The Grand Slam of Asia/Pacific
The Australian Open is one of the four annual Grand Slam Tennis Tournaments and is held in Melbourne, Victoria in the middle of the Australian summer, in the last fortnight of the month of January.
Due to weather being hot, an extreme heat policy is put into play when temperatures reach dangerous levels. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905.
Till 1987, it was played on grass. Since 1972, the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne. From 1988, hard court has been used for the event. Currently, Melbourne park hosts the event.
Courts
The main courts used in tournament are:
- Rod Laver Arena
- Hisense Arena
These both feature retractable roofs. The roofs are used as protection again extreme heat and rain.
Along with Wimbledon, Australian Open is the only Grand Slam featuring indoor play.
Attendance
Australian Open typically has very attendance. 2010 Australian Open achieved the highest ever single day attendance record for any Grand Slam tournament event with 77,403 people attending the event.
Television Coverage
In 2010, both live and taped coverage were televised in U.S. on ESPN and Tennis Channel. The championship match was seen on ESPN2.
Seven Network covers complete tournament in Australia.
BBC covers the event in UK.
The Australian Open is the least televised Grand Slam event because of time zone differences between Australia and large population areas of Europe and North America.
Venue
Melbourne Park was constructed for 1988 tournament to meet the demands of a tournament that had outgrown Kooyong’s (former venue) capacity. Since then, it is hosted there.
Management
The Australian Open is managed by Tennis Australia, formerly the Lawn Tennis Association of Australia.
History
The tournament was first played at the Warehouseman’s Cricket Ground in Melbourne in 1905. It was know as Australasian Championships and then became the Australian Championships in 1927. It was named Australian Open in 1969.
Past Winners
- Novak Djokovic won in 2011 by defeating Andy Murray.
- Kim Clijsters won 2011 woman’s title.
- Bob Bryan and his twin brother Mike won in men’s doubles.