-->

• Held annually in Melbourne, Australia, the Australian Open is one of the four major tennis championship tournaments. In addition to the tournament, the week-long event features a casual girls breakfast and black-tie ball.Official Site: Functions

  The 2009 Australian Open featured a Wimbledon rematch between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, with Nadal defeating Federer in five sets for his first Australian Open title.ESPN.com: Nadal tops Federer for first Aussie title In the women's final, Serena Williams defeated Dinara Safina.The New York Times: Serena Williams Holds Australian Trophy, Again

• Fast Facts

  1. Location: Melbourne Park
  2. Surface: Plexicushion
  3. Prize money: $20.6 million (2008)Official Site: Australian Open - where the world comes to play (October 2, 2007)
  4. 1968: Became open to amateurs and professionals
  5. 2009 tournament: January 19-February 1
  6. 2010 tournament: January 18-31, 2010
  7. Works with the Kids Tennis Foundation, The United Way and The Bone Growth FoundationOfficial Site: Official Charities

• History

  Originally called the Australasian Men's Championships, the first tournament was held in 1905. Initially open to men only, the tournament began allowing women to compete in 1922. Five years later, the name was changed to the Australian Championships. It adopted its current name of the Australian Open in 1969. After using a grass playing surface for nearly a century, a hard-court surface was adopted as the standard in 1987. Starting in 2008, a blue Plexicushion surface was used for the first time.

• Men's Champions

  • 2009: Rafael Nadal
  • 2008: Novak Djokovic
  • 2007: Roger Federer
  • 2006: Roger Federer
  • 2005: Marat Safin
  • 2004: Roger Federer

• Women's Champions

  • 2009: Serena Williams
  • 2008: Maria Sharapova
  • 2007: Serena Williams
  • 2006: Amelie Mauresmo
  • 2005: Serena Williams
  • 2004: Justine Henin

• Related Pages on Mahalo

  Roger Federer | Rafael Nadal | Andy Roddick | Nikolay Davydenko | James Blake | Justine Henin | Maria Sharapova | Serena Williams | French Open | US Open Tennis | Wimbledon | Evonne Goolagong | Anna Chakvetadze

Categories

• View History
• Discuss on the Message Board
• Embed this Page
• Share this page