The 2016 Australian Open is fast approaching; here are some fast facts about the tournament.
Australian Open Dates The Australian will start on January 18th, Monday and end on January 31st, Sunday this 2016. The women’s finals (singles) are to take place during January 30th, Saturday while the men’s finals (singles) will be on January 31st. That said, you can expect boutique hotels Melbourne to be a hot commodity, book as soon as you can!
History of Australian Open The Australian Open was first introduced way back in 1905. Back then it was called the Australian Championship and but the name was eventually changed to Australian Open in 1969. It has been played in different cities and countries since its inception but has consistently been held in Melbourne, Australia from 1987 onwards. The very first match was played in Warehouseman’s Cricket Ground, now called the Albert Cricket ground and the 1906 and 1912 tournaments were played in New Zealand.
From Grass Court to Hard Court The Australian open was originally played on a grass ground until 1987. In 1988 a change to hardcourts was made. Its two main courts the Hisense Arena and the Rod Laver Arena still use hardcourts to this day. Trivia: Mats Wilander remains the only player to have won championships on both grass and hard courts.
Noteworthy Winners of the Australian Open Over the last three decades, the Australian Open has produced a huge number of tennis legends. Over the men’s category the most noteworthy are: Kenneth Robert Rosewall, Roy Stanley Emerson, Mats Wilander, Rod Laver, Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. Some of the most important female tennis champs who have made their mark at the Australian Open are: Margaret Smith, Nancy Wynne Bolton, Steffi Graf, Evonne Goolagong, Thelma Coyne, and Martina Hingis.
Fast Facts on Australian Open’s Champs Ken Rosewall won the Australian Open at age 18 while Martina Hingis won the title at age 16 making them both the youngest to win the Australian Open Championships for men’s and women’s divisions respectively. Roy Emerson has had the most number of singles wins from the men’s division (5) while Margaret Court has had the most number of wins for the women’s division (7). At 11 championships, Margaret Court has the most number of singles titles over-all. To get a chance to be part of Australian Open history hurry and book a boutique hotel in Melbourne.
2009 As the Hottest Playing Season in the History of the Australian Open The Australian open is typically held in January, which unlike most of the world is actually summertime in Australia. During the matches, temperatures can get so high that the tournament has established an Extreme Heat Policy to deal with extremes in summer temps. 2009 became the hottest playing season to date at 34.7 degrees Celsius.
Australian Open Venues throughout History Most of the games have been organized in Melbourne and in 1972, organizers decided that the preferred and permanent residence of the Australian open would be Melbourne Park. Other places where the tournament has taken place include: Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Sydney in Australia and Hastings and Christchurch in New Zealand.