The Australian Open dates back to the early 20th century. The calendar date is now the last two weeks of January in Melbourne, Australia. It has become a critical element of the Grand Slam Tennis events. It is the first, followed by the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. There is so much history you need to know about the Australian Open such as the following.
History of the Game
From its inception in 1905 to 1927, the Australian Open went by the name the Australasian Championship. The name changed to the Australian Championships in 1927, then the Australian Open in 1969. The choice of Melbourne as a venue for the game occurred in 1987. Previously, it would be in different cities. The first foreign players were from the US in 1946.
Courts and Conditions
During its early years, the matches were on grass courts. It went on until 1987, after which the game moved to hard courts. Every tournament uses up to 40,000 balls. From 1972, the official venue for the game became Melbourne Park. January is very hot, and sometimes temperatures can reach 45 degrees Celsius. It is not uncommon for players to require drips to deal with cases of dehydration. The umpires can call off a match when it gets too hot.
Game Dates
It took some time before officials decided on the actual dates for the events. The 1919 and 1920 games, for example, took place in January and March respectively. In 1923 it moved to August, and this went on until 1977. In that year, there were two games in January and December. In 1986, for the first time in a long time, the Australian Open did not occur.
Notable Players
- Ken Rosewall took the championship at the age of 18, making him the youngest winner.
- Martina Hingis won the game at the age of 16 making her the youngest female winner.
- Margaret Court has the most female titles.