2022 Australian Open Begins
Tennis has four major tournaments that form the Grand Slam: the French Open, Wimbledon, U.S. Open and the Australian Open, the latter of which begins on Monday, January 17.
The first Australian Open was held in 1905, when it began at the Warehouseman’s Cricket Ground in Melbourne. Back then, it was known under a different name: the Australasian Championships. For a brief period, it was also known as the Australian Championship, until it was named the Australian Open in 1969. Initially, the Australian Open was played in different cities including Sydney, Perth and Brisbane, but it has since been confined to the city of Melbourne alone.
Melbourne was selected as the permanent host city for the Open due to the consistent spectatorship of more than 140,000 people, while other cities saw a less-regular attendance. In 1988, when the game was moved to Melbourne Park, there was an immediate 90% jump in attendance.
A major difference in the venue change was the playing surface. Since the beginning, the Australian Open was always played on grass court. When the change to Melbourne Park came about, the decision was made to shift to blue hard courts, and has since become a signature of the Australian Open.
Like other major tournaments, the Australian Open has been won by a few superstars multiple times. The record for most Australian Open wins, at six total wins, is shared by two players: Roy Stanley Emerson and Novak Djokovic. Djokovic’s status for the 2022 tournament was in question, with his visa being revoked twice due to his vaccination status against COVID-19. Hearings scheduled for Saturday and Sunday determined that Djokovic would be deported and not allowed to compete.
The first week of tournament play should be under favorable weather conditions, with little to no rain expected. High temperatures will range from 68 to 82 degrees F (21 to 29 degrees C) through Sunday, with cloudy to partly cloudy skies above. Winds will likely be in the double digits for much of the first week, with the windiest day (around 20 mph from the southeast) coming on Wednesday. Otherwise, rain chances only rise to 20% on Friday, January 21.
Sources: Australian Open, AP News
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Story Image: Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open via Pixabay
