Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
Coco Gauff was caught by surprise when she saw her mum take to social media about excessive US Open ticket requests from family and friends.
That doesn’t mean she has any issue with it.
But tennis fans might be caught by surprise at the cost of a ticket – and many will certainly take issue with how expensive entry to the final grand slam of the year is.
If not one of the lucky ones who bought online months ago, try $US363.46 for a day-one grounds pass to Flushing Meadows through the official ticket resale company, Ticketmaster.
That’s $511 Australian, which won’t even get punters into any of the main stadium courts.
An Arthur Ashe Stadium ticket will set spectators back thousands as fans scamper to purchase a resale pass after bots or organised groups, almost like cartels, dominate the pre-sales and then post them online with Ticketmaster at many times their actual value.
So good luck to anyone hoping to watch Gauff. Even family and friends will be lucky to catch the 2023 champion in action.
A day after Candi Gauff posted a “blunt but necessary statement” on Instagram saying her daughter’s tickets for the Grand Slam tournament were spoken for, Coco defended the sentiment.
“Honestly, it was needed, and it was directed towards a few family and friends,” Gauff said on Friday (Saturday AEST).
“People come out of the woodwork. You haven’t spoken to someone for years. They don’t say, ‘Congrats’ or, ‘Happy birthday’ or nothing. Then they’re like, ‘Oh, I’m in New York, can I have eight tickets to your match in your box, please?'”
Gauff is coming off winning the Cincinnati Open and initially thought her mother’s post – which included a photo of her holding the trophy – was a sweet message about that victory. Instead, mom had a point to make.
“Unfortunately, I will not be able to hook you up with a ticket,” she wrote.
“Please make arrangements to purchase a ticket. Side note, never ask for more than two tickets. Coco is grown now and she has her own friends that she is honoring tickets for the match. Thank you for your continued support.”
Gauff is ranked fourth in the world and seeded No.4 in this year’s women’s singles.
As the most prominent American at the tournament, she is a fixture at Arthur Ashe Stadium and any of her matches instantly become a hot ticket.
Her parents and others on her team deal with most of the messages, shielding her from another unwelcome distraction.
“We try our best to accommodate everyone, but some of the requests, you would be surprised at how absurd they are,” Gauff said.
“I feel like my mum hit a tipping point because it’s been going on since (I was) 15, and they really are my safeguards and I am lucky they try to make sure no one is hitting up my phone, so I don’t really get many requests.”
With AP
