Australian Open
Most Australian Open titles in the Open Era
The Open Era is the current era of professional tennis after it began in 1968 where the Grand Slam tournaments allowed amateurs to play alongside professionals, seeing an end to the division that had persisted since the dawn of the sport in the 19th century.
The first tournament of the Open Era was the 1968 British Hard Court Championships held in April, followed by the inaugural French Open a month later. The ATP ranking system was put in place in 1973 which determines how all of the active players stack up against each other relative to their performances each year.
History of the Australian Open in the Open Era
The Australian Open is held annually at Melbourne Park in Australia and is the first of four Grand Slam tennis events throughout the year, preceding the French Open (Roland-Garros), Wimbledon, and the US Open. Until 1987, the tournament was held on grass courts but since then has transitioned into the more familiar hardcourt surfaces.
The competition features both men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles, mixed doubles, and wheelchair competitions. Due to the nature of the courts, the Australian Open is renowned for its fast-paced and aggressive style of play, which suits some players more than others.
The first edition of the Australian Open in the Open Era was held in 1969 on the Milton Courts in Brisbane, which allowed players who weren’t able to play in the traditional circuit of tournaments to participate. However, many of the best players in the world didn’t bother attending this event due to its remoteness as the primary reason. Secondary to that was the low prize money and the inconvenience of the dates, falling around Christmas and New Year.
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Most successful players in the Open Era
The most notable figure during the dawn of the Open Era is that of Rod Laver, an Australian tennis professional who dominated the game as world number one between 1965 and 1969. Not only did Laver become the first Open Era champion of Wimbledon in 1968, but he also went on to win all four major Grand Slam titles in 1969 for the second year in a row, with a success rate of 18 tournaments won from the 32 that he entered in. Before reaching the final in the Australian Open where he beat Andrés Gimeno three sets to nil, he participated in a 90-game semifinal against Tony Roche. Out of respect to his career, the Australian Open’s main venue has been named the Rod Laver Arena which was opened in 1988.
Fast forward to the modern era, Novak Djokovic is by far the most successful champion in the men’s tournament, winning it ten times – the first of which way back in 2008. Legend of the game Roger Federer is next best on six wins, but given his retirement back in 2022. It’ll be a while until anyone touches Djokovic’s record in the Australian Open as well as his 24 wins across all Grand Slam tournaments.
In the modern Open era, American powerhouse Serena Williams tops the women’s leaderboard with seven wins. Williams has dominated the modern game since the turn of the millennia, with her last win being in 2017, as the baton has been passed onto the younger talents coming through the ranks. Three women sit behind her record, Evonne Goolagong (4), Steffi Graf (4), and Monica Seles (4).
