Tournament Director Craig Tiley said the move was part of a major push to create the best possible playing conditions for players and fans alike.

"The blue court looks better, it will be easier for everyone to see the ball and the vibrancy of the colour just lifts the entire venue," Tiley explained. "It is fresh and contemporary."

The official colour has been trademarked by Tennis Australia as "Australian Open True Blue".

The decision on the colour followed months of testing. Several options were trialled, with tennis officials eventually settling on two tones of blue, a darker tone for the court itself, surrounded by a lighter tone.

"The two tones allow the players to hone their range and get a feel for the baseline at the opposite end of the court. The general consensus from players is that they prefer two tones. Their depth perception can be confused by a single tone," Tiley said.

"The initial reaction from the players, from Roger Federer down, has been nothing but positive," Tiley said, pointing out that player consultation had been a crucial aspect of the development of the new courts.

As announced earlier this year, the Australian Open will also be played on a new surface for the first time in two decades. Plexicushion replaces Rebound Ace.

"Again, this is about what is best for players and fans. Plexicushion is a cushioned acrylic surface that retains less heat and guarantees us a consistent, medium to medium-fast pace across all courts at Melbourne Park and around Australia," Tiley said.

"We certainly didn't take the decision lightly. We had an extensive review and after much research we decided it was time for a change. We went out into the market place and looked for the best match to our list of requirements. That company is Australian-owned WM Loud.

"The good news is we are on track to complete all courts at Melbourne Park with plexicushion in November," he said.

www.tennisaustralia.com

Ca a l'air sympa en bleu.

Ca a l'air sympa en bleu...sauf qu'il y a déjà l'US Open comme ça ! Je trouve ça dommage.

:non: L'US Open n'est pas tout bleu. Là c'est tout bleu.

le look vert donnait un aspect singulier à ce tournoi, mais maintenant je trouve ça simplement magnifique

D après ce qui a été dit cette surface est semi-rapide, et peut etre plus rapide que 2007,tout ca pour Mr hewitt... :mdr: J espère que ca désaventagera pas Nalbandian.

yep c'est vraiment joli :jap:

par contre est ce que quelqu'un connait un peu les caractéristiques de cette nouvelle surface? mis à part "consistent, medium to medium-fast surface" ?

Seul le principe est connu: améliorer le confort de la surface (que n'avait pas le rebound ace) mais vitesse identique.

Pour ce qui est de la prise d'effets, :confused:

Couleur nickel pour le streaming contrairement aux années précédentes

Ouhla ça fait bizarre bleu, mais c'est sympa... (même si personnellement j'ai tjrs préféré le vert...)

Tous les courts du Parc Olympique de Sydney ont logiquement reçu le même lifting récemment, d'ailleurs je compte bien aller y jeter un oeil un de ces jours.

Ils auraient du le faire en rose