 "image")
What is Australian Open?
The Australian Open is a major tennis tournament held annually in Melbourne Park in Melbourne over the last fortnight of January. The Open is the first of the four Grand Slam tournaments held each year. The other tournaments are French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. The tournament is for both men and women.
The Australian Open was played on grass courts prior to 1988. Since then, three types of hardcourt surfaces have been used. Green coloured Rebound Ace up to 2007, blue Plexicushion from 2008 to 2019, and blue GreenSet since 2020.
The tournament began in 1905 as the Australasian Championships. Since then, it has become one of the biggest sporting events in the Southern Hemisphere. The Australian Open is the most attended Grand Slam tournament with 812,000 people attending the 2020 edition. The Open is also referred to as the “happy slam” and the Grand Slam of the Asia Pacific.
The tournament is managed by Tennis Australia, which was formerly known as the Lawn Tennis Association of Australia, and was played for the first time at the Warehouseman’s Cricket Ground in Melbourne in November 1905. The name was changed to Australian Open in 1969. Prior to 1972, the Open was held in five Australian cities and two New Zealand cities. In 1972, the organisers decided to hold the event in Melbourne as the city attracted the biggest patronage in any Australian city.
In the beginning of the 20th century very few international players attended the tournament because of Australia’s geographic remoteness. It took 45 days to travel from Europe to Australia through ships in the 1920s.
Prize Money
The Australian Open is one the few sporting events where the prize money is awarded equally to men and women players. The total prize money for the 2020 edition of the tournament was AUD $71,000,000. The women’s singles winner is awarded with the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup and the men’s singles winner is presented with the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup.
Latest Updates on Australian Open
Three-time major champion Andy Murray's exhausting run at the Australian Open ended in the third round after a loss to Roberto Bautista Agut
Novak Djokovic was placed on opposite side of the draw to defending champion and top-seeded Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open on Thursday, meaning they can only meet in the final at Melbourne Park
Two-time champion Naomi Osaka has confirmed she will not play at the Australian Open, adding her name to a growing list of notable withdrawals
Novak Djokovic will open his 2023 campaign in Adelaide as he prepares for a shot at a 10th Australian Open crown a year after having his visa revoked on the eve of his title defense
Serbian tennis ace Novak Djokovic, will return to competition on Monday when he begins his campaign at the Dubai Open on February 21, after courting controversy at the Australian Open last month.
Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic congratulated Rafael Nadal, who won a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam title after defeating Daniil Medvedev in the final of the Australian Open 2022 in Melbourne.
The 35-year-old Spaniard has broken the men's record for most Grand Slam singles titles
The Czech Republic's pair of Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova clinched their fourth Grand Slam women's doubles title as a team in the Australian Open final
Barty was the first Australian woman into the singles final of the Australian Open since Wendy Turnbull in 1980 and is now the first Australian champion since Chris O'Neil in 1978
The world number two Daniil Medvedev on Friday yet again delivered under pressure as he defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas to return to the Australian Open final.
Rafael Nadal is now within one victory of a record 21st Grand Slam singles title.
Nadal is tied with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic on 20 major singles titles
Mladenovic also won the mixed doubles title at the Australian Open in 2014
World No. 30 Danielle Collins stormed into the 2022 Australian Open final after beating No. 7 seed Iga Swiatek in the semifinals, here on Thursday.
Australia tennis star Ashleigh Barty on Thursday became the first home player to reach the Australian Open women's singles final since 1980.
Activists are reportedly planning to distribute hundreds of shirts branded with the question Where is Peng Shuai? in time for Saturday's Australian Open women's final
Earlier, Mirza had revealed that the 2022 season will be her last on the court and she would retire after that
Defending champion Naomi Osaka didn't make it to a much-anticipated fourth-round contest against top-ranked Ash Barty at the Australian Open.
Three Australian Federal Court judges on Thursday revealed their reasons for backing a government order to deport tennis star Novak Djokovic
U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu has lost 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 to Danka Kovinic in the second round of the Australian Open.