The 2017 Australian Open has already begun with the opening two days seeing a number of shocks and scares as women’s world no. 4 Simona Halep was shown the door in the first round of the Australian Open, this time by Shelby Rogers.
The likes of Angelique Kerber, Agnieszka Radwanska, Andy Murray, Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka, Marin Cilic and Kei Nishikori also stumbled a little en route to the second round.
First played in 1905, the Australian Open is only one out of the four Grand Slams that began in the 21st century. There is a lot of history surrounding the Australian Open and over the years, the tournament has witnessed many changes and incidents which many might not even be aware of.
Here is a list of 10 facts about the Australian Open you may not know.
#10 Serena Williams never won the Australian Open and US Open in the same year
Serena Williams is considered to be one of the greatest players to have ever played the sport and she has earned a total of 22 Grand Slams which is only two behind Margaret Court’s 24 for the most number of Grand Slams won.
There have been a total of seven occasions when Serena won at least two slams a year. However, none of these occasions featured a win in the Australian Open and US Open in the same year.
Serena has won the Australian Open and French Open in 2015, the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2003, 2009, 2010 and 2015, but is yet to win the Australian Open and US Open in the same year. The closest she came to doing so was in 2009 and 2015.
In 2009, Serena won the Australian Open but lost in the semi-finals to eventual champion, Kim Clijsters, in straight sets. The same happened in 2015 as she won the Australian Open but fell in the semi-finals of the US Open, this time to the eventual runner-up Roberta Vinci despite taking the first set.
#9 The tournament is played under the harshest weather conditions
January is the summer season in Australia and there is a lot of humidity in the country during the period when the Australian Open is being played. Temperatures rise up to 45°C which is roughly 113°F. The conditions make it really hard for the European players to adapt and on numerous occasions, the ball boys feel ill due to the heat; one such instance occurring last year when Carla Suarez Navarro escorted an ill ball boy off the court.
Due to the intense heat, the Extreme Heat Policy has been adopted by the tournament organisers where the umpire can suspend any match whenever the heat becomes unbearable for the players. Due to these harsh conditions, a number of retractable roofs have been constructed which has been helpful towards the players as well as the spectators.
#8 The Australian Open actually got its original name in 1969
One of the facts that people may not remember regarding this competition is that the Australian Open had to go through a few name changes before getting its current name. When the tournament was inaugurated in 1905, it was called the Australasian Championships.
This name was used for more than two decades before the name of the tournament was changed to the Australian Championships in 1927. The likes of Rod Laver, Roy Emerson, and Ken Rosewall won most of their Australian Open titles when it was given this name. Finally, in 1969, the tournament got the name “Australian Open” and it has lasted longer than any other name given to the tournament.
#7 The Australian Open used to be held in December during the mid-1980s
Depending on the climate, the dates for the Australian used to be shuffled, and in 1976-77, the competition was played between December 1976 and January 1977. Following this, the organisers proposed a second tournament that year in December. However, many of the top players opted not to compete.
The tournament continued to be played in between December and January till 1981 after which the tournament was played from the last week of November to the first week of December till 1985 after which the tournament was played in mid-January since 1987. As a result, no tournament was held in 1986.
#6 The tournament used to be played on grass courts until 1987
Ever since its inception in 1905, the Australian Open was played on grass courts and this trend continued for 82 years till the 1987 tournament, following which the tournament underwent a surface change from hard courts to grass courts.
In 1988, the Green Rebound Ace hard court surface was used in the tournament and it went on to be used till 2007. This surface was then replaced by the Blue Plexicushion hard court surface and was first used in 2008. Since then, this surface has always been used in all of the Australian Open tournaments and is yet to be replaced.
#5 Mats Wilander is the only player to have won the tournament on both grass and hard courts
As you read in the previous slide, the Australian Open used to be played on hard courts from 1905 to 1987. However, since 1988, the tournament has been played on hard courts. Several top players have played the tournament on both grass and hard courts but only one of them has won the tournament on both surfaces and that is Mats Wilander.
The Australian Open is perhaps Wilander’s favourite Grand Slam, and he won the tournament twice when it was being played on grass courts, in 1983 and 1984. Wilander beat Ivan Lendl in 1983 and South African Kevin Curren in 1984.
Wilander won the first ever Australian Open which was played on hard courts, thus becoming the first and only player to have won the tournament on both surfaces. The only person who came close to achieving this feat was Wilander’s compatriot Stefan Edberg who won the tournament in 1985 but ended the runner-up of the tournament on three occasions when it was being played on hard courts.
#4 Professional players did not participate in the Australian Open during the 1970s and early 80s
The Australian Open has seen many of the sport’s all-time greats lift the trophy in its 112-year history. However, many of the top players during the 1970s and 1980s opted not to play the tournament citing the remoteness of the country, inconvenient dates, and low prize money as primary reasons.
This trend continued till 1982 when the tournament began to be held in the last week of November
The likes of Jimmy Connors, Ilie Nastase, and Bjorn Borg, who were considered to be the best players during the 1970s, hardly played the tournament, with Connors playing only two tournaments in 1974 and 1975, and Nastase and Borg playing the Australian Open only once, in 1981 and 1974 respectively.
#3 Ken Rosewall holds the record for both the oldest and youngest man to win the Australian Open
Ken Rosewall is considered to be one of the greatest tennis players of all-time and had a pretty long career that lasted more than two decades. In his career, Rosewall won a total of eight Grand Slams, four of which were Australian Open titles. These four titles were won in 1953, 1955, 1971, and 1972.
Rosewall holds the record of being the oldest as well as the youngest man to win the Australian Open title. He became the youngest winner of the competition in 1953 at 18 years and two months when he defeated compatriot Mervyn Rose in straight sets to win the first Grand Slam title of his career.
Coincidentally, Rosewall became the oldest champion of the tournament at 37 years and two months when he won the last Grand Slam title of his career. Once again he defeated a compatriot in the final in straight sets, this time Mal Anderson.
#2 The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam to be played across different cities and countries
Since its inception in 1905, the Australian Open has been played in two different countries and a total of seven cities, five in Australia and seven in New Zealand. Melbourne became the official venue for the tournament in 1972 and the tournament has been staged here a total of 55 times.
The other cities that have staged the Australian Open include Sydney, which hosted the tournament 14 times, Adelaide, which hosted it 17 times, Brisbane, seven times, and Perth, three times. Christchurch and Hastings are the two New Zealand cities that have hosted the tournament in 1906 and 1912 respectively.
#1 The first ever Australian Open tournament was held at a cricket stadium
And here comes the most interesting fact about the Australian Open in this list. Yes, the inaugural Australian Open was actually held in a cricket ground. The tournament was held at the Warehouseman’s Cricket Ground at Melbourne which is now called the Albert Reserve Tennis Centre.
The tournament was then called the Australasian Championships began on 17th November and ended on the 26th of November. Barring Great Britain’s Randolph Lycett, all the other participants in the inaugural tournament were Australians. The tournament was eventually won by Rodney Heath who defeated his fellow Australian Albert Curtis in the final in four sets.
