The Australian Open is the first of the world's four Grand Slam tennis tournaments,
held each January at Melbourne Park. Originally based at the grass courts at Kooyong in the city of Melbourne's inner south-east, the tournament was in danger of fading into irrelevance before being revived in 1988 with a shift to Melbourne Park (then called Flinders Park), a new (Rebound Ace) hardcourt venue next to the Melbourne Cricket Ground on the southern fringe of the central business district. Mats Wilander was the only player to win the tournament both on grass and on Rebound Ace.
Like all the Grand Slam tournaments, there are men's and women's singles competitions, men's, women's, and mixed doubles, as well as junior and master's competitions.
The Australian Open was held in December from 1977 through 1985, returning to its original January date in 1987.
The two main courts, Rod Laver Arena and Vodafone Arena, are unusual in that they feature movable roofs which can be shut in case of rain or extreme heat. It is the only Grand Slam tournament that can feature indoor play. However, Wimbledon has plans to build a retractable roof for Centre Court in 2009.
Held in the middle of the Australian summer, the Australian Open is famous for its notoriously hot days. An extreme-heat policy is often put into play when temperatures (and humidity) reach dangerous levels. The Australian Open is a loved international tennis tournament
Australian Open Men's Finals
The Australasian Championships
Champion
Runner-Up
Score
1905 Rodney Heath
A Curtis
4-6 6-3 6-4 6-4
1906 Tony Wilding NZL
H Parker
6-0 6-4 6-4
1907 Horace Rice
H Parker
6-3 6-4 6-4
1908 Fred Alexander USA
A Dunlop
3-6 3-6 6-0 6-2 6-3
1909 Tony Wilding NZL
Ernie Parker
6-1 7-5 6-2
1910 Rodney Heath
Horace Rice
6-4 6-3 6-2
1911 Norman Brookes
Horace Rice
6-1 6-2 6-3
1912 J Cecil Parke GBR
A Beamish
3-6 6-3 1-6 6-1 7-5
1913 Ernie Parker
H Parker
2-6 6-1 6-2 6-3
1914 Pat Wood
Gerald Patterson
6-4 6-3 5-7 6-1
1915 Francis Lowe
GBR Horace Rice
4-6 6-1 6-1 6-4
1916-18 World War I
No Tournament
No Tournament
1919 Algernon Kingscote GBR
E Pockley
6-4 6-0 6-3
1920 Pat Wood
Ron Thomas
6-3 4-6 6-8 6-1 6-3
1921 Rhys Gemmell
A Hedeman
7-5 6-1 6-4
1922 James Anderson
Gerald Patterson
6-0 3-6 3-6 6-3 6-2
1923 Pat Wood
C B St John
6-1 6-1 6-3
1924 James Anderson
Richard Schlesinger
6-3 6-4 3-6 5-7 6-3
The Australian Championships
1925 James Anderson
Gerald Patterson
11-9 2-6 6-2 6-3
1926 John Hawkes
Jim Willard
6-1 6-3 6-1
1927 Gerald Patterson
John Hawkes
3-6 6-4 3-6 18-16 6-3 Longest final
1928 Jean Borotra FRA
R O Cummings
6-4 6-1 4-6 5-7 6-3
1929 John Gregory GBR
Richard Schlesinger
6-2 6-2 5-7 7-5
1930 Gar Moon
Harry Hopman
6-3 6-1 6-3
1931 Jack Crawford
Harry Hopman
6-4 6-2 2-6 6-1
1932 Jack Crawford
Harry Hopman
4-6 6-3 3-6 6-3 6-1
1933 Jack Crawford
Keith Gledhill
2-6 7-5 6-3 6-2
1934 Fred Perry GBR
Jack Crawford
6-3 7-5 6-1
1935 Jack Crawford
Fred Perry GBR
2-6 6-4 6-4 6-4
1936 Adrian Quist
Jack Crawford
6-2 6-3 4-6 3-6 9-7
1937 Viv McGrath
Jack Bromwich
6-3 1-6 6-0 2-6 6-1
1938 Don Budge USA
Jack Bromwich
6-4 6-2 6-1
1939 Jack Bromwich
Adrian Quist
6-4 6-1 6-3
1940 Adrian Quist
Jack Crawford
6-3 6-1 6-2
1941-45 World War II
No Tournament
No Tournament
1946 Jack Bromwich
Dinny Pails
5-7 6-3 7-5 3-6 6-2
1947 Dinny Pails
Jack Bromwich
4-6 6-4 3-6 7-5 8-6
1948 Adrian Quist
Jack Bromwich
6-4 3-6 6-3 2-6 6-3
1949 Frank Sedgman
Jack Bromwich
6-3 6-3 6-2
1950 Frank Sedgman
Ken McGregor
6-3 6-4 4-6 6-1
1951 Dick Savitt USA
Ken McGregor
6-3 2-6 6-3 6-1
1952 Ken McGregor
Frank Sedgman
7-5 12-10 2-6 6-2
1953 Ken Rosewall
Mervyn Rose
6-0 6-3 6-4
1954 Mervyn Rose
Rex Hartwig
6-2 0-6 6-4 6-2
1955 Ken Rosewall
Lew Hoad
9-7 6-4 6-4
1956 Lew Hoad
Ken Rosewall
6-4 3-6 6-4 7-5
1957 Ashley Cooper
Neale Fraser
6-3 9-11 6-4 6-2
1958 Ashley Cooper
Mal Anderson
7-5 6-3 6-4
1959 Alex Olmedo USA
Neale Fraser
6-1 6-2 3-6 6-3
1960 Rod Laver
Neale Fraser
5-7 3-6 6-3 8-6 8-6 Laver saved match point 4-5 4th set
The Australian Open is now managed by Tennis Australia, formerly the Lawn Tennis Association of Australia (LTAA),
and was first played at the Warehouseman's Cricket Ground in St Kilda Road, Melbourne. 2006 was the 94th staging of the event (over a 101 year period due to interruption of the War years), with the tournament celebrating its Centenary in 2005.
The tournament was first played in 1905 as The Australasian Championships, became the Australian Championships in 1927 and the Australian Open in 1969. Since 1905, the Championships have been staged in five different cities as follows: Melbourne (50 times), Sydney (17 times), Adelaide (14 times), Brisbane (eight times), Perth (three times), as well as in New Zealand, (twice) in 1906 and 1912.
In 1972, it was decided to stage the Tournament in the one city each year, as opposed to visiting various states across the nation, and the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club was selected due to Melbourne attracting the biggest patronage.
Melbourne Park (formerly Flinders Park) was constructed in time for the 1988 Open to meet the demands of the evolving tournament that had outgrown Kooyong's capacity. The move to Melbourne Park was an immediate success, with a 90 percent increase in attendance in 1988 (266,436) on the previous year at Kooyong (140,000).
