Grand Slam Tennis

No competition in Australia is watched more keenly than the Australian Open, played at Melbourne Park each January. The event is one of four tennis Grand Slam events in the world, the others being Wimbledon and the French and US Opens.

• Does anyone have tips on how/where to get tickets?

The Australian Open used to rotate between different Australian cities, but in 1972 it was decided to fix it in one place. Melbourne's Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club was selected as the venue because Melbourne provided the biggest tennis following. When the event's popularity outgrew Kooyong, Melbourne Park was built in time for the 1988 Australian Open. It proved an immediate success, with attendance leaping by 47 percent over the previous year.

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Australia has spawned more than its share of tennis champions over the years - from Evonne Goolagong and Margaret Court to Rod Laver, John Newcombe, Pat Cash, Pat Rafter andLleyton Hewitt, to name just a few.

The legacy of so many Aussie champions is a widespread love for tennis, with the fiercest competitions fought in the summer heat on courts such as theSydney International Tennis Centre in Homebush and, of course, Melbourne Park. The latter was enhanced in 2000 by the opening of Rod Laver Arena (formerly Centre Court) and Vodafone Arena. The first tennis Grand Slam of the 2007 tennis calendarsaw more than 500 of the world’s top players competing for a total prizepool of exactly AUD$20 million.

New initiatives for 2007 included the big screens in Rod Laver Arena to give fans the added excitement of video line calling which has proved a success on the Tour and at the recent US Open. On stage in Garden Square -- in the breaks between the day and night sessions -- fans were entertained by live performances from some of Australia’s top musical acts.

Throughout Australia, an abundance of tennis courts, both public and private, provides fun and recreation for those interested in a quick set.