The Australian Open is the first Grand Slam of the year and has always had a special place in the hearts of all tennis lovers around the globe. (Top Five Unknown Facts About The Australian Open !)
But in spite of being one of the recent additions to the Grand Slams, it has had it’s own fair share of controversy and intrigue over the years. Tennis superstars over the years have always mentioned how the Australian Open has a special place in their hearts.
But there are some facts that not everyone might know about this competition. So here are the top five unknown facts about the Australian Open ! (Top Five Unknown Facts About The Australian Open !)
5) Grass Courts till 1987 !
The Australian Open was initially played on grass courts. This used to take place every year and only in 1987 did the grass courts get replaced by the hard court.
The Blue Plexicushion court was then used from 2008 which is what we see today. From 1988 to 2007, a green rebound surface was used in the Australian Open.
On a side note, the Australian Open was always played in December? (Top Five Unknown Facts About The Australian Open !)
4) Mats Wilander won on both Grass and Hard Courts !
The Australian Open was Mat Wilander’s favorite Tennis Grand Slam and for good reason.
He won two consecutive Australian Opens while it was a grass court and then won the inaugural hard court Grand slam.
The only one who came close to matching Wilander’s feat was his compatriot Stefan Edberg who won the tournament in 1985.
3) Ken Rosewall is the both the youngest and oldest player to win the Australian Open !
Widely considered as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Ken Rosewall won the Australian Open four times in his illustrious career which spanned for well over two decades.
He became the youngest winner of the Australian Open when he won the title for the very first time at 18 in 1953.
He would also go on to become the oldest winner of the Australian Open when he won in 1972 aged 37 !
2) Melbourne is not the only city to host the Australian Open !
The Australian Open is the only tennis Grand Slam that has been held across different cities and different countries.
Other than Melbourne, Sydney and Perth have hosted the Australian Open multiple times while Hastings and Christchurch have also held the Australian Open when the event was hosted in New Zealand.
Melbourne only became the official venue for the tournament in 1972.
1) The first Australian Open was held in a cricket ground !
The first ever Australian Open was held at the Warehouseman’s Cricket Ground at Melbourne !
The tournament was then called the Australasian Championships began on 17th November and ended on the 26th of November.
The competition was eventually won by Rodney Heath by beating Albert Curtis in the four sets in the final.
