secure the ultimate glory.

As per the latest reports, Accommodation Australia’s Victorian general manager Dougal Hollis confirmed that several hotels in the city are completely booked for the two weeks’ duration of the competition.

He stated that about 9000 hotel rooms were added in the city since 2020 and the recent interest is a clear indicator of how the fans' interest has competed, that is despite the absence of some notable stars such as the former world number one Spain’s Rafael Nadal and local star Nick Kyrgios.

This year, in the men’s singles category, Serbia’s legendary tennis star and the current world number one Novak Djokovic will be defending his crown. The 36-year-old defeated Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas with a score of 6–3, 7–6(7–4), 7–6(7–5).

On the other hand, in the women’s singles category, the current world number two Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka will be defending her crown. She lifted the title last year after defeating Elena Rybakina in the final with a score of 4–6, 6–3, 6–4.