A Brief History of the Australian Open
- Written by News Co Media
One of four major Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the Australian Open has origins that date back over a hundred years. The 2021 edition of the tournament generated a great deal of coverage after a number of players had to be confined to their hotel rooms in quarantine. In the end, thousands of spectators were able to watch and enjoy the matches, and it was a great success. Let’s take a brief look back at the origins of the world-famous tournament.
Humble Beginnings
The first of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments to originate, the original edition took place in 1905 at Warehouseman’s Cricket Ground in Melbourne. For the first few years, it was known as the Australasian Championships before becoming the Australian Championships for a number of years. The Australian Open name came about in 1969. Most of the tournaments have taken place in Australia – though a couple has taken place in New Zealand. It took place in several different cities, including Sydney, Perth, and Brisbane, before settling on its Melbourne home.
Home at Melbourne
One of the major factors behind the competition staying in Melbourne is the fact that the city can attract a large crowd on a consistent basis. In 1972, it was played in front of 140,000 spectators, but this figure reached even higher numbers when the move to Melbourne Park was made in 1988. Traditionally, the tournament has always been played in January, which is at the height of summer in the country.
Moving Off the Grass
In 1988, it was decided that the tournament would make a move off grass courts. Instead, these were shifted to the blue hard courts, which are still iconic today in the tournament.
Greatest Champions
The Australian Open is a tournament that has been won by a select few individuals – several of them on multiple occasions. In the men’s game, Novak Djokovic has triumphed the highest number of times – nine in all after this year. Roy Emerson held the record before him. He won it six times. The central court and main stadium are named after Rod Laver, who is renowned as being one of the great players in the sport’s history. As for the women’s tournament, Margaret Court won the tournament an incredible 11 times, including seven occasions in a row between 1960 and 1966. Next on the list is Serena Williams, who has won it seven times and is still a favourite at 15/2 in the most recent odds.
Today’s Tournament
Today, the Australian Open remains a firm favorite and a highlight on the annual tennis calendar. The tournament is well-known as being a highly tough physical challenge with weather conditions that are renowned for being both hot and dry, meaning that players are competing not just with each other but also with the elements.
With the biggest players in the world continuing to flock to the event, there are no signs of it slowing down anytime soon, and people are already looking forward to the 2022 edition of the tournament.