The Australian Open is the first of the four annual Grand Slam tennis tournaments – the other three are the French Open, US Open and Wimbledon. The tournament is held in the middle of the Australian summer, in the last fortnight of the month of January.
Australian Open History
The Australasian Tennis Championship were first held in 1905 at the Warehouseman's Cricket Ground in St Kilda Road, Melbourne, in the same city that it was destined to return to for good. It was originally organised by the Lawn Tennis Association of Australia, which has since been renamed to Tennis Australia. After a brief break during the First World War, the women's singles tournament was added in 1922 and the competition was renamed the Australian Championships in 1927. Rod Laver For the first half century of play the Championships toured Australia, visiting various states over the years. The sixties were a golden age for Australian tennis with Rod Laver, Roy Emerson and Margaret Smith winning sixteen of a possible twenty men's and women's title s between them. Margaret Smith (later Court) went on to win eleven Australian titles in all.
The Early Years of the Australian Open
In 1969 the Open era was born and the event's name changed again to the Australian Open. By 1972, the authorities decided that the Australian Open deserved a settled home, and the honour fell to the city that had attracted the greatest patronage - Melbourne. So the competition stayed at Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club for the next sixteen years. Traditionally, the tournament had been held in January. In 1977, it was moved to December, which resulted in there being two tournaments that year. This lasted until 1987 when the event moved back to January, meaning that there was no tournament in 1986.
Chris Evert In the 1980's the event had outgrown Kooyong and so the government constructed the multi-purpose Flinders Park, which first hosted the Open in 1988. The eighties saw European dominance in the men's event from Ivan Lendl, Mats Wilander and Stefan Edberg. The ladies' game saw thrilling clashes between Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert who won three and two titles each respectively. In 1996 the venue was expanded and renamed Melbourne Park. Since the early nineties, the balance of power in the men's competition has moved to America, with seven titles from shared between Jim Courier, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. Americans continued to take many of the ladies' titles, with Monica Seles, Lindsay Davenport and most recently Jennifer Capriati lifting the trophy. In 2000 the centre court was christened The Rod Laver Arena in honour of Australia's tennis hero.
The Australian Open is perhaps the most adaptive of the Grand Slams, and as it enters its second century there are sure to be many new additions and memories created at one of the world's most special sporting events.
Trophies and prize money
Names of the winners are inscribed on the perpetual trophy Cups.- The women's singles winner is presented with the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup.
- The men's singles winner is presented with the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup.
| 2011 | 2010 | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Round | $20,000 | $19,500 |
| 2nd Round | $32,000 | $31,500 |
| 3rd Round | $54,500 | $52,000 |
| 4th Round | $93,000 | $89,000 |
| Quarter Finalist | $210,000 | $200,000 |
| Semi Finalist | $420,000 | $400,000 |
| Runner Up | $1,100,000 | $1,050,000 |
| Champion | $2,200,000 | $2,100,000 |
Ranking points
Ranking points for the ATP and WTA have varied at the Australian Open through the years but presently singles players receive the following points:| ATP | WTA | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Round | 10 | 5 |
| 2nd Round | 45 | 100 |
| 3rd Round | 90 | 160 |
| 4th Round | 180 | 280 |
| Quarter Finalist | 360 | 500 |
| Semi Finalist | 720 | 900 |
| Runner Up | 1200 | 1400 |
| Champion | 2000 | 2000 |
| Event | Champion | Runner-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 Men's Singles |  Novak Djokovic |  Andy Murray | 6–4, 6–2, 6–3 |
| 2011 Women's Singles |  Kim Clijsters |  Li Na | 3–6, 6–3, 6–3 |
| 2011 Men's Doubles |  Bob Bryan Mike Bryan |  Mahesh Bhupathi Leander Paes | 6–3, 6–4 |
| 2011 Women's Doubles |  Gisela Dulko Flavia Pennetta |  Victoria Azarenka Maria Kirilenko | 2–6, 7–5, 6–1 |
| 2011 Mixed Doubles |  Katarina Srebotnik Daniel Nestor |  Chan Yung-jan Paul Hanley | 6–3, 3–6, 10–7 |
Previous Australian Open Winners
| Year | Men | Ladies |
| 2010 | Roger Federer | Serena Williams |
| 2009 | Rafael Nadal | Serena Williams |
| 2008 | Novak Djokovic | Maria Sharapova |
| 2007 | Roger Federer | Serena Williams |
| 2006 | Roger Federer | Amélie Mauresmo |
| 2005 | Marat Safin | Serena Williams |
| 2004 | Roger Federer | Justine Henin-Hardenne |
| 2003 | Andre Agassi | Serena Williams |
| 2002 | Thomas Johansson | Jennifer Capriati |
| 2001 | Andre Agassi | Jennifer Capriati |
| 2000 | Andre Agassi | Lindsay Davenport |
| 1999 | Yevgeny Kafelnikov | Martina Hingis |
| 1998 | Petr Korda | Martina Hingis |
| 1997 | Pete Sampras | Martina Hingis |
| 1996 | Boris Becker | Monica Seles |
| 1995 | Andre Agassi | Mary Pierce |
| 1994 | Pete Sampras | Steffi Graf |
| 1993 | Jim Courier | Monica Seles |
| 1992 | Jim Courier | Monica Seles |
| 1991 | Boris Becker | Monica Seles |
| 1990 | Ivan Lendl | Steffi Graf |
| 1989 | Ivan Lendl | Steffi Graf |
| 1988 | Mats Wilander | Steffi Graf |
| 1987 | Stefan Edberg | Hana Mandlikova |
| 1985 | Stefan Edberg | Martina Navratilova |
| 1984 | Mats Wilander | Chris Evert |
| 1983 | Mats Wilander | Martina Navratilova |
| 1982 | Johan Kriek | Chris Evert |
| 1981 | Johan Kriek | Martina Navratilova |
| 1980 | Brian Teacher | Hana Mandlikova |
| 1979 | Guillermo Vilas | Barbara Jordan |
| 1978 | Guillermo Vilas | Chris O'Neil |
| 1977 | Roscoe Tanner | Kerry Reid |
| 1977 | Vitas Gerulaitis | Evonne Cawley |
| 1976 | Mark Edmondson | Evonne Cawley |
| 1975 | John Newcombe | Evonne Goolagong |
| 1974 | Jimmy Connors | Evonne Goolagong |
| 1973 | John Newcombe | Margaret Court |
| 1972 | Ken Rosewall | Virginia Wade |
| 1971 | Ken Rosewall | Margaret Court |
| 1970 | Arthur Ashe | Margaret Court |
| 1969 | Rod Laver | Margaret Court |
| 1968 | Bill Bowrey | Billie Jean King |
| 1967 | Roy Emerson | Nancy Richey |
| 1966 | Roy Emerson | Margaret Smith |
| 1965 | Roy Emerson | Margaret Smith |
| 1964 | Roy Emerson | Margaret Smith |
| 1963 | Roy Emerson | Margaret Smith |
| 1962 | Rod Laver | Margaret Smith |
| 1961 | Roy Emerson | Margaret Smith |
| 1960 | Rod Laver | Margaret Smith |
| 1959 | Alex Olmedo | Mary Reitano |
| 1958 | Ashley Cooper | Angela Mortimer |
| 1957 | Ashley Cooper | Shirley Fry |
| 1956 | Lew Hoad | Mary Carter |
| 1955 | Ken Rosewall | Beryl Penrose |
| 1954 | Mervyn Rose | Thelma Long |
| 1953 | Ken Rosewall | Maureen Connolly |
| 1952 | Ken McGregor | Thelma Long |
| 1951 | Dick Savitt | Nancye Bolton |
| 1950 | Frank Sedgman | Louise Brough |
| 1949 | Frank Sedgman | Doris Hart |
| 1948 | Adrian Quist | Nancye Bolton |
| 1947 | Dinny Pails | Nancye Bolton |
| 1946 | John Bromwich | Nancye Bolton |
| 1940 | Adrian Quist | Nancye Wynne |
| 1939 | John Bromwich | Emily Westacott |
| 1938 | Donald Budge | Dorothy Bundy |
| 1937 | Vivian McGrath | Nancye Wynne |
| 1936 | Adrian Quist | Joan Hartigan |
| 1935 | Jack Crawford | Dorothy Round |
| 1934 | Fred Perry | Joan Hartigan |
| 1933 | Jack Crawford | Joan Hartigan |
| 1932 | Jack Crawford | Coral Buttsworth |
| 1931 | Jack Crawford | Coral Buttsworth |
| 1930 | Edgar Moon | Daphne Akhurst |
| 1929 | John Gregory | Daphne Akhurst |
| 1918 | Jean Borotra | Daphne Akhurst |
| 1927 | Gerald Patterson | Esna Boyd |
| 1926 | John Hawkes | Daphne Akhurst |
| 1925 | James Anderson | Daphne Akhurst |
| 1924 | James Anderson | Sylvia Lance |
| 1923 | Pat O'Hara | Margaret Molesworth |
| 1922 | James Anderson | Margaret Molesworth |
| 1921 | Rhys Gemmell | |
| 1920 | Pat O'Hara | |
| 1919 | Algernon Kingscote | |
| 1915 | Gordon Lowe | |
| 1914 | Arthur O'Hara | |
| 1913 | Ernie Parker | |
| 1912 | James Parke | |
| 1911 | Norman Brookes | |
| 1910 | Rodney Heath | |
| 1909 | Tony Wilding | |
| 1908 | Fred Alexander | |
| 1907 | Horace Rice | |
| 1906 | Tony Wilding | |
| 1905 | Rodney Heath |
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