The Australian Open

The Australian Open is the first of the four grand slam tennis tournaments contested annually by the members of the ATP Tour and WTA Tour. The tournament takes place at Melbourne Park in late January, and is one of two grand slam events played on hard courts.

Renowned for the exposure of players to the extreme heat of the Australian summer, it is not unusual for Australian Open matches to be suspended when temperatures rocket over 40 degrees Celsius. Despite the severe weather, the Australian Open is the best-attended grand slam tournament with attendances for each day of the tournament frequently exceeding 50,000.

Australian Open Betting

Australian Open Men’s Odds Comparison

Today the Australian Open is recognised as one of the most important tennis tournaments in the world, and this is reflected in the attention paid to the event by Britain’s most reputable bookmakers. Ante-post odds are made available at the conclusion of the US Open in November, while betting specials are made available during the weeks leading up to the tournament.

Australian Open History

The Australian Open was first held in 1905. For much of its early history the tournament was contested mainly by the best players from New Zealand and Australia, with few foreign tennis stars willing to make the lengthy journey to Oceania to participate in the tournament.

Even the advent of the open era in tennis initially failed to provide a boost to the Australian Open. During the first few years of this era the Australian Open was still disdained by top players due to scheduling issues, the small tournament purse and the lack of media interest in the event.

It was only in the 1980s that the Australian Open became more important on the international circuit. The tournament was moved from Brisbane to its current home in Melbourne, and top ranked players including Mats Wilander, Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe began attending on a regular basis.

Australian Open Winners

American born Andre Agassi has been the most successful men’s singles player at the Australian Open since the advent of the open era. Agassi claimed four Australian Open titles during his career, one more than Mats Wilander and Roger Federer. Prior to the open era, Roy Emerson forged an impressive record at the Australian Open by winning the tournament six times.

No women’s singles player has managed to establish dominance of the Australian Open during the open era. Steffi Graf, Margaret Court, Monica Seles and Evonne Goolagong-Cawley all won the Australian Open four times during their careers.