![Rod Laver Arena on Sunday night during the men's final.](/content/dam/images/g/u/1/c/n/s/image.related.afrArticleLead.620x350.gu1g92.png/1485779939636.jpg)
![](/web/20170202051747im_/http://www.afr.com/content/dam/images/1/4/4/7/2/c/image.imgtype.afrAuthorAvatar.120x120.png/1426319499911.png)
Sunday night's salivating crowd at Rod Laver Arena – having resisted the temptation of scalpers offering upwards of $7000 per ticket, and many backing up after Saturday's Serena v Venus showdown – could've been forgiven for busting out a rendition of The Rocky Horror Picture Show's "Let's Do the Time Warp Again" as veterans Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal took the centre court for their first Australian Open final meeting since 2008.
The mainstays of Tennis Australia officialdom, and their usual guests, took their usual seats at the usual time: President Steve Healy with Victorian Governor Linda Dessau, Rod Laver with federal communications minister Mitch Fifield (repping Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who was a late withdrawal), Premier Daniel Andrews, the TA Board's media rights expert Harold "I didn't need to test my judgment" Mitchell alongside Hancock Prospecting's Tad Watroba, former BHP Billiton chairman Don Argus and further back, his outgoing successor Jac Nasser, and even actor Eric Bana.
Behind the good burghers of Tennisland in the mid-rows was Goldman Sachs – where on Saturday we clocked Tatts CEO Robbie Cooke with his adviser on the Tabcorp merger, Joe Fayyad (AKA the Fayatollah), along with the Carlyle Group's local boss David Bluff). On Sunday it was Goldies' top investment banker Christian Johnston with Orica CEO Alberto Calderon and a few seats away, Premier Retail boss Mark "Aerosmith" McInnes, wolf-whistling with abandon (so much we could say about that, but we won't ...). Johnston's shop is of course adviser to Treasury Wine Estates, who he should be begging to seize the Open's pouring rights – if we can drink St Henri or 707 in front of the telly at home, why again do we struggle through tepid plastic glasses of Jacob's "Up Shit" Creek sauvignon blanc in reserve seating at Melbourne Park?
Beside TA, as on Saturday, Optus chairman Paul O'Sullivan and the telco's chief lobbyist David Epstein hosted Fifield's departmental secretary Heather Smith and husband, chief Canberra mandarin Martin Parkinson, Veterans' Affairs Minister Dan Tehan, Liberal Party federal president (and CPA Australia director!) Richard Alston, EnergyAustralia chairman Graham Bradley, PricewaterhouseCoopers' new hire Russel "with one 'l'" Howcroft and in the front row, RBA Board member Cath Tanna and Fairfax Media chief executive Greg Hywood squiring a mystery blonde [ed: please report to HR immediately].
![AFL boss Gill McLachlan, wife Laura and Wesfarmers CEO Richard Goyder (standing). BHP Billiton iron ore boss Mike Henry ...](/content/dam/images/g/u/1/h/9/s/image.imgtype.afrArticleInline.620x0.png/1485750704305.jpg)
On the northeast corner, transport Rich Lister Paul Little was in the ANZ seats while the co-head of Goldman Sachs' equities desk Dyson Bowditch had plum front-row seats with top fund managers Chris Kourtis of Ellerston Capital and Airlie Funds' Management John Sevior. We know the real hierarchy at Goldies then!
Over the net opposite the umpire was the UBS allocation led by chief executive Matthew Grounds and his 2IC Guy Fowler. Their front-row guests were Transurban chief executive Scott Charlton, Westpac chairman Lindsay Maxsted and CEO Brian Hartzer, Telstra CEO Andy Penn and professional gardener Ben Gray, while the second row sported Suncorp chief executive Michael Cameron, Adamantem private equiteer Anthony Kerwick and Tabcorp chairman Paula Dwyer.
Blackmores chief executive Christine Holgate, her husband Mike Harding in matching pink, and chairman Marcus Blackmore – again hosting fresh produce Rich Lister Frank Costa – led their platoon in the rows behind Grounds and friends.
Further south along the front row, Bastion partner Brian Walsh was beside his former banking colleague, National Australia Bank CEO Andrew Thorburn, while at the corner, Emirates' local boss Barry Brown had Australia Post boss Ahmed Fahour, Labor's Anthony Albanese and Middle East security policy analysts Delta Goodrem, Cheyenne Tozzi and Candice Falzon.
Seven Group's Ryan Stokes again fronted the broadcaster's hospitality efforts in the absence of Seven West Media CEO Tim Worner, who for obvious reasons stayed away. Allens Linklaters' report scrutinising the laundry list of allegations brought by former secretary Amber Harrison is set for public consumption in the coming fortnight. Stokes had BHP Billiton's iron ore boss Mike Henry on his right and federal energy minister Josh Frydenberg on his left, while in the second row, AFL chief Gillon McLachlan was with Wesfarmers CEO Richard Goyder and My Kitchen Rules host "Paleo" Pete Evans, who looked deeply unimpressed by McLachlan's snack bag of Red Rock Deli honey soy chicken chips. Seven's troupe also included Frydenberg's cabinet colleague Kelly O'Dwyer and Urban Infrastructure minister Paul Fletcher.
![A bearded Mitch Fifield represents the Prime Minister beside Rod Laver, while actor Erica Bana sits in the second row.](/content/dam/images/g/u/1/h/4/6/image.imgtype.afrArticleInline.620x0.png/1485750497620.jpg)
On the southwest corner were Pact Group's Ruffy Geminder and wife Fiona, while behind the umpire, directly opposite his brother-in-law Grounds, was fundie Peter Morgan, who appears to have stayed off Twitter for an entire five sets. We checked.
![UBS chief Matthew Grounds with Telstra CEO Andy Penn (front), and private equiteer Anthony Kerwick (rear left).](/content/dam/images/g/u/1/h/4/f/image.imgtype.afrArticleInline.620x0.png/1485750454623.jpg)
![Fund managers Chris Kourtis (hat) and John Sevior (green sweater) in the prime seats.](/content/dam/images/g/u/1/h/9/t/image.imgtype.afrArticleInline.620x0.png/1485750589753.jpg)
![Blackmores CEO Christine Holgate with husband Mike Harding in matching pink. Chairman Marcus Blackmore is seated in front.](/content/dam/images/g/u/1/h/5/3/image.imgtype.afrArticleInline.620x0.png/1485750370357.jpg)
![Premier Retail's Mark McInnes works on his whistle.](/content/dam/images/g/u/1/h/9/j/image.imgtype.afrArticleInline.620x0.png/1485750063176.jpg)
![Transurban CEO Scott Charlton talks to Westpac CEO Brian Hartzer (front). Suncorp Group CEO Michael Cameron is behind.](/content/dam/images/g/u/1/h/7/h/image.imgtype.afrArticleInline.620x0.png/1485750275665.jpg)
![Goldman Sachs' Christian Johnston with wife Jina and Orica chief Alberto Calderon.](/content/dam/images/g/u/1/h/9/9/image.imgtype.afrArticleInline.620x0.png/1485750146095.jpg)
![Australia Post chief Ahmed Fahour at the Australian Open.](/content/dam/images/g/u/1/h/8/s/image.imgtype.afrArticleInline.620x0.png/1485750202676.jpg)
![My Kitchen Rules host Pete Evans reacts to news the candy bar has run out of activated almonds.](/content/dam/images/g/u/1/h/9/1/image.imgtype.afrArticleInline.620x0.png/1485750021777.jpg)