Australian Open T he Australian Open is a major tennis tournament held annually in Melbourne, Australia. With over seventy players competing, it’s a fantastic opportunity for the world’s best tennis to be played. Many of the big figures come to participate in such a fabulous event. Every year the quality just gets better, and young players come in to show the world their unique excellence. Melbourne Open features athletes with the likes of; Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Roger Federer and many more. First held in 1905, the tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events of the year – the other three being the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. It features men’s and women’s singles; men’s, women’s, and mixed doubles. Fans from all over the world come to watch beautiful tennis being played. With high attendance, the tournament attracts players to play high level tennis to compete for the Grand Slam trophy. This year, Stan Wawrinka was the defending champion in the men’s singles, but lost to four-time Australian Open
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champion Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. Novak Djokovic won an Open Era record fifth men’s singles crown by defeating Andy Murray in the final, the third time they had met each other in the final, and he defeated the Scotsman 7-6 6-7 6-3 6-0. Tennis is not an easy sport, getting the technique inch perfect takes time. The Australian Open shows us how hard it is, not only physically but also mentally: picking what shot to play, where to move, how much top spin to put. The longest Australian Open match was played between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, lasting 5 hours and 53 minutes. With temperatures reaching 45 degrees centigrade, Melbourne is the hottest season for tennis. In the 2016 Australian Open, Djokovic claimed his 11th Grand Slam title of his career with his second straight-sets win in a major final. Andy Murray, the world No.2 and a five-time finalist in Melbourne, represents the leader in the chasing pack, but Novak proved himself faster, more accurate and, when it mattered, capable of holding his nerve under the harshest pressure. By Usman Siddique
Did you know that... • Extreme temperatures in Australia can also cause the tennis balls to shrink and expand. This makes the balls react differently, which can cause problems for players during a match. • The tournament was first played in 1905 as the Australasian Championships and was renamed the Australian Open in 1969. • The total prize for winning the Australian Open 2016 is $40,000,000(AUD) • The Australian Open was originally played on grass courts, but was later changed to hard courts. • There are 300 ball boys/girls altogether helping throughout the event.