Does a Ground Pass Get You Into the Main Show Courts in Tennis?
A ground pass is one of tennis’s great little bargains, until you arrive at a tournament and realise there are courts, and then there are Courts. The ones with the player entrance music, padded seats, famous names on the order of play and stewards checking tickets as if they are guarding the Crown Jewels.
So, does a ground pass get you into the main show courts in tennis?
The short answer is: usually no, not the main ticketed show courts. A ground pass normally gets you into the tournament site and onto outside courts, practice courts, food areas, fan zones and sometimes smaller or unreserved arenas. The biggest show courts usually need their own ticket.
But, because tennis likes to make simple things feel like a five-set tiebreak, there are a few useful exceptions.
What does a ground pass usually include?
A ground pass is best thought of as a site access ticket.
It normally lets you enter the tournament grounds for the day. Once inside, you can wander around the outside courts, watch matches on smaller courts where seating is unreserved, visit practice courts if they are open to fans, and soak up the general tournament atmosphere.
That can be brilliant value. On a busy early-round day, a ground pass can give you a feast of tennis. You might see seeded players, doubles specialists, rising juniors, former Grand Slam champions on the comeback trail, and the odd player you vaguely recognise but cannot place until they hit a backhand and you go, “Ah, yes, them.”
A ground pass may include:
Access to the tournament site
Outside courts, usually subject to space
Practice courts, where permitted
Big screens or fan viewing areas
Shops, food stalls and public areas
Some unreserved seating areas, depending on the event
The phrase to look for is “subject to capacity”. That means if a court is full, you wait. Your pass gets you the chance to enter, not a reserved seat with your name spiritually engraved on it.
Why the main show courts are usually separate
Main show courts are the headline arenas. Think Centre Court at Wimbledon, Arthur Ashe Stadium at the US Open, Court Philippe-Chatrier at Roland-Garros, or Rod Laver Arena at the Australian Open.
These courts usually have reserved seats and their own ticket categories. That is where organisers place the biggest matches, especially in the later rounds. If you want a guaranteed seat for a top session on a main show court, you generally need a specific ticket for that court and session.
A ground pass will not usually get you into those reserved areas because every seat has already been sold or allocated through a separate ticketing system.
This is the key distinction:
Ticket type | What it usually gets you |
Ground pass | Entry to the site and access to outside or unreserved courts |
Show court ticket | Entry to a specific arena, often with a reserved seat |
Session ticket | Access to a court for a day or evening session, depending on the event |
The details change from tournament to tournament, but the principle is steady enough: if the court has assigned seats and a separate ticket price, your ground pass probably will not open that door.
Are there any exceptions?
Yes, and this is where things get interesting.
Some tournaments allow ground pass holders into certain larger courts if those courts have unreserved sections. Others may treat a secondary arena differently from the main stadium. At a few events, a ground pass can get you into a substantial court on a first-come, first-served basis, while the very top arena remains ticketed separately.
There are also resale or upgrade systems at some tournaments. For example, once people leave a show court, the tournament may resell returned tickets or make seats available through an official process. That can give ground pass holders a route into bigger courts later in the day, but it is never something to rely on unless the event clearly says so.
Weather can also change the feel of a ground pass. If rain stops play on outside courts and the only live tennis is under a roof on a ticketed show court, your ground pass may suddenly feel a bit like bringing a spoon to a knife fight. You are still inside the grounds, but you may not have access to the protected action.
So the sensible answer is: assume a ground pass does not include the main show courts unless the tournament website says otherwise.
How to check before you buy
Before buying, look at the tournament’s ticketing page and search for three things.
First, check the court list. The ticket information should say which courts are included with a ground pass. If it only mentions “outside courts” or “grounds admission”, that usually means no main stadium access.
Next, look for wording around seating. Phrases like “reserved seat”, “assigned seating” or “stadium ticket” usually mean a separate ticket is needed.
Then check the order of play once it is released. Early rounds often spread good players across many courts. Later rounds become more concentrated on the major arenas, so a ground pass may offer less live match choice as the tournament progresses.
A quick rule of thumb:
Early rounds Best chance of seeing lots of tennis with a ground pass
Middle rounds Still good, but more headline names move to show courts
Final weekend Great atmosphere, but live match access on a ground pass may be limited
Is a ground pass still worth it?
Very often, yes.
A ground pass is perfect if you enjoy the wandering side of tennis. You can follow a noisy five-setter on a side court, watch a doubles match where everyone at the net seems to have the reflexes of a startled cat, then drift over to a practice court and see a top player working on one shot again and again.
It is less perfect if your main aim is to see a specific superstar on the main court. If you are buying because you want to watch one particular player, wait for the schedule if possible, or buy the correct show court ticket.
The best ground pass days often come early in the tournament. There are more matches, more courts in use, and more chances to stumble across something memorable. Tennis rewards curiosity. A ground pass is basically a curiosity ticket.
The simple answer
So, does a ground pass get you into the main show courts in tennis? In most cases, no. It gets you into the grounds and onto the courts included in that pass, which are usually outside courts and unreserved areas.
If you want the biggest court, the biggest names and a guaranteed seat, buy a show court ticket.
If you want variety, atmosphere, practice-court glimpses and the pleasure of discovering a match you had no plan to watch, a ground pass can be one of the best days in tennis. Just check the court access before you go, wear comfortable shoes, and keep an open mind. The match of the day is not always the one on the biggest court.