“Thi s i s m y m o s t su cc e s s f ul G r a n d Slam . Bu t t his Gra nd S l a m i s a l s o k now n fo r a lot o f s u r p r i s e s , p layers wh o have b e e n r e ac h i n g t h e fi nal stag e s w ho a re n ot e xp e c t e d to, espe c ia lly in the las t s i x, s e v e n years. T h e Au s t ra lia n O p e n a lway s bri ngs so m e t h in g int e r e s t i ng.” – Novak Djokovic Men’s Singles Champion 2013
‘ ’ yo u ’r e t h e o n ly o n e w h o k n ow s w hat yo u’v e b e e n g o i n g t h ro ugh t h e s e t wo w e e k s . S o i t’s d e f i n it e ly a n e moti o n al o n e a nd i t ’s g o i ng to b e s p e c i a l . B ut to defen d t h e t i tl e , i t’s a d i f f e r e nt o n e , fo r s u r e. ’ ’ – Victoria Azarenka Women’s Singles Champion 2013
Australian Open 2013 A fortnight of brilliant Melbourne weather set the tone for Australian Open 2013, where established stars competed with exciting new talents for sporting glory and record prize money. Played out in front of huge crowds and millions more around the world on TV and online, there was drama, emotion, moments of brilliance and countless epic battles. Novak Djokovic and Victoria Azarenka – the first pair of defending champions in 15 years to return to Melbourne Park as the top seeds – again claimed the singles titles, with Djokovic largely dominating the men’s event to solidify his position at the top of the game. Azarenka, however, was forced to fight, finishing with a gritty three-set final win over Li Na. Americans Bob and Mike Bryan won a record-breaking 13th Grand Slam doubles title as a pair, while Italians Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci proved their top-seeded status, claiming their third major title from the past four Slams. There were home-grown winners in the mixed (Matt Ebden and Jarmila Gajdosova) and juniors (Nick Kyrgios), while a host of former tennis greats lit up the Legends events. And that’s not forgetting the humour of Li, the sunny Sloane Stephens, the enduring Roger Federer, the emergence of Bernard Tomic, the compelling Serena Williams … it was these stories and more that helped cement the Australian Open’s standing as one of the world’s greatest sporting and entertainment events.
STAR POWER: Novak Djokovic (SRB) became the first man since Australian tennis legend Roy Emerson to win three Australian Open singles titles in a row, defeating Andy Murray (GBR) 6-7(2) 7-6(3) 6-3 6-2 in the final.
HEAVEN HELP ME: Red-hot favourite Serena Williams was in the wars at Australian Open 2013, severely twisting her ankle in her opening round win and smacking herself in the face with her racquet during the second round. She battled into the quarterfinals on an increasingly swollen ankle, before a back injury, and an inspired Sloane Stephens, finally brought her undone.
Kids Tennis Day Young tennis fans enjoyed a day they could only dream of at Kids Tennis Day, the biggest of its kind to date at the Australian Open and boasting record attendance. Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic, Victoria Azarenka, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Ana Ivanovic lit up the court with an exhibition match as part of the Rod Laver Arena spectacular, produced for the first time in association with Nickelodeon Australia, while Australian music star Guy Sebastian rocked the crowd with a highenergy performance. The day also featured appearances by Dora the Explorer and SpongeBob SquarePants, the Australian Open trophies on display, the Celebrity Slam event featuring Martina Hingis and Alicia Molik, and scores of youngsters enjoying MLC Tennis Hot Shots.
“T h e A u s t ra l i a n O p e n i s n ow my favo u r i t e g ra nd s la m to u r n a me n t. I r e a l ly l i k e co mi ng he re a nd s e e i ng t h e fa mi l i a r face s .” – Li Na Women’s Singles Finalist 2013
HEART AND SOUL: The anguish of missed chances, a surge of hope, devastation in defeat, the thrill of victory ‌ players, and their fans, experience a multitude of emotions at the Australian Open.
The Blue Squad More than 380 ballkids worked the courts at Australian Open 2013, a carefully-selected squad of 12 to 15 year olds working to ensure the players’ needs were met and court operations ticked along smoothly at the year’s first Grand Slam event. The ballkids came through a rigorous selection process beginning in early 2012, with more than 1000 applicants whittled down through a multi-stage trial process. The final squad included 23 ballkids from interstate, 20 from Korea and six from China. Seen here posing with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga for their annual group photo ahead of the tournament, the ballkids were described by Tournament Director Craig Tiley as “the best in the world”.
A us t r a l i a n o p e n i n t e r nat i o na l t rop hy tou r Beijing, China
A u s t ra lian open in t ernat ion a l tro p h y to ur Temple of Heaven, Beijing, China
Going Global As the Grand Slam of Asia-Pacific, the Australian Open continued to strengthen its ties with the region when the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup and Norman Brookes Challenge Cup embarked on an exotic threeweek tour of Asia in October 2012. Visiting historic sites, major attractions and tennis events in Tokyo, Japan and six Chinese cities – Beijing, Fuzhou, Shanghai, Zhangzhou, Xiamen and Nanjing – the trophies were seen by many thousands of fans, who enjoyed the chance to get up close to such prestigious sporting silverware. The tour created a buzz and anticipation ahead of Australian Open 2013 and helped bolster the tournament’s position as the region’s premier sporting event.
a us t r a l i a n o p e n trop hy tou r Ballarat, Victoria
A u s t ra lian open t roph y tou r Rottnest Island, Western Australia
Ahead of Australian Open 2013, the Daphne Akhurst
Australia’s Rottnest Island and historic Sovereign Hill in
Memorial Cup and Norman Brookes Challenge Cup toured
Victoria, visited Federal Parliament House, took a trip on
Australia’s main cities and natural wonders, adding to the
Puffing Billy, and made guest appearances at Seven News
excitement of the build-up to the year’s first Grand Slam
desks and on Sunrise.
event.
Fans relished the chance to have their photo taken with the
“Daphne” and “Norm” scaled Sydney Tower, experienced the
trophies thanks to public viewing opportunities during the
outback, sailed the Great Barrier Reef, explored Western
tour, which spanned October-December 2012.
Official Tournament Draw The official tournament draw took place on Friday 11 January at Crown Riverside with defending champions, Novak Djokovic and Victoria Azarenka in attendance. Forty-seven nations were represented among the 256 players competing in main draw singles. There were 39 countries represented in the men’s singles and 40 in the women’s singles draw. A total of 548 players competed across all main draw events, including juniors, wheelies and legends.
TAKING CONTROL: Canada’s Milos Raonic clocked the fastest serve of the tournament at 233 km/h and served 90 aces in four matches, the most of any man in the draw. Serena Williams (USA) recorded the fastest serve in the women’s draw at 207 km/h, as well as posting the highest number of aces with 34 for the tournament.
“ I re a lly e n j oy e d i t o u t t h e r e . It ’s ob vio u sly a p r i v i l e g e p l ay i ng o n c e n t re co u rt h e r e i n M e lb o u r n e , at Ro d L av e r A r e n a .” – Roger Federer
Australian Open Wildcard Play-off Another exciting innovation for Australian Open 2013 was the Asia-Pacific Australian Open Wildcard Play-off, bringing together some of the best players from China, Japan, Thailand, India and Chinese Taipei in Nanjing, China to compete for a prized wildcard into the Australian Open 2013 main draw. With the inaugural event further strengthening the Australian Open’s foothold in the AsiaPacific region, the wildcards were ultimately won by exciting Chinese talents Wu Di (pictured) and Zhang Yuxuan, who would go on to contest their very first Grand Slam events.
AN Z in prec inc t
Grand Slam Oval Grand Slam Oval, the Australian Open’s entertainment precinct, was again a perfect illustration of how sport and entertainment have fused to make the tournament one of the world’s best events. Grand Slam Oval had something for everyone – a space to enjoy a drink under the sun or stars while watching tennis action on the giant screens, see Australia’s best music acts on the Heineken Live Stage, or experience an array of exciting activities such as a 3D photo experience at ANZ Advantage Arena. A vibrant precinct always alive with people, Grand Slam Oval was a major contributor to the buzzing atmosphere of Australian Open 2013.
AN Z ON court Rod Laver Arena
Margaret Court Arena
AN Z ON court Rod Laver Arena
AN Z in prec inc t
AN Z in prec inc t
AN Z in prec inc t
GETTING CLOSER: Andy Murray reached his third Australian Open final in 2013, and again came up short. But that elusive victory at Melbourne Park appears closer than ever – after straight-set finals losses in 2010 and 2011, Murray pushed Novak Djokovic to four gruelling sets this time around.
LIVE SI T E Federation Square, Melbourne
taking tennis to the people: Adding to the atmosphere of Australian Open 2013 was the Federation Square live site, taking the tournament into the thriving heart of Melbourne and allowing fans to watch matches on the big screen. Whether beneath blazing blue skies or the glittering lights of the city by night, it proved a magnificent setting in which to enjoy the world-class tennis action.
A u s t ra lian open t ech nolo g y Digital and social media
The tournament saw 15.5 million unique users across all digital platforms, including mobile & desktop, with Roger Federer the most popular male player during the event (with 348,799 profile views) and Sloane Stephens the most popular female (with 252,804). The Australian Open Facebook page grew to 886,661 likes and a weekly reach of 7.1 million, while on Twitter, @australianopen grew to 157,948 followers. Mobile site, Android and iPhone apps had a total of 187,843,764 page views with the iPhone and Android apps receiving 1.173 million active app users. There were 18.48 million plays of AO TV video via our Australian Open digital platforms and YouTube channel. IBM also reported 6.825 million downloads of the new Mandarin scoreboard.
Li Na
Tomas Berdych
Svetlana Kuznetsova
A City for the Senses While the action was exciting on court, the players also loved their experiences away from Melbourne Park. They visited many attractions, sampled the city’s beautiful food, soaked up the glorious summer weather and got up close and personal with nature.
“Au s t rAliA n O p e n 20 1 3 r e p r e s e n ts A h i g h p O i n t i n m y cAre e r … m y first g r A n d s l Am q u A rte r-f i n A l An d it w ill re m A in fOre v e r e tch e d i n my mi n d … it wA s An int e nse A nd t h r i l l i n g e mOti O n A l e xp e r i e n ce . i A lsO discOve re d s O me O f th e b e Au ti f ul s c e n e ry in m e lb Ou rne … s O me th i n g th At mAk e s me wA n t tO cO me b Ac k e v e ry y e A r .” – Jeremy Chardy Quarterfinalist 2013
HAPPY HUNTING GROUND: World No.1 and top seed Victoria Azarenka (BLR) became the eighth woman in history to win back-to-back Australian Open singles titles, defeating sixth seed Li Na (CHN) 4-6 6-4 6-3. In 2012 Azarenka became only the second player ever to win both junior (2005) and women’s singles titles after Chris O’Neil (AUS) achieved the feat in 1978.
MEDIA COVERAGE: More than 720 journalists, photographers and videographers provided detailed coverage of the Australian Open including 315 international media from 40 different countries. Asian media represented 22 per cent of all international accredited media. More than 1000 broadcast media were accredited, covering more than 27 networks and broadcasting to more than 200 countries.
The Happy Slam Fans love the Australian Open, and the Australian Open loves its fans. Almost 700,000 streamed through the gates at Melbourne Park during the tournament fortnight, making it one of the world’s highestattended sporting events and providing the lively atmosphere that has seen the tournament unofficially dubbed the “Happy Slam”. A record daily attendance was achieved at 10 sessions, including a Grand Slam event daily attendance record on the middle Saturday with 80,735 people. They packed out the stadiums, Grand Slam Oval, Garden Square, Autograph Island and practice courts, and if they weren’t on site, they were taking in the action at the Federation Square live site or tuning in via TV, radio, online and their mobile devices.
o u r fa ns lov e comin g to t h e a ustr a l i a n o p e n ‌ and we love our fans
Making a Mark Seeded 29th at just 19 years of age, Sloane Stephens was already a noted talent. But the manner in which she stormed into her first ever major semifinal surprised everybody – she rocked the tournament by ousting hot favourite Serena Williams in the quarterfinals, before giving eventual champion Victoria Azarenka all she could handle in the semis. With a bubbly personality and compelling game – plus the most viewed Australian Open website profile of any female player – Stephens announced herself as an exciting future face of women’s tennis.
nationa l t ennis centre Melbourne Park, Melbourne
National Tennis Centre A stunning addition to Melbourne Park, the National Tennis Centre was unveiled in the lead-up to Australian Open 2013, the state-of-the-art design providing an extra eight indoor and five outdoor Plexicushion courts, eight Italian clay courts, plus advanced gymnasium, recovery, training and video-analysis facilities. Acting as a new practice space for elite players during the Australian Open as well as a fabulous year-round facility for player development in Australia, the National Tennis Centre forms just part of the extensive redevelopment of Melbourne Park, securing the Australian Open’s future in Melbourne until at least 2036.
n ati o na l te n n i s c en tre Melbourne Park, Melbourne David Ferrer
FRENCH FORCE: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was the highest-ranked player in a French troupe that made its presence keenly felt at Melbourne Park in 2013. Four Frenchmen – Tsonga, Jeremy Chardy, Gilles Simon and Richard Gasquet – reached the last 16, with Tsonga and Chardy advancing to the quarterfinals. There, Tsonga pushed Roger Federer to the brink in a thrilling match before ultimately falling in five sets.
FREE SPIRITED: A young fan enjoys the rush of cool air at Grand Slam Oval on a sizzling day at Melbourne Park, one of many glorious blueskied, sunny and summery days that characterised Australian Open 2013.
O fficia l t roph y pr esen tat ion Rod Laver Arena ANZ Chief Executive Officer Mike Smith (third from left) took part in the Australian Open women’s final post-match presentation, awarding runner-up Li Na with a cheque for $1.215 million.
SEMI-SATIONAL: With his defeat of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the last eight, Roger Federer advanced to an incredible 10th consecutive Australian Open semifinal, an Open Era record.
s ta nding room only Heineken Saturday
A u s t ra lian open series Winners 2013
Serena Williams Women’s Singles Champion – Brisbane International
Spain (Fernando Gonzalez and Anabel Medina Garrigues) Winners, Hyundai Hopman Cup. (Pictured with runners-up, Serbia Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic).
Clockwise from top left: Andy Murray, Men’s Singles Champion – Brisbane International; Elena Vesnina, Women’s Singles Champion – Moorilla Hobart International; Agnieszka Radwanska, Women’s Singles Champion – Apia International Sydney; Bernard Tomic, Men’s Singles Champion, Apia International Sydney.
A big thank you must go to the players, fans, staff and sponsors for making Australian Open 2013 another amazing tournament and a monumental experience. Our reputation continues as one of the world’s best events and, as we all know, the players’ favourite Grand Slam. Yet we’re not content to stop here. We look forward to partnering with you again in 2014 and beyond, as together we work to further grow the Australian Open.
Craig Tiley, Australian Open Tournament Director