The
Australian Open is the first of Grand Slam tennis tournaments held to
coincide with the summer down under in January.
Held
for the first time in 1905 the tournament was originally contested on
grass but has been played on hard counts since 1988.
Since
1905, the Australian Open has been staged in five Australian and two
New Zealand cities as follows: Melbourne (54 times), Sydney (17
times), Adelaide (14 times), Brisbane (7 times), Perth (3 times),
Christchurch and Hastings (once).
Held
in the middle of the Australian summer, the Australian Open can have
extremely hot days. An extreme-heat policy is put into play when
temperatures reach dangerous levels.
From
1972 it has been held in same place, the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club in
Melbourne, selected because Melbourne attracted the biggest
patronage. The two main courts used in the
tournament are Rod Laver Arena and Hisense Arena and feature
retractable roofs, which are shut during rain or extreme heat.
Melbourne
Park (formerly Flinders Park) was constructed for the 1988
tournament to meet the demands of a tournament that had outgrown
Kooyong's capacity.
The
first Open tournament, held in 1969, was won by Australian Rod Laver
and the current men's champion is Roger Federer. For the women, the
first Open tournament was won by Australian Margeret Court and the
current women's champion is Serena Williams.
The
women's singles winner is presented with the Daphne Akhurst Memorial
Cup. The men's singles winner is presented with the Norman Brookes
Challenge Cup.
Since
1969 the record for the most wins in the men's tournament is held
jointly be Andre Agassi and Roger Federer with four wins. The most
wins for women are the five wins of Serena Williams.
As
the first of the Grand Slam tournaments, the Australian Open is seen
as the bell weather event in tennis. A good start to the tennis year
down under bodes well for the remaining big trophies.
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