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Tennis is one of the top favorite
sports in Australia. This is the reason the annual Australia
Open is very much anticipated and watched. The tennis
tournament is one of the four major Grand Slam tournaments,
the most important and major tennis events in the world that
also include French Open, Wimbledon and US Open. So far, the Australia Open is topping
the three others in terms of tradition, world ranking
points, public attention and prizes.
Australia Open is a tournament featuring singles
competitions (men and women), mixed doubles and competitions
for junior and master categories. The annual tournament has
been one of the major tourism events every January in
Melbourne, Victoria. The event is regularly held at
Melbourne Park’s hard courts. |
The tournament started in 1905. Since its beginning until
1987, Australian Open has been held on grass. It was only in
1988 that the competition has started being held at hard
courts. Currently, tournament events are held at Melbourne
Parks’ Hisense Arena and Rod Laver Arena. Both main courts
feature retractable roofs that can be shut when there is
extreme heat or sudden rain.
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Every year, attendance in every Australian Open event never
fails. In fact, the tournament is noted for its very high
attendance. The 2009 Australian Open has the record of
attaining the highest day/night, single-day attendance
record in the history of any Grand Slam tennis tournament.
The Open attracted some 66,018 audience. This is surprising
given the current economic and financial turmoil. All in
all, the record Australian Open contributed up to A$85
million to the national economy.
The tennis tournament is being managed by Tennis Australia,
which used to be known as Lawn Tennis Association of
Australia or LTAA. In history, the first Australian Open was
held at Warehouseman’s Cricket Ground, located at St. Kilda
Road, Melbourne. |
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The site has been renamed as Albert
Reserve Tennis Centre. Australia Open was first called The
Australasian Championships. In 1927, it became the
Australian Championships. Only in 1969 was it called the
Australian Open.
The events have not all been held in Melbourne. In some
years in the past, other venues around the country and in
New Zealand were used. In tally, for 50 years, the
tournament was held in Melbourne; Sydney hosted Australia
Open for 17 times, Adelaide for 14 times, Brisbane for 8
times, and Perth for 3 times. In New Zealand, the tournament
was held in Christchurch in the year 1906 and then in
Hastings in 1912. The decision to hold the event in
Melbourne every year was reached in 1972.
Melbourne Park, originally Flinders Park, was built in 1988
for the Australian Open. It was designed to meet demands of
tournament evolution. It was also made bigger to accommodate
more audience. In 1988, during the first Australian Open in
Melbourne Park, attendance jumped 90%, instantly confirming
the good and successful decision to move venue.
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