The Australian OpenThe Australian Open is a Grand Slam tennis tournament held in Melbourne, Australian every January. Held for the first time in 1905, the event was known as the Australian Championships until 1968. In tennis, a singles player or double’s team achieves a “True Grand Slam” if they win certain championship titles within one season.
The current Grand Slam tournaments are: the Australian Open, the French Open, the U.S. Open, and Wimbledon. These events are the world’s most prestigious tennis tournaments and they carry with them large monetary prizes and prestige. In 2007, the total prize pool was $20 million.
The Australian Open is managed by Tennis Australia, an organization formerly known as the Lawn Tennis Association of Australia (LTAA). The tournament was first played at the Warehouseman’s Cricket Ground in St. Kilda Road, Melbourne. In 2006, the Open celebrated its 94th event over 101 years – the tournament was not played in some war years. Unlike Wimbledon, the Australian Open has not always been held in the same venue. Since 1905, it has taken place in Melbourne 50 times, but it has also been held in Brisbane, Sydney, New Zealand, Adelaide and Perth.
It wasn’t until 1972 that the championship finally found a permanent home in Melbourne, at the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club. The event outgrew that venue and in 1988 Melbourne Park was constructed to accommodate the increasing number of spectators.
The two main courts at Melbourne Park (Rod Laver Arena and Vodafone Arena) are somewhat unusual – both have retractable roofs that can be shut in case of rain or extreme heat. Held in the middle of the Australian summer, players are often subjected to extreme heat and humidity. In fact, the tournament is often be suspended due to these inhospitable – and sometimes even dangerous - weather conditions.
Along with a monetary prize, winners get their names engraved on a perpetual trophy cup. Women champions are presented with the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup, while the male champion receives the Norman Brooks Challenge Cup.
Going into the 2007 Australian Open, Roger Federer was the reigning men’s champion, while the women’s title belonged to Amelie Mauresmo. Federer received a top seed in 2007, as did Maria Sharapova. This was Sharapova’s first top seeding at the Open. In fact, the world’s best players were at the 2007 Australian Open, including eight former No. 1 players. All of the top 20 men and 18 of the top 20 women competed, and the draw included 97 of the top 100 men and 94 of the top 100 women competed.
American tennis star and two-time Australian Open champion faced tough competition in 2007, and other luminaries like Andy Roddick and Andy Murray also bumped up against strong competitors.
The Australian Open also boats events for juniors singles players and doubles teams, as well as wheelchair singles players and doubles teams. In 2007, the Open debuted the use of Hawk-Eye, an electronic line-calling system. Players will be able to a limited number of line calls during each set, and an unlimited number of line calls within an entire match. This is the first time this technology has ever been used at the Australian Open.
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