Shaded Seats at ANZ Arena

ANZ Arena (formerly named “Court 3”) is one of the show courts at Melbourne Park’s tennis campus. It’s an outdoor venue with unreserved seating available on a first-come, first-served basis. At the start of the Australian Open, many big-name tennis stars play on this court before the draw narrows and matches move to the larger stadiums. Later in the tournament, you can often catch high-quality doubles matches here. This court has only a small canopy to provide relief from the sun, so tennis fans would be wise to know the location of shaded seats at ANZ Arena.

Where are the seats in the shade at ANZ Arena?

The seats in the shade at ANZ Arena are typically located in:

• Baseline, North Side: Shaded except the first few rows closest to the court
• Sideline, West Side: Shaded by mid-afternoon

Tennis at ANZ Arena begins as early as 11:00 AM, and matches often run all afternoon. That’s many hours of tennis action that takes place while the sun is shining bright. For more information about which seats are shaded at different times of day, continue reading.

ANZ Arena Orientation to the Sun

All tennis show courts at Melbourne Park are oriented in a slightly off-axis north to south direction. By noon, the sun is high in the sky over the northeast section of stands. Over the course of the afternoon, the sun dips down along the west side of the stadium and sets behind the southwest corner.

The graphic below shows the approximate hour-by-hour position of the sun during the Australian Open.

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Seats in the Sun and Shade at ANZ Arena Matches

ANZ Arena is an open-air tennis venue with a large canopy-style roof that runs the full circumference of the arena. Unlike at 1573 Arena, the canopy at ANZ Arena extends all the way to the court, covering rows on all sides of the stadium. However, unlike Kia Arena, it doesn’t have a wall behind the seats connected to the canopy, so sunlight can still sneak in later in the afternoon.

If you’re attending the first match of the day in the late morning or early afternoon, aim for a seat behind the north baseline. At this hour, the position of the sun means most seats on this side will be comfortably shaded. The sunniest seats are behind the south baseline, although the rows farthest from the court will be shaded by the canopy overhead.

If you’re attending the second or third match of the day, the north and west sides of the stadium are the best bets for shade. By around 3:00 PM, all rows on the west side and all seats behind the north baseline will be shaded. Most rows behind the south baseline will also be shaded, but the sun will still splash the first few rows closest to the court.

The sunniest sections around 3:00 PM are on the east sideline. As the sun dips lower in the sky, more seats here will be exposed to direct sunlight. On the west sideline, the sun will sneak through the opening under the canopy, lighting up the rows toward the back. The good news is that the sun will be at your back rather than in your eyes, but don’t forget to apply sunscreen to the back of your neck!

The canopy at ANZ Arena provides shade to many seats. Around 3:00 in the afternoon seats on the east sideline (across the court) are still in the sun.

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AO Shade Guides

If you’re heading to Melbourne Park for this year’s Australian Open, we’ve created shade guides for all major venues. Reserved-seat stadiums include Rod Laver Arena and Margaret Court Arena. For general admission, we’ve covered Kia Arena, 1573 Arena, and ANZ Arena. Additionally, there’s a dedicated shade guide for John Cain Arena, which features a mix of reserved seating and general admission areas.