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If there is one country and continent that lives and breathes sports, it has to be Australia. Come every January, the land Down Under warms up to welcome the fresh start of a new season of tennis.
Right from the middle of the month the Australian Open jump-starts the Slam calendar. And with each passing year, the January Slam becomes more exciting - there's quality tennis played out under some of the best arenas in the world, replete with an immensely friendly and enthusiastic crowd cheering you on.
The charm about Australia lies in the fact that it forms a breeding ground for a great sporting culture. And there, the Australian Open is easily one of the most awaited occasions on the sports calendar.
The Rod Laver Arena and Margaret Court Arena have firmly stood witness to history being scripted in their boundaries and beyond. And the two arenas have housed legends of the sport and some incredible champions.
They have seen a Roger Federer rediscover his flair for winning and become invincible again as he surged to victory in 2017 and 2018. They have seen Novak Djokovic coming back year after year to claim his victory like the boss that he is. They have seen wonderful rivalries flourishing between Nadal and Federer and Djokovic and Murray, all on the blue hard court turf. They have seen special moments of sportsmanship being brewed in post-match moments which melt hearts.
All in all, the Australian Open has always been a big celebration of tennis, and a reminder of what true sportsmanlike spirit looks like.
Over the years, several legends have conquered the coveted title Down Under. But a few make a cut above the rest for having won it on more occasions than the other players.
As things get ready in Melbourne for the Australian Open to begin from the 14th of January 2019, let's have quick look at the top 5 champions of the year-opening Slam, who have won the Norman Brooks Challenge Cup and the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup the most number of times in the Open Era.
#5 Monica Seles
Living in the shoes of Monica Seles was no easy task, especially in the early 90s when she was at the peak of her career. The immensely talented woman from Yugoslavia and later, United States, had to go through a lot in her professional career.
The biggest reason why she is here on this list is because of her true sportsmanlike spirit which she showed over the years as a player. Seles has 9 Grand Slams in her tally with 4 wins at the Australian Open, which ties her with several other players like Eva Goolagong and of course, Margaret Court, who has 11 titles to her name (out of which 4 came in the Open Era).
Seles defeated Jana Novotna of Czech Republic in a tight three set match to win her first Australian Open title in 1991. She came back in 1992 on a high and defended her title ably against Mary Joe Fernandez, seeing her off in a straight sets encounter.
Seles pulled off a hat-trick in 1993 when she defeated the equally popular Steffi Graf in a mouth-watering final clash. But this win became fatal for Seles as it incurred the wrath of an ardent Graf fan, who stabbed her between the shoulder blades during a match in Hamburg a few months later.
Forced to take a two-year hiatus, Seles came back strong and in 1996, she was back at the Australian Open where she won her 4th title as she defeated the German Anke Huber!
#4 Andre Agassi
Andre Agassi was always the talking point on the court due to his flamboyant style of playing and dressing. The man from America is quite the legend of the sport with 8 Grand Slams to his name which include four wins at the year-opening Grand Slam.
The former World No. 1's third career Grand Slam win came in 1995 when he faced off against long-time rival Pete Sampras in a four-set match at the Australian Open. He surpassed the challenge to claim his first ever Slam title in the country Down Under.
After a five-year gap Agassi found himself in the final again, against former World Number 1 Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia, who was the defending champion. Agassi went on to defeat Yevgeny and win his second Australian Open title.
Going into 2001 as the defending champion, Agassi stayed true to the expectations and warded off Arnaud Clement in straight sets to win his third title in Melbourne. In 2003, Agassi was pitted against Rainer Schuttler of Germany whose challenge Agassi overcame easily in three sets to win his 4th Australian Open title.
#3 Novak Djokovic
If anybody is a crowd favorite after Roger Federer in Australia, it's definitely Novak Djokovic. The Serb World No. 1 has been there and done it all.
He started winning in Australia from 2008, when he defeated Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in a four-set final. Fast forward to 2011, and Djokovic was back at it when he defeated long-time rival and friend Andy Murray in straight sets.
He returned successfully in 2012 and 2013 to claim victories and defend the title from Rafael Nadal and Murray, respectively. After this marvelous hat-trick of Australian Open titles, Djokovic was still hungry for more and his grit and passion saw him emerge as the winner of the Norman Brooks Challenge Cup in 2015 and 2016, defeating Murray on both occasions.
The Serb was in perfect shape and form in the latter half of the year 2018, and is a very good contender for a record 7th title at Australia this year.
#2 Roger Federer
The suave and charismatic Roger Federer has rediscovered his touch ever since the Australian Open proved to be his comeback platform in 2017, when a new version of vintage Federer was unleashed in Rod Laver Arena.
The man with 20 Grand Slams to his name boasts of having won the year-opening Slam a joint-record 6 times in his career. Australia has always been a special place for Federer and this Slam all the more, for it was in January 2004 that he defeated Marat Safin to bag his first ever Norman Brooks Challenge Cup - which paved the way to him becoming the World No. 1 for the first time in his career.
After the momentous victory, Federer won the Slam yet again in 2006, when he defeated a very ambitious Marcos Baghdatis in a tight four-setter. He ably defended his title in 2007 when he warded off Chilean Fernando Gonzalez and got his third title.
The fourth one came calling in 2010 when Federer defeated Andy Murray to win his 16th Grand Slam title.
After suffering a title drought for a few years, Federer made a fairytale comeback in 2017 where he clashed against arch-rival Rafael Nadal in a dream final. In 2018, he defended his title and won his 20th Grand Slam against Croat Marin Cilic.
If one thing can be said for sure, it is that Federer would love to register a hat-trick of wins at the Australian Open by triumphing again in 2019.
#1 Serena Williams
Serena Williams has been an unstoppable force in the women's circuit since a long, long time. With 23 glorious Grand Slams in her name, Serena's contribution and achievements in the sport are one too many, and she occupies a large section of the records book.
Serena is the only player in the Open Era to have won the year-opening Slam a record 7 times in her career.
It all started in 2003 when a young Serena locked horns against her big sister Venus Williams in the finals, only to overpower her and win her first Australian Open title. In 2005, Serena went up against former World No. 1 Lindsay Davenport in the final, in a match that saw her lay claim to her second Melbourne crown.
2007 proved to be a good start to the year too when an unseeded Williams defeated Maria Sharapova in the final to win a third title here. In 2009, she was faced with former World No. 1 Dinara Safina who she dusted off in under an hour to win her fourth Australian Open.
In 2010, Williams defended her title with conviction when she won against Justin Henin and took home her fifth Australian Open trophy. Serena's 19th Grand Slam win coincided with her sixth title win in Australia when she gave Maria Sharapova a hard time and won the final in straight sets.
2017 was perhaps the most special victory of all for Serena. The powerhouse player went up against her sister Venus in another mouth-watering clash and claimed the 7th title without even dropping a set in the tournament. The special factor was the fact that Williams was a little over eight weeks pregnant when she played in Australia!
The grit and strength as well as passion of Williams make her a joy to watch on the court, and we know she will give it her all to win for an eighth time in Melbourne this year.
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