Bet You Didn’t Know That About The Australian Open

G’day mate. Curious about the Australian Open? We’re here to tell you all you need to know about it.

Where is the Australian Open held?

Every year since 1972, the Australian Open is held in the city of Melbourne in the, frankly not very creatively named, Melbourne Park. Before that it hopped around a bit, being held in Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth in Australia, and Christchurch and Hastings in New Zealand.

It’s one of the most hotly anticipated and most loved sporting events in the Southern Hemisphere and you’re about to find how why!

Is this a Grand Slam event?

Yes, the Australian Open is a Grand Slam event. In fact, it’s the most highly attended Grand Slam. In recent years, attendance has been up to 800,000 spectators. It’s even nicknamed The Happy Slam because everyone loves it so much.

It’s the first Grand Slam every year, with the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open following up afterwards.

When was the first Australian Open?

The first incarnation of this tournament was held in 1905 in the Warehouseman’s Cricket Ground, now called the Albert Reserve Tennis Centre. However, it was run under the name the Australasian Championships.

It saw another name change in 1926, when it was dubbed the Australian Championship. Then from 1969 onwards, it was the Australian Open.

What surface is the tournament played on?

The Happy Slam is currently played on a blue hard court made by GreenSet. It’s comprised of acrylic resin and silica. This has been the set up since 2020, but before that there were green Rebound Ace courts from 1988 until 2007 and blue Plexicushion courts from 2008 until it switched to GreenSet.

And up until 1988, the court was grass. However, as you can imagine, grass isn’t easy to maintain in the Australian summer weather.

Speaking of super hot Australian weather, this is also the first Slam to feature indoor play due to extreme heat on it’s main courts. But they’ve also had to retreat indoors for extremely wet weather too.

What are the trophies called?

In the Australian Open, if you’re lucky (and skilled) enough to win the women’s singles trophy, you’re presented with the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup, named after the famous 1920s tennis player. Meanwhile the men’s single winner gets the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup, who was an active player during the early 20th century.

How much money do players win at the Australian Open?

The amount of prize money on offer at the Australian Open fluctuates year-to-year. But if you want an example, in the 2022 tournament there’s AUD $75,000,000 up for grabs in total. That’s over £39,500,000, €47,500,000 or USD $53,000,000.

That breaks down as AUD $2,875,000 for the singles winners, $675,000 for the doubles winners and $190,000 for the mixed doubles winners.

Not bad for a few days work, eh?

Where can I bet on the Australian Open?

There are lots of places where you can bet on the Australian Open and other Grand Slam tennis events. But if you’re looking for a really solid online sports book with great odds and tonnes of tennis markets, look no further than bet365. New to the site? Grab this bet365 bonus code for an insane welcome offer.

And when the Australian Open is running, you can even live stream it on bet365 too!