Of the Australian Open 🎾
The Australian Open of tennis never fails to disappoint.
It seems that every event there’s a memorable moment and over the years it’s played host to some amazing matches. To celebrate this epic event and highlight some of its more momentous occasions, your mates here at Uptown Pokies have listed our most treasured memories.
1905 - The first ever “Australasian”
What’s the “Australasian”, you ask? Well, that’s what the Australian Open was called when it first kicked off in 1905.
The first ever Australasian Open was played at the Warehouseman's Cricket Club in Melbourne and due to its newness, only 17 players registered for the tournament. Of course, tennis wasn’t as popular back then as it is now.
The 5,000 punters who did show up to watch were treated to an awesome duel between Rodney Heath and Dr. Arthur Curtis, with Heath eventually becoming the inaugural champion.
1969 - Rod Laver begins his yet-to-be-emulated winning streak
Everyone in Australia knows the name Rod Laver.
There’s an entire arena named after him and his exploits as a professional tennis player are legendary. Perhaps his most legendary feat though was his run of Grand Slam wins in 1969, starting with the Australian Open in Melbourne.
This feat was made even more impressive because he hadn’t competed for 6 years. To this day, no other male tennis player is yet to win four Grand Slams in a year.
1988 - Steffi Graf doesn’t drop a single set
If Rod Laver dominated the 1969 season, the German Steffi Graf absolutely blitzed 1988.
Starting with the Australian Open, she went on to win each of the four Grand Slams that year plus a gold medal in the Olympics. The way she began her year though is what makes this achievement so special - Graf didn’t drop a set for the duration of the tournament including the final against archrival Chris Evert.
Steffi went on to win a total of 22 Grand Slams throughout her career, coming second only to Australian Margaret Court with 24.
1990 - Tennis legend John McEnroe loses his cool
Everyone knows that John McEnroe has a short fuse and most of the time it was himself lighting said fuse.
The 1990 Australian Open is one such occasion when McEnroe blew his lid and traded expletives with the umpire. He’d been disqualified for misconduct on the court after glaring at a lineswoman, smashing his racket and arguing with the umpire over his two prior indiscretions.
Because of the 3-strike rule, McEnroe was then asked by the official to retire from the arena. However, McEnroe wasn’t actually aware that the rule had been changed from 4 strikes to 3, so he believed that he was still entitled to play.
Upon being told that it was now 3 strikes, McEnroe fired up even more and after throwing what was essentially an on-court tantrum, McEnroe was given the “See ya later, mate” - the first player to be disqualified from a Grand Slam since 1963.
2000 - Andre Agassi in an epic duel against Pete Sampras
Andre Agassi was one of the more polarising figures in world tennis.
The hairstyles, odd behaviour and even stranger wardrobe choices really divided opinion. One thing that wasn’t up for debate though was his ability with a ball and racket, and in the 2000 Australian Open semi-finals, he showed what he was made of in an incredible duel against Pete Sampras.
Called the two titans of tennis, it was the first match between them that went to all five sets. Sampras was the best server in the game and Agassi the best returner, which made this match all the more spectacular for viewers at home.
Eventually though, it was Agassi who took the win with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6, 6-1 scorecard, earning himself a place in Australian Open history and finally besting a man who always had his number in Sampras.
2009 - Nadal (finally) wins the Australian Open
The most recent and possibly most memorable moment of the Open has to be Rafael Nadal claiming victory for the first time in Australia against the ultimate competitor in Roger Federer.
After having only one day of rest in the semifinals, many people were doubting whether Nadal had the energy to beat Federer, who was coming off a two-day rest having bested Andy Roddick in straight sets.
Turns out, Nadal did have what it takes in what became a game that had every tennis fan on the edge of their seat. And while his win certainly qualifies as a memorable moment, it was Federer and Nadal’s reactions on the podium that really etched the event in people’s memories.
The Swiss tennis hero broke down crying and with tears streaming down his face, he was handed the microphone. Federer said, "Maybe I'll try later again, I don't know. God, it's killing me”. He then proceeded to cry even harder.
Nadal then wrapped his arms around Federer and embraced him as a sign of respect, leading to one of the great Australian Open photos ever captured. But you don’t need to reach the top echelons of tennis to win.
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