Australian Open

Australian Open History

The Australian Open was first played in 1905. At that time, it was called the Australiasian Championships, and did not come to know the name Australian Open until 1969. It now features singles, doubles, and mixed doubles competition for men and women.

Tennis enthusiasts across Australia enjoyed viewing the tournament in five different locations across the country. Popularity of the Australian Open created a demand for the construction of a new tennis facility. In 1988, Melbourne Park was built for the sole purpose of facilitating the event and became the permanent home of the Australian Open. Held in the middle of the intense Australian summer, accommodations are sometimes necessary to combat heat. Special retractable roofs were constructed over the competition courts that are utilized in the event of rain or extremely high temperatures. The Australian Open is the only major tennis event that can be played indoors if necessary.

The Grand Slam

The Australian Open happens is an integral part of the greatest of all tennis title competitions, the Grand Slam. Consisting of four major tennis tournaments, the Grand Slam is made up of the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open. Players can be Grand Slam achievers in three ways. A player can receive a title by winning all four Grand Slam events in one calendar year (a Calendar Year Grand Slam). The title is also given when a player wins all four events in the Grand Slam series at some point in their career (a Career Grand Slam). Finally, a title is given if a player wins all four Grand Slam events consecutively, but not in the same calendar year (a Non-Calendar Year Grand Slam). As the first Grand Slam tennis tournament of each calendar year, the Australian Open is a favorite event for tennis enthusiasts. Over 500,000 fans have attended the event each year since 2004.

Australian Open Records

Prior to 1968, the Australian Open saw many competitors who snatched up the championship title multiple times. Australian men’s doubles tennis greats Adrian Quist and John Bromwich captured the tournament championship eight times, a feat that no other athletes have come close to.

Perhaps one of the greatest female tennis players of all time was Margaret Smith Court. In her career, she has won the most championship titles in the Australian Open, a total of 22. This number comes from her 11 singles titles, 7 women’s doubles titles, and 4 mixed doubles titles. The next closest woman to Court’s record is Martina Navratilova, who holds just 12 championship titles.