Finally! The first Grand Slam tournament of the year is here!
The Australian Open officially begins today, January 19, 2015, and goes through the men's final on February 1.
So here are the Top 5 things that I think you need to know about the Australian Open if you want to sound like you're a true tennis fanatic (which is what I'm aiming for):
- The Australian Open is the first Grand Slam of the calendar year and is held in Melbourne, Australia (that's two things actually).
- Although the first Australian Open was played in 1905, it was not until 1924 that the International Lawn Tennis Federation designated the tournament as a major championship.
- The defending men's champion is Switzerland's Stanilas Wawrinka.
- The 2014 women's champion is Li Na of China, now retired from tennis.
- The Australian Open was originally played on grass. In 1988, the tournament adopted a hard court surface known as “Rebound Ace.” The surface changed again in 2008 and is currently played on a blue “Plexicushion Prestige” surface which retains is more consistent and retains less heat than the Rebound Ace surface. Roger Federer and Serena Williams are the only players to have won the tournament on both the Rebound Ace and Plexicushion Prestige surfaces (now that's some real trivia!).
Enjoy watching the Australian Open and Happy Tennis!
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