Australian Open - Wikipedia Australian Open This article is about the tennis tournament. For other uses, see Australian Open ( disambiguation ). `` Australasian Championships '' redirects here. For the track and field event, see Australasian Athletics Championships. Australian Open Official website Founded 1905 ; 112 years ago ( 1905 ) Editions 105 ( 2017 ) Location Melbourne ( since 1972 ) Australia Venue Melbourne Park ( since 1988 ) Surface Grass - outdoors ( 1905 -- 87 ) Hard - outdoors ( since 1988 ) Prize money A $ 50,000,000 ( 2017 ) Men 's Draw 128 S / 128 Q / 64 D Current champions Roger Federer ( singles ) Henri Kontinen John Peers ( doubles ) Most singles titles 6 Roy Emerson Novak Djokovic Most doubles titles 10 Adrian Quist Women 's Draw 128 S / 96 Q / 64 D Current champions Serena Williams ( singles ) Bethanie Mattek - Sands Lucie Šafářová ( doubles ) Most singles titles 11 Margaret Court Most doubles titles 12 Thelma Coyne Long Mixed Doubles Draw 48 Current champions Abigail Spears Juan Sebastián Cabal Most titles ( male ) Harry Hopman Colin Long Most titles ( female ) Daphne Akhurst Cozens Nell Hall Hopman Nancye Wynne Bolton Thelma Coyne Long Grand Slam Australian Open French Open Wimbledon US Open Last Completed 2017 Australian Open The Australian Open is a major tennis tournament held annually over the last fortnight of January in Melbourne, Australia. First held in 1905, the tournament is chronologically the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events of the year -- the other three being the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. It features men 's and women 's singles ; men 's, women 's and mixed doubles and junior 's championships ; as well as wheelchair, legends and exhibition events. Prior to 1988 the tournament had been played on grass courts, but since then two types of hardcourt surfaces have been used at Melbourne Park -- green coloured Rebound Ace up to 2007 and, afterwards, blue Plexicushion. The Australian Open typically has high attendances, rivalling and occasionally exceeding the US Open. The tournament holds the record for the highest attendance at a Grand Slam event. It was the first Grand Slam tournament to feature indoor play during wet weather or extreme heat with its three primary courts, the Rod Laver Arena, Hisense Arena and the refurbished Margaret Court Arena equipped with retractable roofs. Contents 1 History 1.1 Television coverage 1.2 Attendance 2 Prize money and trophies 3 Ranking points 4 Champions 4.1 Past champions 4.2 Current champions 5 Courts 6 Records 7 See also 8 Notes 9 References 10 External links History Inside Rod Laver Arena prior to an evening session in 2007 The Australian Open is managed by Tennis Australia, formerly the Lawn Tennis Association of Australia ( LTAA ), and was first played at the Warehouseman 's Cricket Ground in Melbourne in November 1905. This facility is now known as the Albert Reserve Tennis Centre. The tournament was first known as the Australasian Championships and then became the Australian Championships in 1927 and the Australian Open in 1969. Since 1905, the Australian Open has been staged in five Australian and two New Zealand cities : Melbourne ( 55 times ), Sydney ( 17 times ), Adelaide ( 14 times ), Brisbane ( 7 times ), Perth ( 3 times ), Christchurch ( 1906 ) and Hastings ( 1912 ). Though started in 1905, the tournament was not designated as being a major championship until 1924, by the International Lawn Tennis Federation ( ILTF ) at a 1923 meeting. The tournament committee changed the structure of the tournament to include seeding at that time. In 1972, it was decided to stage the tournament in Melbourne each year because it attracted the biggest patronage of any Australian city. The tournament was played at the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club from 1972 until the move to the new Melbourne Park complex in 1988. The new facilities at Melbourne Park ( formerly Flinders Park ) were envisaged to meet the demands of a tournament that had outgrown Kooyong 's capacity. The move to Melbourne Park was an immediate success, with a 90 percent increase in attendance in 1988 ( 266,436 ) on the previous year at Kooyong ( 140,000 ). Because of Australia 's geographic remoteness, very few foreign players entered this tournament in the early 20th century. In the 1920s, the trip by ship from Europe to Australia took about 45 days. The first tennis players who came by boats were the US Davis Cup players in November 1946. Even inside the country, many players could not travel easily. When the tournament was held in Perth, no one from Victoria or New South Wales crossed by train, a distance of about 3,000 kilometres ( 1,900 mi ) between the east and west coasts. In Christchurch in 1906, of a small field of 10 players, only two Australians attended and the tournament was won by a New Zealander. Margaret Court Arena at the Australian Open with the old Rebound Ace surface. Rod Laver Arena, the centre court, in the background The first tournaments of the Australasian Championships suffered from the competition of the other Australasian tournaments. Before 1905, all Australian states and New Zealand had their own championships, the first organised in 1880 in Melbourne and called the Championship of the Colony of Victoria ( later the Championship of Victoria ). In those years, the best two players -- Australian Norman Brookes ( whose name is now written on the men 's singles cup ) and New Zealander Anthony Wilding -- almost did not play this tournament. Brookes came once and won in 1911, and Wilding entered and won the competition twice ( 1906 and 1909 ). Their meetings in the Victorian Championships ( or at Wimbledon ) helped to determine the best Australasian players. Even when the Australasian Championships were held in Hastings, New Zealand, in 1912, Wilding, though three times Wimbledon champion, did not come back to his home country. It was a recurring problem for all players of the era. Brookes went to Europe only three times, where he reached the Wimbledon Challenge Round once and then won Wimbledon twice. Thus, many players had never played the Austral ( as ) ian amateur or open championships : the Doherty brothers, William Larned, Maurice McLoughlin, Beals Wright, Bill Johnston, Bill Tilden, René Lacoste, Henri Cochet, Bobby Riggs, Jack Kramer, Ted Schroeder, Pancho Gonzales, Budge Patty, and others, while Brookes, Ellsworth Vines, Jaroslav Drobný, came just once. Even in the 1960s and 1970s, when travel was less difficult, leading players such as Manuel Santana, Jan Kodeš, Manuel Orantes, Ilie Năstase ( who only came once, when 35 years old ) and Björn Borg came rarely or not at all. Beginning in 1969, when the first Australian Open was held on the Milton Courts at Brisbane, the tournament was open to all players, including professionals who were not allowed to play the traditional circuit. Nevertheless, except for the 1969 and 1971 tournaments, many of the best players missed this championship until 1982, because of the remoteness, the inconvenient dates ( around Christmas and New Year 's Day ) and the low prize money. In 1970, George MacCall 's National Tennis League, which employed Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, Andrés Gimeno, Pancho Gonzales, Roy Emerson and Fred Stolle, prevented its players from entering the tournament because the guarantees were insufficient. The tournament was won by Arthur Ashe. In 1983, Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe and Mats Wilander entered the tournament. Wilander won the singles title and both his Davis Cup singles rubbers in the Swedish loss to Australia at Kooyong shortly after. Following the 1983 Australian Open, the International Tennis Federation prompted the Lawn Tennis Association of Australia to change the site of the tournament, because the Kooyong stadium was then inappropriate to serve such a big event. In 1988 the tournament was first held at Flinders Park ( later renamed Melbourne Park ). The change of the venue also led to a change of the court surface from grass to a hard court surface known as Rebound Ace. Mats Wilander was the only player to win the tournament on both grass and hard courts. In 2008, after being used for 20 years, the Rebound Ace was replaced by a cushioned, medium - paced, acrylic surface known as Plexicushion Prestige. Roger Federer and Serena Williams are the only players to win the Australian Open on both Rebound Ace and Plexicushion Prestige. The main benefits of the new surface are better consistency and less retention of heat because of a thinner top layer. This change was accompanied by changes in the surfaces of all lead - up tournaments to the Australian Open. The change was controversial because of the new surface 's similarity to DecoTurf, the surface used by the US Open. Rafael Nadal vs Philipp Kohlschreiber at the 2010 Australian Open Before the Melbourne Park stadium era, tournament dates fluctuated as well, in particular in the early years because of the climate of each site or exceptional events. For example, the 1919 tournament was held in January 1920 ( the 1920 tournament was played in March ) and the 1923 tournament in Brisbane took place in August when the weather was not too hot and wet. After a first 1977 tournament was held in December 1976 -- January 1977, the organisers chose to move the next tournament forward a few days, then a second 1977 tournament was played ( ended on 31 December ), but this failed to attract the best players. From 1982 to 1985, the tournament was played in mid-December. Then it was decided to move the next tournament to mid-January ( January 1987 ), which meant there was no tournament in 1986. Since 1987, the Australian Open date has not changed. However, some top players, including Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, have said that the tournament is held too soon after the Christmas and New Year holidays, thus preventing players from reaching their best form, and expressed a desire to shift it to February. Such a change, however, would move the tournament outside the summer school holiday period, potentially impacting attendance figures. Another change of venue was proposed in 2008, with New South Wales authorities making clear their desire to bid for hosting rights to the tournament once Melbourne 's contract expires in 2016. In response, Wayne Kayler - Thomson, the head of the Victorian Events Industry Council, was adamant that Melbourne should retain the event. In a scathing attack of the New South Wales authorities, he said, `` It is disappointing that NSW can not be original and seek their own events instead of trying to cannibalise other Australian cities. '' Since the proposal was made, a major redevelopment of Melbourne Park has been announced, which is expected to run into the hundreds of millions of dollars. Melbourne Park will include upgraded and increased seating in major venues, a roof over Margaret Court Arena, improved player facilities, a new headquarters for Tennis Australia and a partly covered `` town square '' area featuring large televisions showing current tennis play. A year later, these plans were largely approved, with former Premier of Victoria John Brumby confirming the state government 's willingness to commit A $ 363 million to complete the renovations, a move which guaranteed there will be no change of venue until at least beyond 2036. Television coverage The Australian Open is broadcast globally on television and online through some of the most established broadcasters in world sports. In Australia, the Australian Open has been broadcast by the Seven Network since 1973. Between 2003 and 2009, it was co-broadcast by Fox Sports. The Australian Open men 's singles final is traditionally one of the most watched sports events in Australia. In the rest of Asia - Pacific, Fox Sports broadcasts it across South - East Asia, Wowow and NHK in Japan, CCTV, Shanghai TV and iQiyi in China, Sony Six in India and the Sub-Continent, Sky in New Zealand and Fiji TV across Oceania - Pacific. In Europe the tournament is broadcast on Eurosport. Other broadcasters in the region have included the BBC in the United Kingdom, SRG in Switzerland, NOS in Netherlands and RTS in Serbia. In the United Kingdom, the BBC dropped its live coverage of the 2016 tournament just a month before the start due to budget cuts, leaving Eurosport as the exclusive live broadcaster. Elsewhere, beIN Sports broadcasts it into the Middle East and Northern Africa, and SuperSport in Sub-Sahara Africa. In the United States, the tournament is broadcast on ESPN2, ESPN3 and the Tennis Channel. The championship matches are televised live on ESPN. While it is broadcast on ESPN International in Central and Latin America. It is broadcast on TSN in Canada. Panorama of Margaret Court Arena during the 2008 Australian Open Attendance The following record of attendance provides a consistent year - to - year comparison given that since 1987 all tournaments have been played in the January period of the year ( the immediate preceding tournament was Dec 1985 ). 1987 was the last year that the Kooyong Tennis Club was host to the grand slam and since 1988 Melbourne Park has hosted all tournaments. The average growth rate over the period covered below is 7 % compared to 3 % for the same period for the US Open attendance. 2017 : 728,763 2016 : 720,363 2015 : 703,899 2014 : 643,280 2013 : 684,457 2012 : 686,006 2011 : 651,127 2010 : 653,860 2009 : 603,160 2008 : 605,735 2007 : 554,858 2006 : 550,550 2005 : 543,873 2004 : 521,691 2003 : 512,225 2002 : 518,248 2001 : 543,834 2000 : 501,251 1999 : 473,296 1998 : 434,807 1997 : 391,504 1996 : 389,598 1995 : 311,678 1994 : 332,926 1993 : 322,074 1992 : 329,034 1991 : 305,048 1990 : 312,000 1989 : 289,023 1988 : 244,859 1987 : 140,089 Prize money and trophies The prize money awarded in the men 's and women 's singles tournaments is distributed equally. The total prize money for the 2017 tournament is AUD $50,000,000. In 2017 the prize money is to be distributed as follows : Event SF QF 4R 3R 2R 1R Q3 Q2 Q1 Singles Prize money $3,700,000 $1,900,000 $900,000 $440,000 $220,000 $130,000 $80,000 $50,000 $25,000 $15,000 $10,000 Doubles Prize money $650,000 $325,000 $160,500 $80,000 -- $40,000 $23,000 $14,800 -- -- -- Mixed Doubles Prize money $165,000 $84,000 $41,000 $19,000 -- -- $9,000 $4,500 -- -- -- Note : All amounts in Australian dollars. ( The winner 's prize money approximates to GBP £ 2,271,000 ; EUR € 2,612,000 ; USD $2,797,000. ) On 4 October 2011, when they launched Australian Open 2012, the tournament director announced that the prize money was increased to A $26,000,000. It is the highest prize money for a tennis tournament. It was announced the prize money will be increased to AUD $40 million from 2015 onwards. The names of the tournament winners are inscribed on the perpetual trophy cups. The women 's singles winner is presented with the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup. The men 's singles winner is presented with the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup. Ranking points Ranking points for the men ( ATP ) and women ( WTA ) have varied at the Australian Open through the years but presently players receive the following points : Event SF QF 4R 3R 2R 1R Q Q3 Q2 Q1 Singles Men 2000 1200 720 360 180 90 45 10 25 16 8 0 Women 2000 1300 780 430 240 130 70 10 40 30 20 Doubles Men 2000 1200 720 360 180 90 0 -- -- -- -- -- Women 2000 1300 780 430 240 130 10 -- -- -- -- -- Champions Past champions Australian Open champions listed by event : Men 's Singles Women 's Singles Men 's Doubles Women 's Doubles Mixed Doubles Current champions Roger Federer was the winner of the Men 's Singles in 2017. It was his 18th Major Singles title and his fifth at the Australian Open. Serena Williams was the winner of the Women 's Singles in 2017. It was her 23rd Grand Slam singles title and her seventh at the Australian Open. Henri Kontinen was part of the winning Men 's Doubles team in 2017. It was his first Grand Slam men 's doubles title. John Peers was part of the winning Men 's Doubles in 2017. It was his first Grand Slam men 's doubles title. Bethanie Mattek - Sands was part of the winning Women 's Doubles team in 2017. It was her fourth Grand Slam women 's doubles title and her second at the Australian Open. Lucie Šafářová was part of the winning Women 's Doubles team in 2017. It was her fourth Grand Slam women 's doubles title and her second at the Australian Open. Abigail Spears was part of the winning Mixed Doubles team in 2017. It was her first Major Mixed Doubles title. Juan Sebastián Cabal was part of the winning Mixed Doubles team in 2017. It was his first Major Mixed Doubles title. Event Champion Runner - up Score 2017 Men 's Singles Roger Federer Rafael Nadal 6 -- 4, 3 -- 6, 6 -- 1, 3 -- 6, 6 -- 3 2017 Women 's Singles Serena Williams Venus Williams 6 -- 4, 6 -- 4 2017 Men 's Doubles Henri Kontinen John Peers Bob Bryan Mike Bryan 7 -- 5, 7 -- 5 2017 Women 's Doubles Bethanie Mattek - Sands Lucie Šafářová Andrea Hlaváčková Peng Shuai 6 -- 7, 6 -- 3, 6 -- 3 2017 Mixed Doubles Abigail Spears Juan Sebastián Cabal Sania Mirza Ivan Dodig 6 -- 2, 6 -- 4 Courts The Australian Open is played at Melbourne Park, which is located in the Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct ; the event moved to this site in 1988. Currently 3 of the courts used have retractable roofs, allowing play to continue during rain and extreme heat. As of 2017 spectators can also observe play at show courts 2 and 3, which have capacities of 3,000 each, as well as at Courts 7 - 15, 19 and 20 from small accessible viewing positions. Construction of a new 5,000 seat capacity stadium will start in 2019 as part of a $271 million redevelopment of the precinct. Since 2008, all of the courts used during the Australian Open are hard courts with Plexicushion acrylic surfaces ( though Melbourne Park does have 8 clay courts not used for the tournament ). This replaced the Rebound Ace surface used from the opening of Melbourne Park. The ITF rates the surfaces speed as medium. Court Image Opened Capacity Arena Roof Ref. Rod Laver Arena Rod Laver Arena ! 1988 14, 820 Retractable Hisense Arena ( Melbourne Park Multi-Purpose Venue ) Hisense Arena ! 2000 10, 500 Retractable Margaret Court Arena ( Formerly Show Court 1 ) Margaret Court Arena ! 1988 7, 500 Retractable Records Unlike the other three Grand Slam tournaments, which became open in 1968, the Australian tournament opened to professionals in 1969. Thus, the records here break at the 1969 tournament. Citations for these records. Record Open Era * Player ( s ) Count Years Men since 1905 Winner of most Men 's Singles titles Before 1969 : Roy Emerson 6 1961, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967 After 1968 : Novak Djokovic 6 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016 Winner of most consecutive Men 's Singles titles Before 1969 : Roy Emerson 5 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967 After 1968 : Novak Djokovic 2011, 2012, 2013 Winner of most Men 's Doubles titles Before 1969 : Adrian Quist 10 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950 After 1968 : Bob Bryan Mike Bryan 6 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013 Winner of most consecutive Men 's Doubles titles Before 1969 : Adrian Quist 10 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950 After 1968 : Bob Bryan Mike Bryan 2009, 2010, 2011 Winner of most Mixed Doubles titles - Men Before 1969 : Harry Hopman Colin Long 1930, 1936, 1937, 1939 1940, 1946, 1947, 1948 After 1968 : Jim Pugh Leander Paes Daniel Nestor 1988, 1989, 1990 2003, 2010, 2015 2007, 2011, 2014 Winner of most Championships ( total : singles, men 's doubles, mixed doubles ) -- Men Before 1969 : Adrian Quist 13 1936 -- 1950 ( 3 singles, 10 men 's doubles, 0 mixed doubles ) After 1968 : Bob Bryan Mike Bryan Novak Djokovic 6 2006 -- 2013 ( 6 men 's doubles ) 2006 -- 2013 ( 6 men 's doubles ) 2008 - 2016 ( 6 men 's singles ) Women since 1922 Winner of most Women 's Singles titles In Total : Margaret Court 11 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973 Before 1969 : Margaret Court 7 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966 After 1968 : Serena Williams 7 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2017 Winner of most consecutive Women 's Singles titles Before 1969 : Margaret Court 7 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966 After 1968 : Margaret Court Evonne Goolagong Cawley Steffi Graf / Monica Seles Martina Hingis 1969, 1970, 1971 1974, 1975, 1976 1988, 1989, 1990 1991, 1992, 1993 1997, 1998, 1999 Winner of most Women 's Doubles titles Before 1969 : Thelma Coyne Long 12 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1956, 1958 After 1968 : Martina Navratilova 8 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989 Winner of most consecutive Women 's Doubles titles Before 1969 : Thelma Coyne Long Nancye Wynne Bolton 5 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940 After 1968 : Martina Navratilova Pam Shriver 7 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989 Winner of most Mixed Doubles titles - Women Before 1969 : Daphne Akhurst Cozens Nell Hall Hopman Nancye Wynne Bolton Thelma Coyne Long 1924, 1925, 1928, 1929 1930, 1936, 1937, 1939 1940, 1946, 1947, 1948 1951, 1952, 1954, 1955 After 1968 : Jana Novotná Larisa Savchenko Neiland Martina Hingis 1988, 1989 1994, 1996 2006, 2015 Winner of most Championships ( total : singles, women 's doubles, mixed doubles ) -- Women Before 1969 : Nancye Wynne Bolton 20 1936 -- 1952 ( 6 singles, 10 women 's doubles, 4 mixed doubles ) After 1968 : Martina Navratilova 12 1980 -- 2003 ( 3 singles, 8 women 's doubles, 1 mixed doubles ) Miscellaneous Youngest winner Men 's singles : Ken Rosewall 18 years and 2 months ( 1953 ) Men 's doubles : Lew Hoad 18 years and 2 months ( 1953 ) Women 's singles : Martina Hingis 16 years and 4 months ( 1997 ) Women 's doubles : Mirjana Lučić 15 years and 10 months ( 1998 ) Oldest winner Men 's singles : Ken Rosewall 37 years and 8 months ( 1972 ) Men 's doubles : Norman Brookes 46 years and 2 months ( 1924 ) Women 's singles : Thelma Coyne Long 35 years and 8 months ( 1954 ) Women 's doubles : Thelma Coyne Long 37 years and 7 months ( 1956 ) Mixed doubles ( men ) : Horace Rice 52 years ( 1923 ) Mixed doubles ( women ) : Martina Navratilova 46 years and 3 months ( 2003 ) See also Tennis portal Australian Open extreme heat policy Notes Jump up ^ Rebound Ace was used from 1988 -- 2007 and since 2008 Plexicushion is used. Jump up ^ Except for Rod Laver Arena, Margaret Court Arena and Hisense Arena during rain delay. Jump up ^ The 2017 Australian Open was attended by 728,763 people. The next highest attended Grand Slam was the 2009 US Open, which was attended by 721,059 people. Jump up ^ Last Australian Men 's Singles champion : Mark Edmondson ( 1976 ). Jump up ^ Last Australian Women 's Singles champion : Chris O'Neil ( 1978 ). References Jump up ^ Paxinos, Stathi ( 20 November 2007 ). `` Australian Open court surface is speeding up ''. The Age. Melbourne. ^ Jump up to : `` Australian Tennis Open History ''. Jazzsports. Archived from the original on 30 January 2008. Retrieved 22 January 2008. ^ Jump up to : Tristan Foenander. `` History of the Australian Open -- the Grand Slam of Asia / Pacific ''. Australian Open. Archived from the original on 20 January 2008. Retrieved 22 January 2008. Jump up ^ Unknown ( 9 November 1923 ). `` Australasian Championships ''. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 19 July 2010. ^ Jump up to : Frank Cook ( 14 February 2008 ). `` Open began as Aussie closed shop ''. The Daily Telegraph. news.com.au. Archived from the original on 1 February 2008. Retrieved 22 January 2008. Jump up ^ `` Anthony Frederick Wilding `` Tony '' ``. International Tennis Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 1 February 2008. Jump up ^ `` History of Tennis -- From humble beginnings ''. Tennis Australia. Archived from the original on 31 January 2008. Retrieved 25 January 2008. Jump up ^ `` Milton Tennis Centre ''. Australian Stadiums. Archived from the original on 17 January 2008. Retrieved 25 January 2008. Jump up ^ Nikki Tugwell ( 14 January 2008 ). `` Hewitt chases amazing slam win ''. The Daily Telegraph. news.com.au. Archived from the original on 1 February 2008. Retrieved 25 January 2008. Jump up ^ Alan Trengove. `` Australian Open 1983 ''. wilandertribute.com. Retrieved 19 February 2008. Jump up ^ `` World Group 1983 Final ''. Davis Cup. Archived from the original on 30 June 2013. Retrieved 19 February 2008. Jump up ^ `` Rebound Ace under review ''. The Daily Telegraph. news.com.au. 29 January 2007. Retrieved 19 February 2008. ^ Jump up to : Christopher Clarey ( 13 January 2008 ). `` On the surface, Australian Open gets a new bounce ''. The New York Times. Jump up ^ `` List of Classified Court Surfaces ''. itftennis.com. Jump up ^ `` Tennis court surfacer serves up two major deals ''. Boston Business Journal. 28 January 2008. Jump up ^ Schlink, Leo ( 17 January 2009 ). `` Rafael Nadal keen to call time on early slam ''. Herald Sun. Australia. Retrieved 18 September 2009. Jump up ^ `` Sydney plans Australian Open bid ''. news.bbc.co.uk. BBC. 11 October 2008. Jump up ^ Cameron Houston ; Jason Dowling ( 11 October 2008 ). `` NSW in negotiations to transfer Open from Melbourne ''. www.smh.com.au. Sydney Morning Herald. Jump up ^ `` Brumby Government announces Melbourne Park redevelopment ''. Herald Sun. Australia. 26 January 2009. Archived from the original on 2 February 2009. Retrieved 22 April 2009. Jump up ^ Pallisco, Marc. `` $363 Million Upgrade for Melbourne Park Ensures Australian Open Until 2036 ''. Real Estate Source. Retrieved 15 January 2017. Jump up ^ Gill, Kieran ( 11 December 2015 ). `` BBC to axe live coverage of Australian Open as part of £ 35m cut to sports budget... with Eurosport claiming exclusive rights ''. Daily Mail. Retrieved 9 January 2016. Jump up ^ `` 2013 Australian Open TV Schedule on ESPN ''. sportsmediawatch.com. Jump up ^ `` Australian Open Glance ''. 30 January 2017. Jump up ^ `` Australian Open 2016 -- By the numbers ''. Australian Open. 1 February 2016. Jump up ^ `` Australian Open 2015 -- The final word from Tennis Australia ''. 1 February 2015. Retrieved 2 February 2015. Jump up ^ `` AO 2014 -- The Final Word ''. 27 January 2014. Retrieved 7 February 2014. Jump up ^ `` Australian Open 2013 -- The Final Word ''. 28 January 2013. Retrieved 7 February 2014. Jump up ^ `` Top 10 : Memorable AO2012 moments ''. 29 January 2012. Archived from the original on 2012 - 02 - 01. Retrieved 4 March 2012. Jump up ^ `` Closing notes : Australian Open 2011 ''. 30 January 2011. Retrieved 27 January 2012. Jump up ^ `` Federer wins fourth Australian Open, 16th major singles title ''. 31 January 2010. Archived from the original on 5 February 2010. Retrieved 7 March 2010. Jump up ^ `` Australian Open 2009 -- the final word ''. australianopen.com. Archived from the original on 4 February 2009. Jump up ^ `` The Australian Open -- History of Attendance '' ( PDF ). Australian Open. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 5 September 2007. Retrieved 30 January 2008. Jump up ^ `` AO 2007 : The Final Word ''. Tennis Australia. Archived from the original on 18 January 2008. Retrieved 25 January 2008. ^ Jump up to : Australian Open Tennis Attendance History -- Altius Directory Jump up ^ `` Safin credits Lundgren for resurgence ''. Sports Illustrated. CNN. 30 January 2005. Archived from the original on 18 January 2008. Retrieved 25 January 2008. Jump up ^ `` Tennis Australia Annual Report, 2002 - 2003 '' ( PDF ). Clearinghouse for Sport. Tennis Australia. Retrieved 20 January 2017. Jump up ^ `` Tennis Australia Annual Report, 2001 - 2002 '' ( PDF ). Clearinghouse for Sport. Tennis Australia. Retrieved 20 January 2017. Jump up ^ `` Tennis Australia Annual Report, 2000 - 2001 '' ( PDF ). Clearinghouse for Sports. Tennis Australia. Retrieved 20 January 2017. Jump up ^ `` Tennis Australia Annual Report, 1999 - 2000 '' ( PDF ). Clearinghouse for Sport. Tennis Australia. Retrieved 20 January 2017. ^ Jump up to : `` Tennis Australia Annual Report, 1998 - 1999 '' ( PDF ). Clearinghouse for Sports. Tennis Australia. Retrieved 20 January 2017. Jump up ^ `` Tennis Australia Annual Report, 1997 '' ( PDF ). Clearinghouse for Sports. Tennis Australia. Retrieved 20 January 2017. Jump up ^ `` Tennis Australia 1996 Annual Report '' ( PDF ). Clearinghouse for Sports. Tennis Australia. Retrieved 20 January 2017. Jump up ^ `` Tennis Australia 1995 Annual Report '' ( PDF ). Clearinghouse for Sports. Tennis Australia. Retrieved 20 January 2017. Jump up ^ `` Tennis Australia 1994 Annual Report '' ( PDF ). Clearinghouse for Sports. Tennis Australia. Retrieved 20 January 2017. Jump up ^ `` Tennis Australia 1993 Annual Report '' ( PDF ). Clearinghouse for Sports. Tennis Australia. Retrieved 20 January 2017. Jump up ^ `` Tennis Australia 1992 Annual Report '' ( PDF ). Clearinghouse for Sports. Tennis Australia. Retrieved 20 January 2017. Jump up ^ `` Tennis Australia 1991 Annual Report '' ( PDF ). Clearinghouse for Sports. Tennis Australia. Retrieved 20 January 2017. Jump up ^ `` Tennis Australia Annual Report 1990 '' ( PDF ). Clearinghouse for Sports. Tennis Australia. Retrieved 20 January 2017. Jump up ^ `` Lawn Tennis Association of Australia Annual Report 1989 '' ( PDF ). Clearinghouse for Sports. Lawn Tennis Association. Retrieved 20 January 2017. Jump up ^ `` Lawn Tennis Association of Australia Annual Report 1988 '' ( PDF ). Clearinghouse for Sports. Lawn Tennis Association of Australia. Retrieved 20 January 2017. Jump up ^ `` Lawn Tennis Association of Australia Annual Report 1987 '' ( PDF ). Clearinghouse for Sports. Lawn Tennis Association of Australia. Retrieved 20 January 2017. Jump up ^ `` Prize Money ''. AustralianOpen.com. Archived from the original on 19 January 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2015. Jump up ^ `` Event Guide -- Australian Open Tennis Championships 2014 -- Official Site by IBM ''. Retrieved 25 December 2014. Jump up ^ `` Accessibility Map '' ( PDF ). Tennis.com. Retrieved 16 January 2017. Jump up ^ `` Melbourne gets new 5000 - seat tennis arena ''. SBS News. 23 April 2017. Jump up ^ `` About Court Pace Classification ''. ITF. Retrieved 16 January 2017. Jump up ^ `` Rod Laver Arena ''. Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 16 January 2017. Jump up ^ `` Hisense Arena ''. Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 16 January 2017. Jump up ^ `` Margaret Court Arena ''. Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 16 January 2017. Jump up ^ `` Australian History and Records ''. TennisTours.com. Archived from the original on 21 December 2008. Retrieved 17 January 2009. Jump up ^ From 1941 through 1945, no Australian Championships were held because of World War II External links Official website Tennis Australia website Satellite image of the venue ( Google Maps ) Australian Open -- Schedule & Streaming details Australian Open -- All winners and runners - up. Reference book Preceded by US Open Grand Slam Tournament January Succeeded by French Open Australian Open Pre Open Era 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 Open Era 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1976 1977 Jan Dec 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1984 1985 1986 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Men 's singles Women 's singles Men 's doubles Women 's doubles Mixed doubles Grand Slam tournaments Open era ( 1968 -- present ) Australian Open French Open Wimbledon US Open Pre-open era ( amateur ) ( 1924 -- 67 ) Australian Championships French Championships Wimbledon Championships US National Championships Pre-open era ( professional ) ( 1927 -- 67 ) US Pro French Pro Wembley Pro ILTF ( 1913 -- 23 ) World Hard Court Championships World Grass Court Championships World Covered Court Championships History of tennis Tennis International Tennis Federation History Glossary Match types Statistics Players Umpires Women 's tennis Basics Scoring system point Strategy grips serve and volley Equipment ball racket strings Official Technology electronic line judge hawk - eye cyclops Courts Carpet Clay Grass Hard Shots Backhand Backspin Drop shot Flat Forehand Groundstroke Half volley Lob Passing shot Serve ace Smash Topspin Volley Grand Slams Australian Open French Open Wimbledon US Open Records Professional tours Men ATP World Tour ATP Challenger Tour ITF Men 's Circuit Women WTA Tour WTA 125K series ITF Women 's Circuit Team events Davis Cup Fed Cup Hopman Cup Laver Cup Wightman Cup ( defunct ) World Team Cup ( defunct ) World TeamTennis International Premier Tennis League Champions Tennis League Multi-sport events Intercontinental Olympics Youth Olympics Universiade Commonwealth Island Mediterranean Continental All - Africa Asian Pacific Pan American Outline Portal WikiCommons Grand Slam tournament champions Australian Open Men 's singles Women 's singles Men 's doubles Women 's doubles Mixed doubles Singles finalists ( open era ) French Open Men 's singles Women 's singles Men 's doubles Women 's doubles Mixed doubles Singles finalists ( open era ) Wimbledon Men 's singles Women 's singles Men 's doubles Women 's doubles Mixed doubles Singles finalists ( open era ) US Open Men 's singles Women 's singles Men 's doubles Women 's doubles Mixed doubles Singles finalists ( open era ) All tournaments Men 's singles Women 's singles Men 's doubles Women 's doubles Mixed doubles Boys ' singles Girls ' singles Boys ' doubles Girls ' doubles Grand Slam overall records Events in the Melbourne City Centre Note : this includes events held in the Melbourne City Centre and its immediate surrounds, not the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area Summer All : Summer Fun in the City of Melbourne December : Australian Dancesport Championships Boxing Day Test Carols by Candlelight Myer Christmas Parade January : Australian Open Midsumma Festival Melbourne International Boat Show One Day International Cricket February : St Kilda Festival Herald Sun Tour White Night festivals Autumn March : Australian Grand Prix Melbourne Fashion Festival Melbourne Food and Wine Festival Moomba Waterfest Melbourne Queer Film Festival April : ANZAC Day parade AFL ANZAC Day clash Logie Awards Melbourne International Comedy Festival Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show May : Melbourne Jazz Fringe Festival Logie Awards Winter All : Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series June : AFL Queen 's Birthday clash Melbourne International Animation Festival Australian International Motor Show Melbourne International Jazz Festival July : State of Design Festival Melbourne International Film Festival Open House Melbourne Run Melbourne August : Melbourne Day Melbourne Underground Film Festival Melbourne Writers Festival Craft Cubed Spring September : AFL Grand Final Melbourne Fringe Festival Melbourne International Festival of Brass Royal Melbourne Show Melbourne Spring Fashion Week October : Around the Bay in a Day Melbourne Festival Melbourne Marathon Festival Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix November : Head of the Yarra Melbourne Cup Carnival City2Sea Coordinates : 37 ° 49 ′ 18 '' S 144 ° 58 ′ 42 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 37.82167 ° S 144.97833 ° E ﻿ / - 37.82167 ; 144.97833 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Australian_Open&oldid=799081314 '' Categories : Festivals in Melbourne Australian Open ( tennis ) 1905 establishments in Australia Annual sporting events in Australia Grand Slam ( tennis ) tournaments Hard court tennis tournaments Recurring sporting events established in 1905 Seven Sport Sport in Melbourne Tennis tournaments in Australia January sporting events Hidden categories : All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from February 2015 Use Australian English from March 2012 All Wikipedia articles written in Australian English Use dmy dates from April 2013 Coordinates not on Wikidata Talk Contents About Wikipedia Afrikaans Asturianu বাংলা Беларуская ( тарашкевіца ) ‎ Български Bosanski Català Čeština Cymraeg Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français Galego 한국어 Հայերեն Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Basa Jawa ಕನ್ನಡ ქართული Қазақша Latviešu Lëtzebuergesch Lietuvių Limburgs Magyar Македонски മലയാളം मराठी مصرى Bahasa Melayu မြန်မာဘာသာ Nederlands नेपाली 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Română Русский Scots Sicilianu Simple English Slovenčina Slovenščina کوردی Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Tagalog தமிழ் Татарча / tatarça తెలుగు ไทย Türkçe Українська Tiếng Việt Yorùbá 粵語 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 5 September 2017, at 14 : 44. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: what is the surface at the australian open
Answer: Plexicushion