Contents Introduction
11
by Steve Wood, CEO, Tennis Australia
Covering the Open
12
Iconic Players
21
Memorable Moments
93
by Alan Trengove by Suzi Petkovski by Suzi Petkovski
The History
119
What’s the Story? by Darren Saligari
153
by Charlotte James
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Steve Wood
It is not something that I talk about often, but I once played in the Australian Open. It was nearly 30 years ago, one of the great moments of my life. It was the first round, Kooyong. I lost in five sets to American Paul Annacone – but let’s not dwell on the result. The pride I felt playing in my country’s Grand Slam is a feeling that remains today. This enormous sense of pride is something that has now gone beyond the players and is shared by an entire city, if not an entire state and a nation. January is our time to show the world we know tennis and we love tennis. Living and working in Melbourne you can literally see the build-up to the Australian Open. Players arrive in a steady stream, some to prepare early and acclimatise, others to compete in an Australian Open Series event. The nation is abuzz with tennis talk: who will win, how are the favourites looking and who has a ticket to the biggest sporting event in January? Before you know it all roads, all trains, all trams, all planes, all conversations and indeed all planning arrangements lead to and revolve around the Australian Open. Many years ago the Australian Open became much more than a tennis tournament. It became an event, on court and off court. It is now an occasion, an experience. While uniquely and clearly Australian, we embrace visitors from all around the world and our strength comes from being affordable and accessible to the broadest audience. The Australian Open Book takes you through every facet of this magnificent event, from its origins at the Warehousemen’s Cricket Ground in Victoria as the Australasian Championships won by Rodney Heath, to the inclusion of women in 1922 and the great line-up of players who have dominated the Grand Slam® of Asia–Pacific since, an event which changed location several times before settling at Melbourne Park in 1988. But this isn’t just a history lesson. The Australian Open Book tells us how the Australian Open found its identity among the Big Four as the contemporary, innovative, fan friendly Grand Slam, the tennis event that kicks off each calendar year. The world’s best players love the fans and they love the city in which it is held. As a former tennis professional, it is my great honour to now run one of the biggest sporting spectacles in the world and as I read through the Australian Open Book, I am humbled by the magnitude of this event and my role in its evolution. I am sure you will enjoy reading about the Australian Open and continue to share the journey of this wonderful Australian treasure. Regards
Steve Wood Chief Executive Officer
11 | Introduc tion | Steve Wood
Introduction by
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Covering the Open Australia’s top tennis writer, Alan Trengove, looks back at more than 50 years spent covering the Australian Open People are always asking me how they can become a tennis writer. They rather fancy the idea of being paid to watch the Australian Open every January, and travelling the globe at other times soaking up the sun. It seems so much more civilized than working for a living. The fact is, most of us who record the deeds of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and other champions didn’t plan our lives this way. Usually, we began as a reporter and later grabbed a fleeting opportunity to specialise in tennis. My own career commenced in 1952 in a dreary room at Melbourne’s Spencer Street station. I was then a 22-year-old Western roundsman, a job that sounds as though it might have had something to do with cowboys – but no such luck! I was just a lowly newspaperman covering the Western end of Melbourne, where a large number of trade union offices were located. My round of duties could be hectic whenever there was a train or tram strike, but also could be awfully dull at other times. The old railway station, now known as Southern Cross, served as a base for Western round reporters, and on this particular day I overheard my colleague John Dean telling someone on the phone that the tennis and golf writer for the Melbourne Argus had just married an heiress and had promptly retired. Dean, later one of Melbourne’s leading booksellers, said he’d been offered the job, and had turned it down. ‘Do you mind if I put in for it?’ I asked eagerly when he hung up. ‘Not at all,’ he said. ‘I’m sure it’s yours for the asking.’
And so within a month I was reporting on both sports. And, in less than a year, I covered my first Grand Slam tournament, the Australian championships at Kooyong. In the years since I have watched the tournament grow to become the immensely popular mass spectacle it is today. To compound my lucky break, the 1953 titles were the most significant for many a year, for they heralded the arrival in big-time tennis of Ken Rosewall, one of our greatest champions (and my secret, long-time hero). The previous top players in Australia, Frank Sedgman and Ken McGregor, had recently turned professional, an act that virtually turned them into sporting pariahs, as it disqualified them from contesting future national and state championships; in that era such events were exclusively reserved for amateurs – or ‘shamateurs’ as cynics dubbed them. By consensus, Sedgman’s heir apparent was believed to be not Rosewall but the net-rushing Victorian left-hander Mervyn Rose, whose game thrived on grass courts. Rose was several years older than the 18-year-old Rosewall, and far more experienced. He was bigger, too. Rosewall, ironically dubbed ‘Muscles’ because of a perceived deficiency in that department, was so boyish and so shy in facing the press, you might have picked him as a schoolboy who’d wandered over to Kooyong from the adjacent Scotch College. Television was still three years away in Australia, and Ken had little experience of being quizzed in front of cameras and microphones. He seemed much more vulnerable than his so-called Sydney ‘twin’
13 | covering the open
above: Ken Rosewall (top) serving a customer in his father’s grocery shop in 1956; Rod ‘the Rocket’ Laver (bottom right); Alan Trengove looking every inch the part as a reporter (below left).
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21 | Iconic Players | Name of Player
iconic players
20 champions who’ve made history at the Australian Open
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23 | Iconic Players | Roger Federer
Roger Federer Leading Grand Slammer; only man to win 50 matches and play five finals at Melbourne Park
Roger Federer, 2010 Australian Open men’s singles champion, in action at the tournament (left), and with the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup (above).
The tennis version of the old Italian proverb ‘See Rome and die’ would be ‘See Roger Federer and die’. No champion has played a more beautiful brand of tennis than the Swiss wonder. And – the hallmark of genius – Federer makes it all look blissfully easy. Peers, the public, the media, celebrity fashionistas and pop stars, even former greats (the line starts with Rod Laver) are reduced to gushing fans by the artful Roger. No champion has been so universally admired and adored. Searching for superlatives, commentators often describe Federer as a maestro or a master; our sport’s Mozart and Monet. Is Roger also the GOAT – the greatest of all time? For many, Federer settled the debate with a record-breaking 15th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon 2009, on top of his French Open win weeks before, which completed his conquest of all the Grand Slam centre courts. At age 27, he bettered the previous benchmark of 14 Slams set by Pete Sampras, and his sweep of all four majors was a feat beyond the decade-older American, who never reached the final at Roland Garros. No one could have imagined, on the night of the 2009 Australian Open final, as a sobbing Federer was consoled by his conqueror Rafael Nadal, who crushed him 6–2 in the fifth, that it would be the teary Swiss rather than the triumphant Spaniard, on the cusp of a banner year. After all, the rampaging Rafa had by then stripped Federer of his Wimbledon, Australian and world No.1 titles, and was an Olympic singles gold medallist to boot – a prize notably absent from the glittering Federer resume. But physical and personal woes conspired against Nadal through the rest of 2009. Federer meanwhile rebounded from that tough loss to secure his longelusive first French title on his 11th attempt, win a sixth Wimbledon final in a 16–14-in-the-fifth cliffhanger over Andy Roddick, and reclaim his No.1 ranking. In between serving up wonders on the court, Federer multitasked with marriage and fatherhood.
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Federer wears the mantle of greatness with grace. Unchanged by the avalanche of adoration directed at him, he is invariably overcome at meeting former champions.
A 16th major title, racked up at the 2010 Australian Open, extended Roger’s gilded Grand Slam run. His is a dominance we have never before seen in major championships. Winner of his first seven straight Slam finals, a record 10 straight appearances in Grand Slam deciders (from Wimbledon 2005 to the US Open in 2007), and, as of January 2010, a record 22 finals, a contender in 18 of the previous 19 finals and a semi-finalist or better in 23 consecutive Slams. All unprecedented streaks that are unlikely to be bettered. Federer debuted at the Australian Open as an 18-year-old in 2000, but he first came to notice in 2002, losing 8–6 in the fifth to Tommy Haas after holding match point. At that stage, many observers would have picked the similarly gifted Haas as the future superstar of the game, rather than the whippet-lean Swiss. Just two years on, however, Federer arrived back at Melbourne Park as the Wimbledon champion and was already being feted as one of the most talented players ever to pick up a racquet. Transformed after that breakthrough 2003 Wimbledon, Federer stormed to a straight-sets win over Marat Safin for his second Grand Slam title. As defending champion a year on, Federer lost an epic semi-final rematch with Safin 9–7 in the fifth after holding a match point. Normal programming resumed in 2006, with an entertaining four-set final win against the ebullient Marcos Baghdatis – memorable as much for the champion’s post-match waterworks when Rod Laver presented him with the trophy. In 2007 Roger ended a similar giant-killing run by Chile’s Fernando Gonzalez to claim his 10th Slam title – the only one in his entire career, at time of writing, without losing a set. Three years passed before Federer next held up the Norman Brookes trophy. An undiagnosed bout of mononucleosis and Novak Djokovic proved too much in the 2008 semi-finals, followed in 2009 by that dispiriting defeat to Nadal – only the second five-set men’s final at Melbourne Park. But the Master was back in
2010, with Andy Murray on the receiving end of a master-class in the final. En route, Federer became the only man to notch 50 wins at Melbourne Park (his career record is 54–7); and the only man to play five finals on Rod Laver Arena. Of more personal significance, the 2010 Australian was his first Slam win as a father. A new motivation for Federer is to play long enough to have his twin girls, Charlene Riva and Myla Rose, cheer him from the stand. Not the least impressive, Federer wears the mantle of greatness with grace. Unchanged by the avalanche of adoration directed at him, he is invariably overcome at meeting former champions. Everything from practice updates to personal milestones (his wedding, baby pictures) is shared with fans via Facebook. In the media room, he effortlessly dissects his matches in English, German and French (his Swahili is coming along). Like his country, Federer is a cultural melange, and this has enhanced his reach as a global superstar. Born in Basel in August 1981 to a Swiss father and South African mother, he spent his formative tennis years in French-speaking Geneva, travelled with Swedish and Australian coaches, and has a Slovak-born wife in former player Mirka Vavrinec. Federer claims to draw inspiration from cultural diversity; certainly his cross-cultural appeal has made him a unifying champion. The greatest-ever debate can never be conclusive, and that’s not a bad thing. Rod Laver won fewer major titles than Roger, but achieved the ultimate tennis feat – the Grand Slam – not once but twice. Tennis isn’t accounting, and the intangibles and what-ifs of each era – the disappearance of grass courts at two of the majors, the schism between professionals and amateurs – provide depth and colour to the debate, as well as putting each champion’s achievement in its special context. But if Federer can’t categorically go down as the greatest, it’s doubtful that any other champion has more enriched the sport.
25 | Iconic Players | Roger Federer
this page: Federer plays a backhand return during his 2010 Australian Open quarter-final men’s singles match against Nikolay Davydenko. Federer won 2-6, 6-3, 6-0, 7-5.
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27 | Iconic Players | serena Williams
Serena Williams Most successful non-Aussie; 9–0 in singles and doubles finals; champion as No.1 and No.81
left: Serena Williams shows off her flawless serve during the 2010 Australian Open women’s final. above: The 2010 champion with the Daphne Akhurst trophy.
The dominant Grand Slam winner of her generation, Serena Williams bristles with menacing power and killer instinct. ‘I’ve never seen anyone express their willpower as much as Serena on the tennis court, ever,’ declared all-time great Billie Jean King after watching Serena storm to a third Wimbledon victory in 2009. How fortunate for Aussie fans that the Australian Open, Serena’s most prolific Slam, has been the stage for some of her most awesome performances. Aged 21, Serena captured her first Australian Open in 2003 in great style – and we don’t just mean the rhinestone-studded outfit. Her fourth straight major may not have been the traditional Grand Slam, but the ‘Serena Slam’, as she dubbed it, put the powerfully built Californian in elite company as one of only five women to hold all four major titles simultaneously. Every final in that 2002–03 Grand Slam sweep came at the expense of Serena’s big sister Venus, the feted prodigy in the mid1990s, when Serena was the tagalong little sister. ‘There was no living up to her,‘ Serena writes of the 15-month-older Venus in her autobiography, Queen of the Court. ‘She was taller, prettier, quicker, more athletic. And she was certainly nicer.‘ The impossibly high standard that Venus set drove Serena to become the take-no-prisoners competitor she is. When it came to hatred of losing, Serena had it all over Venus. At the 1999 US Open, 17-year-old Serena became the first Grand Slam champion in the family. The first all-Williams Grand Slam decider, at the 2001 US Open, went Venus’s way but Serena has dominated since. In her 12 Grand Slam final victories, Venus has been the loser six times. Their 2003 final at Melbourne Park was the first all-sibling final at the Australian Open. In another historic twist, the WilliamsWilliams decider was the first played under the roof not for rain, but horrific, 44-degree heat.
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If one single stroke sets apart Serena as the leading champion of her era, it’s her beautiful serve – arguably the best in the history of the women’s game.
A fifth Australian title in 2010 made Serena the most successful non-Aussie in the tournament’s history, equal on the honour board with Daphne Akhurst, for whom the trophy is named. Only Margaret Court (11) and Nancye Wynne Bolton (6) have won more Aussie silverware. Serena has triumphed at Melbourne Park as a dominant world No.1 and as a written-off world No.81. She has blasted her way to victory in daytime and prime-time finals, indoor and outdoor deciders. Strangely, this domination only applied in odd years. In 2005, Serena defeated world No.1 Lindsay Davenport 6–0 in the third set for her only tournament win in two years. The drought was spectacularly broken at the 2007 Australian Open where Serena, overweight, overlooked and ranked a lowly 81, produced a careerdefining performance, toppling a record six seeded players to win the title. Typically, Serena saved her best for the final, shocking world No.1 Maria Sharapova 6–1, 6–2 in an awesome display of first-strike tennis. In the first night-time women’s final at Melbourne Park in 2009, Serena humiliated another No.1, this time the Slam-less Dinara Safina. The curious pattern of odd-year success was broken in 2010 with a sparkling three-set final win over come-backing former No.1 Justine Henin. Perhaps the 28-year-old Serena was lifted to greater heights by the calibre of her younger opponent and the memory of their many fiery Grand Slam encounters (where Henin held the edge). The 6–4, 3–6, 6–2 victory saw Serena equal Billie Jean King with 12 Grand Slam singles wins; only five women are ahead of her on the all-time tally. If one single stroke sets apart Serena as the leading champion of her era, it’s her beautiful serve – arguably the best in the history of the women’s game. Not only is it a flawless action but utterly reliable on the big points. Like the best men players,
Serena is able to rain down aces and unreturnable serves under great pressure, and when the timing on other shots may have abandoned her. Apart from the infallible serve, Serena intimidates with her return of serve, and an ability to hit winners from anywhere in the court off both wings. With sister Venus, she patented the openstance backhand – the extreme shoulder rip producing a powerful shot without ceding court position. Her volleys are severe and her overhead probably the safest in the game. If the physical weapons were not imposing enough, this popculture queen – who is breezy and busy off court, with acting and fashion-designing pursuits and a huge following on Twitter – is also one of the mentally toughest women ever to take the court. Her Australian Open legend is studded with ‘back-from-the-brink’ feats, not least overcoming matchpoints against Kim Clijsters and Maria Sharapova in the 2003 and 2005 semi-finals respectively. Serena is the only woman to win after surviving matchpoints in three different Grand Slams – the last at Wimbledon in 2009. For the fans, Serena value-adds with her daring sense of fashion and love of bling. Choosing a ‘victory outfit’ before every Grand Slam is a motivating ritual and its unveiling is eagerly awaited and dissected by her followers. She and sister Venus also thrill fans as an all-superstar doubles pairing. A fourth title in Australia last January took their record in Grand Slam finals to an astonishing 11–0. At Rod Laver Arena, the younger Williams is undefeated in nine singles and doubles deciders. Can she go her whole career without losing an Australian Open final? It isn’t beyond the indomitable Serena Williams; nothing is.
29 | Iconic Players | serena Williams
this page: Serena at the 2010 Australian Open, looking disbelieving (top left); acknowledging her defeated opponent Justine Henin (top right); and with sister Serena, playing in their 11th Grand Slam doubles final (above).
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43 | Iconic Players | steffi graf
Steffi Graf First winner at Melbourne Park; four-time champion from five finals over six years
left: Steffi Graf plays a forehand shot during a match at the 1991 Australian Open. above: Steffi Graf celebrates winning the 1990 Australian Open women’s title.
Steffi Graf blew into the new National Tennis Centre in 1988, the harbinger of a brave new world. A Valkyrian vision at a leggy five feet nine inches, blonde locks tossing in the wind, she was already world No.1 at 18 years of age, having smashed the EvertNavratilova duopoly and captured her first Grand Slam at the 1987 French Open. At the 1988 Australian championships, Graf opened an era of dominance not seen before or since. Armed with the biggest weapon in the history of the game, Fraeulein Forehand powered her way to the Australian title and then the Grand Slam in 1988, only the fifth player to achieve the feat. Still not done, she secured a unique status by adding Olympic gold to the Holy Grail of tennis, becoming the game’s only Golden Grand Slammer. Those who watched her blitz the field in January 1988 knew they were witnessing a champion in historic form. Only Chris Evert, a veteran of 18 Grand Slam victories, detained Steffi for more than an hour in the 6–1, 7–6 final. No opponent could so much as take a set from the bounding German, who made history as winner of the first Grand Slam final to be decided indoors. As 1988 was the first year of a women’s 128-draw, Graf was also the first champion to win seven matches for the Australian title. Tall and sleek, Graf was a joy to watch for her huge tally of winners, her raw speed and athleticism, her brisk play, her unyielding fight and, by no means least, her tireless (and much admired) legs. Tennis had never before seen footwork like Graf’s – bouncing like a boxer. Steffi trained for the Open like a boxer too, coming out to Melbourne a full two weeks before the tournament to acclimatise to the new stadium in all weathers, indoors and out. Her preparation paid off in the final when the roof was closed, while Evert was clearly distracted by the changed conditions.
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As the first aggressive baseliner, prepared to risk extravagant errors to hit her way to victory, Graf redefined the baseline game for nearly all who followed.
Nor had we seen a more devastating weapon than the Graf forehand. Steffi positioned herself to the left of the centre-strip on the baseline, exposing what seemed acres of court on her forehand wing, while she was lightning-quick to step around the backhand and clock her signature off-forehand. The stroke was unteachable – with a violent, high follow-through more akin to a wood-chopper than a tennis player – and contact with the ball made later than any coach would advise. Inimitable for everyone else, Graf’s forehand was a product of her unique gifts of timing and spring-heeled athleticism. The Graf serve, off a precariously high ball-toss, was also a weapon, rather than a point-starter, and the second delivery had a pronounced kick. Her single-handed backhand was a rallying tool rather than a offensive stroke; as her career progressed, the Graf topspin backhand became a rarer sight as she opted for her low, skidding slice. It was an arsenal Aussie fans came to know very well. In 1989, Graf romped through without losing a set, defeating Helena Sukova 6–4, 6–4 in the final. For the hat-trick in 1990, it was Mary Joe Fernandez 6–3, 6–4 – in three years, only Sukova (in the 1990 semi-finals) had pushed Graf to a third set. Steffi’s Melbourne Park streak was halted at 25 by Jana Novotna in the 1991 quarterfinals, 8–6 in the third. Graf’s string of wins at the Australian Open was the longest since Margaret Court’s record 38. In her next Australian outing at the 1993 Open, Graf produced probably her best run yet to the final. Against quality opponents – including Jennifer Capriati and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, she didn’t drop a set, but then lost a scintillating final 4–6, 6–3, 6–2 against Monica Seles, the double-fisted phenomenon who had supplanted Steffi as No.1. Afterwards a downcast Steffi was asked if she could ever be satisfied with playing her best and still losing. ‘But if I play my best,’ she countered, ‘then I should win.’ It was an insight into the drive of this perfectionistic champion, the only player – man or woman – to win each of the Grand Slams at least four times. Tragically, the Graf-Seles rivalry was halted for more than two years after the ghastly on-court knife-attack on the 19-year-old Seles in Hamburg in April 1993. The travesty crippled the career of Seles, and clouded the career of Graf. In Monica’s absence, Steffi
won six of the next 10 Grand Slam events, including four straight culminating with the 1994 Australian Open. Steffi thus achieved both the traditional calendar-year Grand Slam and the consecutive sweep of four Slams in random order. The 1994 Open, her last title victory in Australia, was vintage Steffi, charging to the final without dropping a set, and there walloping Sanchez Vicario 6–0, 6–2 in the most one-sided Australian decider of the open era. Weakened by injury and seeded only 10th in her last Australian Open in 1999, Graf ironically faced her arch rival Seles, in a quarterfinal tinged with unfinished business. The German began brightly but went down 7–5, 6–1 in a baffling performance that saw her salvage just one more game after serving for the first set at 5–4. If her mental powers were waning, Graf defied the ravages of time with a final glorious surge at the French Open that year, winning her sixth Roland Garros final in a drama-filled upset of Martina Hingis for her 22nd – and last – Grand Slam title. Though she went on to reach the Wimbledon final, losing to Lindsay Davenport, Steffi retired a month later, aged 30. Typically decisive, she ended her career sooner rather than later. At No.3, she was the highestranked player, to that point, to call it quits. Like all the great champions, Graf changed the tennis template. Before Steffi, baseliners were patient, errorless counter-punchers. As the first aggressive baseliner, prepared to risk extravagant errors to hit her way to victory, Graf redefined the baseline game for nearly all who followed. She ramped up the power in the women’s game, signalling that no player could hope to rule without at least one big weapon. And her rise marked a shift in the power base of women’s tennis from the US to Europe. Since Graf, no less than 10 European players have ascended to No.1 in the women’s game. Steffi returned to Melbourne Park several times in the 2000s in the domestic guise of Mrs Andre Agassi – a role no one would have foreseen in her last Australian Open as a player. Her last visit to Melbourne was in 2005; by then she was a mother to son Jaden Gil and daughter Jaz Elle. As husband Andre battled Roger Federer on court, at least as many eyes were turned to the sleek blonde in the stands, Steffi in her signature black, still the object of admiration for millions.
45 | Iconic Players | steffi graf
this page: Fans show their allegiance at the 1994 Australian Open (top); and are repaid with autographs after the match (above left); post-retirement, Graf shows her support for husband Andre Agassi at the 2000 Open (above right).
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83 | Iconic Players | ken rosewall
Ken Rosewall Youngest and oldest champion; won fourth Australian championship a record 19 years after his first The ageless wonder of the tennis world, Ken Rosewall won four Australian titles – two in the 1950s as a green amateur and two in the 1970s as a hardened pro – and set some of his most agedefying records at his national championships. Youngest men’s champion (at 18 years two months) in 1953, Rosewall is also the oldest champion, winning his fourth Australian title in 1972, also at Kooyong, at age 37. That 19-year span as a Grand Slam winner is a tennis record. The Little Master went on to the semi-finals in 1976 and (January) 1977, at age 42. He finally bowed out, 10–8 in the fifth set, in the last 16 of the 1978 Open, aged 44. Nothing about Rosewall suggested a ruthless tennis machine. Wiry, dark-featured, neat and unassuming, he was overshadowed by his golden-haired, dynamic tennis twin, Lew Hoad, in their early days. Hoad was the only player to defeat Rosewall in an Australian final, at Brisbane in 1956, reversing the result of the year before. But as Hoad charged to the Grand Slam in 1956, it was inevitably Rosewall who stopped him in the final at Forest Hills. Like the glorious Hoad, other champions were flashier, but Rosewall emerged as the game’s most enduring champion and inexhaustible competitor. Through a 28-year career, taking in the amateur era, 11 years in exile as a pariah professional, and then the brave new world of open tennis, he was the tennis pro’s pro. ‘With my limited capacity, I did OK,’ Rosewall told a tennis gathering at the 2009 Australian Open. The Little Master was also the master of understatement.
left: Ken Rosewall was renowned for his excellent court coverage. above: Determined: Ken Rosewall focuses before stepping on court.
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Even now at 76, no one would be taking him lightly. There has been no better advertisement for tennis as ‘the game for a lifetime’ than Kenneth Robert Rosewall.
Rosewall’s career is a tennis statistician’s fantasy. The fascinating numbers include 14 years between US titles (1956 and 1970), 15 years between French victories (1953 and 1968) and 16 years between national championships (1955 and 1971). Rosewall’s last tournament victory was at Hong Kong in 1977, when he was 43; his last Grand Slam finals the 1974 Wimbledon and US Open, when he was 39. In the new-fangled computer rankings, Rosewall was ranked No.2, at age 40. The schism between amateur and professional cleaved Rosewall’s Grand Slam resume in two: he won four Slams in the amateur era and four in the Open era. The great unanswerable question: how many would he have amassed had tennis politics not barred him for 11 years – or 44 Grand Slam tournaments? When tennis went Open in 1968, Rosewall provided some emphatic answers. He won the very first professional tournament at Bournemouth in April 1968, then went on to win the first Open Slam, the French Open, defeating Rod Laver in four sets. Everyone marvelled that the 33-year-old Rosewall appeared unchanged from his first time as French champion at age 18. Asked if he was exactly the same weight, Rosewall replied: ‘Maybe a bit heavier in the pocket.’ On tour, he personified the Aussie tennis tradition of short arms and deep pockets. The keys to Rosewall’s longevity were his economical, errorless game, nimble footwork, his bedrock backhand – one of the legendary shots of tennis – and his canny returns. Rod Laver, who lost to Rosewall 11 of 13 times on turning professional, once observed: ‘Strange as it may seem, it is better not to serve too well against Ken. The harder you serve at him, the harder the ball comes back at you. You just don’t have time to set yourself up for a good volley because his returns are so deadly accurate all the time.’ Rosewall was also deadly with the lob and his low centre of gravity made him a master of the low and drop volley. Above all, he was an unyielding competitor with an abiding love of the game, which was all the more needed, since he was all of five feet seven inches and weighed less than 70kg. The nickname ‘Muscles’ was of course sarcastic but Rosewall’s tennis brain more than
compensated for his lack of brawn, except on the serve. Typically consistent but never a weapon, the serve is probably the main reason Rosewall fell short in four Wimbledon finals. Beyond the pile of youngest and oldest records, Rosewall’s impact on the gate and on TV helped to popularise tennis. In his 1953 Davis Cup debut alongside Hoad, the 18-year-old Rosewall faced the daunting task of winning the deciding rubber in a Cup final (or Challenge Round as it was then). The American team of Tony Trabert and Vic Seixas led 2–1 but the ‘tennis twins’ became national heroes by winning the reverse singles – Rosewall clinching the fifth rubber over Seixas, the reigning Wimbledon champion. That tie at Kooyong was played before a world-record crowd of 17,500, with a vertiginous third tier of temporary stands added. Few if any tennis events in Australia have gripped the public imagination more. Rosewall’s 1972 Australian final with Mal Anderson made history as the oldest Grand Slam decider, with the combined ages of the finalists an endearing 73. The fans loved it, turning out in force to see the ‘oldies’. The capacity crowd for the final, with an overspill of about 1000 fans allowed to sit on the court, convinced organisers to make Melbourne the permanent home of the Australian Open. Away from home, Rosewall’s epic wins over Laver in the 1971–72 WCT finals in Dallas helped touch off the 70s tennis boom in America. The latter match, which lasted four hours and climaxed in a fifth-set tiebreak, was shown live on the NBC network (which bumped several scheduled programs) and attracted a record TV tennis audience of 23 million. Despite overtures, Rosewall never moved to America like Laver, Roy Emerson and Fred Stolle, preferring to stay at home in Sydney. His sons were happy in their school, he once explained, and Newk, Rochey and others were nearby for a hit. And these days the Little Master can torture them on his very own centre court – the Ken Rosewall Arena at Sydney’s Olympic tennis centre. Even now at 76, no one would be taking him lightly. There has been no better advertisement for tennis as ‘the game for a lifetime’ than Kenneth Robert Rosewall.
85 | Iconic Players | ken rosewall
this page: Lewis Hoad and Ken Rosewall pose with the 1953 Davis Cup at Kooyong (above left); Ken Rosewall in 1954 (above right); Ken Rosewall presents Lleyton Hewitt with the runner-up trophy after his epic final against Marat Safin in 2005 (below).
Memorable moments
The tears, tantrums and triumphs that had everyone talking
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Mavericks
John McEnroe, 1990 MAC the Mouth made inevitable history at the 1990 Australian Open as the first player disqualified from a Grand Slam tournament in the open era. Ironically, McEnroe’s default on that warm first Sunday came when the Superbrat had supposedly mellowed, as a 30-year-old married father of two. Leading two sets to one in his fourth round with Sweden’s Mikael Pernfors, the volatile McEnroe temper exploded at 2–3 in the fourth. Intimidating a line-judge, hurling his racquet to the court and abusing the referee were the game-set-match of McEnroe’s ignominious exit. The Australian Open was the only Slam in which the gifted left-hander never made a final.
95 | Memorable Moments
Boris Becker, 1991 Moments after defeating Ivan Lendl in the 1991 final and ascending to No.1, Boris Becker bolted from the stadium. It was the strange case of the disappearing champion. Long minutes passed with the stunned centre court crowd, not to mention tournament organisers and fans around the world, wondering where in heck he’d gone and when – or even if – he’d be back. Becker re-emerged to take his trophy and explain that he wanted to savour the moment of becoming No.1 alone – communing with nature in Yarra Park rather than facing a battery of cameras and a worldwide audience. It was a telling episode in the suffocating level of fame Becker had to contend with as Germany’s first Wimbledon and world champion.
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Game, Set, Love Match Safin d. Hewitt 2005 In its centenary year, the Australian Open staged the first prime-time men’s final and couldn’t have scripted it better, with Australia’s Davis Cup hero Lleyton Hewitt taking on twotime runner-up and former No.1 Marat Safin, who’d put out Roger Federer in a blockbuster semi-final. The 23-year-old Hewitt had defeated a young Rafael Nadal and David Nalbandian, both in five sets, and was striving to become the first Aussie winner of the men’s title since Mark Edmondson in 1976. He pocketed the first set 6-1, but the big, charismatic Russian asserted himself to win the next three sets handily. Over four million TV viewers watched the drama – a ratings figure up there with grand finals and royal weddings. Hewitt lost the title but won a more permanent match later that night when he proposed to Bec Cartwright.
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Rivalries Down Under Roger Federer v Rafael Nadal They’ve met only once in the Australian Open but their 2009 final was one of the most keenly anticipated men’s deciders, the presidential stand packed with former champions for this No.1 v No.2 showdown, the first since 2000. Nadal won 6–2 in the fifth, extending his freakish dominance of Federer to 13–6, and 5–2 in Grand Slam finals. The last time Melbourne Park staged a five-set men’s final, in the inaugural 1988 event, Nadal was all of one year old. It was worth the wait.
Andre Agassi v Pete Sampras Showman Agassi thrived in the Aussie conditions and never lost to his archrival Down Under, defeating Sampras in the 1995 final and a scintillating semi in 2000 en route to his second title. That 1995 title-round was his only victory over Sampras in five Grand Slam finals. The marquee matchup for much of the 1990s, Agassi and Sampras duelled for 13 years; fittingly, their last encounter was a Grand Slam final, at the 2002 US Open. Sampras won it for a record 14th Slam title, and sealed their series 20–14.
Monica Seles v Steffi Graf Both four-time Australian champions, they clashed in a classic final in 1993, Seles winning through for her eighth major at age 19. The world had made a few topspin turns by their next Melbourne meeting six years on, Seles again winning an uneven match in what turned out to be Steffi’s last Australian Open campaign. Seles and Graf played off in finals at all four Grand Slams, Seles winning their Australian and French deciders, Graf taking the silverware at Wimbledon and the US Open. No less than 10 of their 15 meetings came in majors; Graf led 6–4, and 10–5 overall.
The 17-year-old Margaret Smith shocked Wimbledon champion Bueno in the quarter-finals at Milton in 1960 and the Brazilian diva famously did not speak to the Aussie ever after. Their 1965 Australian final was previewed on front pages of newspapers and duly delivered in drama, with Bueno stricken by cramps, writhing on the court in agony and retiring at 5–2 down in the third. Court and Bueno fought out the title rounds of all four Grand Slams, Bueno winning the 1963 US and 1964 Wimbledon chapters, and Court taking French, Wimbledon and Australian finals to lead their Slam showdowns 4–2.
Stefan Edberg v Mats Wilander The super Swedes owned the Open from 1983 to 1988, splitting the last four titles at Kooyong and Wilander winning the first Australian Open at Flinders Park. Of their five Grand Slam meetings, four were in Melbourne, ending in a civil draw. Edberg won their only final encounter, in 1985, and dominated their 1990 semi-final; Wilander won over his younger compatriot in 1984 and 1988. Mats also won their other Slam match in the US Open, to lead 3–2 in major meetings and 11–9 overall.
Chris Evert v Martina Navratilova The greatest rivalry in all of sport – stretching to 16 years, 80 chapters and 60 epic finals – graced both homes of the Australian Open in the 1980s. The net-rushing Navratilova won two of their three Australian finals – a soap-opera saga in 1981 and a more expected victory in 1985 – while Evert won impressively in 1982 for her only Grand Slam final win over Martina on grass. All went the distance. The super-athletic ex-Czech led their series 43–37, their major meetings 14–8 and their Grand Slam final bouts 10–4. But in Australia, Chrissie had the final word, trumping her arch-rival in a straight-sets semifinal in 1988 to become the only woman to play finals at both Kooyong and Melbourne Park.
Pat Cash v Ivan Lendl No love lost between Australia’s No.1 and the saturnine world No.1 in the 1980s. Six of their eight rumbles came in Grand Slams, where they were locked at 3-all (Lendl won their other two matches, both played in Sydney). They met three times in the Australian Open – Cash lost their 1983 fourth round as an 18-year-old but then triumphed in blockbuster semi-finals in 1987 and on Lendl’s favoured hardcourt surface in 1988. In between came Cash’s clinical 1987 Wimbledon victory over the Czech.
Lew Hoad v Ken Rosewall The ‘tennis twins’ from Sydney delighted crowds – drawing world-record audiences for their Davis Cup campaigns – and divided fan allegiances when they played each other. Goldenhaired Hoad was the dynamic hitter, dark-haired Rosewall the controlled schemer. Despite appearances, Rosewall proved the more durable both physically and mentally. They split Australian finals in 1955 and 1956 – the latter was Hoad’s golden year, when he came within a match of the hallowed Grand Slam. Inevitably it was Rosewall who tripped him up in the US final.
117 | Memorable Moments
Margaret Court v Maria Bueno
the history
A tournament Australians call their own
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Beginnings People often pinpoint the establishment of the Lawn Tennis Association of Australia (LTAA) in Sydney in 1904 and the first staging of the first Australasian Championships in 1905 as the origins of the sport Down Under but in reality, by that point Australians had been crazy about lawn tennis for years. The popularity of lawn tennis, invented by Major Waltor Clopton Wingfield in 1873, rapidly outstripped that of royal tennis in mother England, and that in turn influenced the rise of the game in the colonies. Having started as a popular backyard pastime at homes around Australia in the mid-1870s, the sport began its move away from private courts in 1878 when the first Victorian club tennis court was built by the Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Devotees flocked to the asphalt surface, delighted at the opportunity to socialise around their favourite sport. The MCC laid a grass court in 1879 and a second asphalt court in 1883 to help cater to the multitude of passionate local tennis fans. Three years after Spencer Gore won the first Wimbledon men’s singles title at the All England Tennis and Croquet Club in 1877, the MCC’s asphalt court played host to the first championship of the colony of Victoria. The steady growth of the game led to clubs springing up around Victoria and throughout Australia, tennis players engaging keenly in premiership (pennant) and interstate competitions from 1884 onwards. The sport rapidly outgrew the MCC as the home of championship tennis in Victoria, the MCG unable to cater to the demand for courts or spectator facilities. The headquarters of tennis shifted to the Warehousemen’s Cricket Ground (today known as Albert Reserve) from 1890 onwards, the 2000 spectators attending the Inter-colonial singles tournament there in 1891 justifying the move. Management of tennis in the colony was formalised in 1892 with the establishment of the Lawn Tennis Association of Victoria (LTAV). While representing Victoria’s tennis interests, organising inter-colonial matches and maintaining tennis’ headquarters at the Warehouseman’s Ground, the bulk of the LTAV’s time was devoted to managing inter-club competitions and the huge fan following
Then and Now: Prize Money Then: In 1905, winners received 10 guineas for their efforts. Now: In 2010, a total of $24.1 million in prize money was up for grabs with the men’s and women’s singles champions pocketing a handsome $2.1 million to go with the Australian Open champion tag.
they garnered. This following was in no small part due to the rivalry between South Yarra club’s Norman Brookes and Alf Dunlop, a New Zealander representing MCC. The classic coming-of-age drama played out between Dunlop and Brookes – two years his junior – captured the imagination of Australian tennis fans. Dunlop, the hero of an intense premiership rivalry between the MCC and South Yarra in the late 1800s, was a free-swinging player as effective at the net as he was from the baseline. His killer cross-court shots earned him fame as the best service returner in Australia. That is, until Brookes came along. As dour on court as his strokes were flamboyant, Brookes took the tennis of the era to another level. He made his debut for South Yarra in 1896. A green but promising recruit, his perplexing serve, imparted with a dizzying array of spins and slices, and his paralysing returns, soon earned him the nickname ‘The Wizard’. Victorian fans watched fascinated as Brookes’ rapidly developing talents eclipsed those of his older, more experienced rival, Dunlop. Newspapers across Australia published colourful reports of pitched pennant battles between the duo, regularly played out in front of 1000 fans. As Brookes’ star power grew, so did his influence on Australian tennis. He was keen to contest the Davis Cup – the international team competition established between the USA and the British Isles in 1900 – and in order to do so he had to represent a recognised national tennis association. The Australasian Lawn Tennis Association was duly formed in 1904, the inclusion of New Zealand alongside Australia’s representative states largely due to a promising British-based New Zealander, Anthony Wilding, who was drafted into the team. While Brookes won the Australasian Championships just once, his interest in Davis Cup – and his heroic partnership with Wilding in that competition – arguably led to the establishment of the tournament we now know as the Australian Open. Ironically, neither man competed in the first staging of the event that began on Saturday, November 18, 1905, remaining in Britain following their first Davis Cup campaign of July that year. The tournament was highly anticipated, with parochial newspaper reporting of the event. After all, the state associations had nominated the players who would represent them at the tournament.
121 | the history
‘In the absence of N. E. Brookes, who has not yet returned from England, the singles should be secured by either H. Rice or A. W. Dunlop, of Victoria, while our representatives will take a lot of beating in the doubles,‘ the Sydney Morning Herald prophesied on the morning of the first day’s play. In the event its predictions were wrong, 17-year-old Rodney Heath prevailing against an all-Australian eight-man field to take the inaugural singles title, the two finalists, and in particular Dr. Arthur Curtis, reported as looking ‘jaded’ due to their week’s exertions. ’(Curtis), however, took the first set 6–4, as Heath was somewhat nervous and was not getting as good a length on his returns as usual,‘ wrote the Sydney Morning Herald correspondent on November 27. ‘But after this the young MCC player came on, and bringing off his right-hand ground shot with great accuracy, he soon had Curtis in trouble; and gradually wearing him down he won a very popular victory 4–6 6–3 6–4 6–4.’ Victorians Tom Tachell and Randolph Lycett of Victoria claimed the first doubles crown in what the paper described as ‘a most remarkable game’. The founding of an internationally recognised governing body, Brookes’ and Wilding’s swashbuckling feats at Wimbledon and in Davis Cup and the establishment of a national championship that – in theory at least – showcased the skills of the country’s finest competitors, were key to establishing the sport domestically. What remained was for Australian tennis to secure a place for itself on the global scene. top: 1907 Davis Cup players (left to right): Tony Wilding and Norman Brookes, Australasia, and Herbert Roper Barrett and Arthur Gore, British Isles. Australasia defeated the British Isles. above: Norman Brookes, a gamechanger for Australian tennis.
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A Generation of Australian Champions The LTAA’s decision to rotate the Australian Championships through Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide and to fix the tournament’s time slot in January paid dividends. On January 23, 1925 the Sydney Morning Herald had trumpeted the success of the system that overcame the previous hindrances to the welfare of the Australasian Championships, but identified a new challenge: there were no international players taking part that year, nor had there been the year before. When the tournament returned to Kooyong in 1927 – the first year it was staged as the Australian Championships, without the organisational involvement of New Zealand – all eight men’s quarter-finalists were Australian. The men’s final that year was a classic of the pre-tiebreak era, the fourth set lasting an hour and a half, Gerald Patterson eventually winning the title over Jack Hawkes 3–6, 6–4, 3–6, 18–16, 6–3. As a member of France’s touring Four Musketeers team along with Henri Cochet, Rene Lacoste and Jacques Brugnon, Jean Borotra won the 1928 Australian Championships in five hardfought sets against Ronald O Cummings. A visit from the Great Britain team of Dr John Gregory, Bunny Austin and Ian Collins reaped rewards for the tourists, Gregory coming away with the 1929 title over Richard Schlesinger 6–2 6–2 5–7 6–4. It wasn’t until 1935 that the men’s draw truly earned its international stripes, but in the interim the tournament’s facilities,
Long Shots
It seems that almost every year at the Australian Open an unheralded player – some young, some obscure and some believed to be past their prime – captures the tennis world’s imagination by defying the odds and making a bold dash to the final. In the Open era, only three unseeded players have managed to realise the dream of the long-odds chance. Two Australians – Mark Edmondson (1976) and Chris O’Neil (1978) and more recently Serena Williams (2007) make up the trio of unseeded players to scoop the Australian Open. Of the Slams, only the French Open has had as many unseeded champions: Mats Wilander in 1982, Gustavo Kuerten in 1997 and Gaston Gaudio in 2004. Wimbledon has had two unseeded champs – 17-year-old Boris Becker in 1985 and 29-year-old Goran Ivanisevic in 2001 – and the US Open just one, Andre Agassi in 1994.
Four countries dominated the Grand Slam tournaments like no others before the Open era. Australia, the United States, Great Britain and France had a monopoly on the outcome of the majors up until the late 1960s. in particular those at Kooyong, came under scrutiny on a number of levels. There was growing resentment among membership ranks about its dual role as a private tennis club and the home of Victorian tennis. And there was mounting criticism about the state of the club’s courts and facilities. As the Great Depression began to take its hold globally, the feats of Jack Crawford, Harry Hopman, Vivian McGrath, and rising stars Adrian Quist and Nancye Wynne helped to ward off a slump in the sport’s popularity at home. With his dapper dress, elegant court coverage and easy shotmaking, Crawford also won fans internationally and is credited with inspiring generations of Australian tennis stylists and almost single-handedly boosting the popularity of the sport in Australia to new heights. Crawford reached the finals of six straight Australian Championships between 1931 and 1936, winning the title four times, and was also runner-up to Quist at White City in 1940 at the last staging of the tournament before World War II. He was awarded the tournament trophy in perpetuity after claiming three consecutive titles from 1931 to 1933. As a result the LTAA procured a new prize, the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup, designed to bear the names of the tournament’s future champions but remain in possession of the event. One of the game’s great tacticians, Harry Hopman was another popular face in Australian tennis during the era. A three-time finalist between 1930 and 1932, the Glebe-born Davis Cup legend never won his national singles title. He did, however, win the doubles title twice (with Crawford) in 1929 and 1930, the mixed with his wife Nell (nee Hall) in 1930, 1936 and 1937, and he distinguished himself as a player and captain during a Davis Cup career that spanned 40 years. The only man to win a tennis major before and after World War II, Adrian Quist’s textbook strokes carried the diminutive South Australian to three Australian Championships singles titles and 10 doubles titles, eight of those in combination with John Bromwich. He made his Australian Championships and Davis Cup debuts in 1933, he was Australian doubles champion for 15 years because of the 1941–45 break for WWII, and won more Aussie titles than any other man; in partnership with Bromwich, he is regarded as one of the greatest doubles players of all time. opposite top: Gentleman Jack Crawford’s stylish play took him to six consecutive Australian finals between 1931 and 1936. opposite below: The 1939 Australian Davis Cup team (left to right) John Bromich, Adrian Quist, Harry Hopman & Jack Crawford. right: Jack Crawford and English ‘dominator’ Fred Perry in 1935
From the first Wimbledon in 1877 until the last amateuronly Australian Championships in 1968, these four superpowers of tennis claimed 499 of the 541 men’s and women’s singles titles on offer. Not surprisingly, local players dominated their home Grand Slams. This was especially so during the early years of each tournament when fewer players were prepared to travel great distances to enter overseas events. But once the barrier of distance was breached by more accessible air travel, the number of visiting Grand Slam winners started to rise. Also, the increased popularity of some majors meant more of the world’s top players would travel to contest these events. For a period in the 1970s and 1980s the Australian Open was seen as the poor cousin of the Grand Slam family. But the move to Flinders Park (now Melbourne Park), a change of dates to late January and a boost in prize money soon had the world’s best players packing their bags and heading for Melbourne each summer. Now the four majors stand on equal ground and all are regularly contested by the world’s top 100 players. And with the increased competition worldwide, the dominance of the game’s big four has dissipated.
129 | the history
The Dominators
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153 | Iconic Players | Name of Player
what’s the story? Facts, figures and FAQs
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Becoming a Grand Slam Nation Borrowed from the card game Bridge, the term Grand Slam was first associated with tennis in 1933 when Australian Jack Crawford, who had won the Australian, French and Wimbledon titles, was preparing to face Fred Perry in the final of the US championships. New York Times writer John Kieran wrote: “If Crawford wins, it would be something like scoring a grand slam on the courts, doubled and vulnerable.” Crawford fell at the final hurdle, but five years later American Don Budge became the first to complete the Grand Slam in 1938. Since Budge, just four players have joined this select club in singles play: Maureen Connolly Brinker in 1953, Rod Laver in 1962 and 1969, Margaret Court in 1970 and Steffi Graf in 1988. The four Grand Slam tournaments – the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open – are more than just significant stops on the tennis road trip each year. They are the moments that players and fans alike look forward to, spend countless hours preparing for and dream incessantly about. But how did these four events come to stand out from what has become a bulging schedule of events? How did they become the majors? Formed in 1913, the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF, now known as the International Tennis Federation or ITF) was the governing body of tennis and its rules. Not an original member, the United States joined in 1924 when the term “Official Championships” was bestowed on the national championships of Australia, France, Great Britain and the United States. These four were chosen due to the success of their countries in the sport of tennis. And just as languages evolve over the years, these four Official Championships have also experienced change in various forms and are now known as Grand Slam tournaments or, more commonly, as Grand Slams. At times challenged, these traditional four majors have stood the test of time. Certainly increased prize money, new stadiums and surface changes have all played their part in cementing these tournaments as being the best in the world, but it’s the history that the Grand Slams have all been built on that has proved to be the most stable foundation of all.
this page: Centre courts: Wimbledon’s centre court (top), Philippe Chatrier at Roland Garros (middle) and the US Open’s Arthur Ashe Stadium.
A Grand Slam doesn’t just happen. It takes thousands of hands to put together what has become the largest annual event in the southern hemisphere. Each year more than 4500 staff members work tirelessly in the lead-up, during and following the event to deliver the Australian Open. This includes 316 MLC Ballkids, 330 umpires, 205 Kia courtesycar drivers, 120 retail staff, 50 statisticians and 44 court service attendants. On top of this there are more than 1700 accredited media on-site, reporting on the first Grand Slam tournament of the year. Last but never least, the 500-plus players who provide the on-court entertainment.
How Many Hot Dogs? During Australian Open 2010 fans devoured 15,000 Aussie sausages, 110,000 ice-creams, 100,000 cups of coffee, 150,000 bottles of Evian water, 85,437 bottles of Jacob’s Creek wine, 80,000 bottles of Heineken and 230,000 draught cups, and more than 50,000 buckets of hot chips. It wasn’t just the spectators who had a healthy appetite. In the player café, players ordered more than 3500 chef’s specials and fuelled up with 2000 pasta dishes per day during peak times. Salad was also a big favourite among players, with more than 1400 consumed on the busiest days.
How Many Cars? Helping the players get to their matches on time is a fleet of 100 official cars supplied by the tournament’s major sponsor, Kia Motors. The tournament’s 205 drivers made in excess of 40,000 trips, clocking up more than 315,000 km during Australian Open 2010.
this page: An Australian Open member of staff enjoys a perfect view of Margaret Court Arena from atop Rod Laver Arena (top); fans mill around the concourse (centre); and Justine Henin receives door-to-door service from one of the many courtesy car drivers.
155 | what’s the story?
How Many People Does It Take?
Roger Federer and Andy Murray in action during the men’s singles final.