We are starting another season of tennis competitions and as always, in line with the sun, welcome to Australia! This year, the Australian Open offers us even more excitement than before! We are only a few weeks away from deciding whether Novak Djokovic will reach his 10th title at his favorite tournament and match the unmatched Rafa in terms of the number of Grand Slam titles. Will our Polish world number one - Iga Swiatek present the same phenomenal form as last year and win another championship. We are looking forward!
World tennis championships
As is widely known, the Australian Open - played on the courts in Melbourne in the second half of January - is one of the most prestigious tennis tournaments in the world, forming, along with Wimbeldon, Roland Garros and the US Open, the so-called Grand Slam. But has anyone wondered who decided, and when, where this most spectacular of tennis tournaments would be held? And why was the typical bridge term "Grand Slam" adopted for tennis tournaments? We have unraveled these mysteries.
At the beginning of the 20th century, due to the growing popularity of tennis, the British and French tennis associations, together with the Australian one, among others, formed the International Ground Tennis Federation, whose first meeting was held in 1913. At that time, three tournaments were established, which were referred to as "world championships": World Grass Court Championships, played on the grass courts of Wimbledon, World Hard Court Championships, played on clay courts in Paris, and World Covered Court Championships, played on an indoor wooden surface. However, when it became apparent that the World Covered Court Championships were not attracting good players, and in turn American and Australian tennis were becoming increasingly successful, changes were made - the previously established 3 tournaments were abolished and the national championships of Great Britain, France, Australia and the USA were created in their place.
From playing cards to playing tennis
The term "Grand Slam" originates from bridge and means to bid and win all possible leagues. It was first used in the context of the game of tennis in 1933, when Australian Jack Crawford won the Australian, French and Wimbledon Championships and reached the final of the U.S. Championships against British Fred Perry. On the eve of the final, journalist John Kieran, an enthusiastic bridge player, wrote in the New York Times that "If Crawford beats Perry today, it will be something like winning a Grand Slam on the courts" Crawford eventually lost and, as it turned out later, it was Perry who became the first player to win four titles (although not in the same calendar year). The expression has gained use in colloquial language and is now used to refer to the four most prestigious tennis tournaments in the world.
Australian Open - Happy Slam
The Australian Open is the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, played annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament features men's and women's singles matches, men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles, junior championships, wheelchair events and also matches between tennis legends and showcase competitions.
The inaugural edition of this tournament was held in November 1905 on the grass courts of Warehouseman's Cricket Ground in Melbourne. Since 1988, the AO has been played at Melbourne Park on hard courts with a distinctive blue color scheme.
Sometimes referred to as the "Asia/Pacific Grand Slam" the AO has become known for its modernity, being the first Grand Slam tournament to use indoor play and install sliding roofs on the main courts to protect against rain and killer heat. It is also the first Grand Slam to play the men's singles finals in a night session and the first to substitute electronic line calling for line judges, using an enhanced version of "Hawk-Eye" technology.
The Australian Open is often called the "Happy Slam" because most players just love it. First of all, the AO is the first Grand Slam of the year, so the players are fresh and ready to start the season. As the season progresses, injuries and problems arise but entering the courts in Melbourne the players are fresh, in great form and ready to start the new season. In addition, the players also love the location of the courts. Unlike its counterparts in Paris, London and New York, Melbourne is less crowded and much more visitor-friendly. The person who first used the term " happy slam" for the Australian Open was none other than Roger Federer - known for often coming to Australia already for Christmas with his entire family!
AO champions
Due to Australia's geographic distance and proximity to the Christmas and holiday season, very few foreign players entered the tournament in the early 20th century. In the 1920s, it took about 45 days to travel by ship from Europe to Australia. Even in the 1960s and 1970s, when travel was less difficult, top players such as Manuel Santana, Jan Kodeš and Björn Borg came to Australia very rarely or not at all. The tournament struggled to attract top players until the mid-1980s, but has since grown to become one of the biggest sporting events in the Southern Hemisphere and the most attended Grand Slam tournament.
In 1988, the tournament was held for the first time at Flinders Park (later renamed Melbourne Park). The change of venue also resulted in a change of the court surface from grass to hard court. It is worth mentioning that the only player to win the tournament on both grass and hard courts was Mats Wilander.
The undisputed champion of the AO open era is undoubtedly Novak Djokovic, who has the most singles titles in the tournament, nine. Six times Roy Emerson and Roger Federer have won in Australia. In women's singles play at the Australian Open, Serena Williams has the most wins - seven.
AO 2023 - lots will be going on
All signs in heaven and on earth indicate that the winner of the Australian Open 2023 in the men's singles will be Novak Djokovic, and Iga Swiatek will win the women's singles.
True, Rafael Nadal is the defending champion, but the Spanish player's condition is in question. If Nadal is injury-free, he will certainly be the favorite to reach the final. Also not to be forgotten is 19-year-old Carlos Alcaraz, the current world number one, who will enter the Australian Open after last year's success at the US Open. Alcaraz has proven that he has what it takes to win big titles, but will he be able to beat his accomplished countryman and the highly motivated Serb this year? Not to forget that Casper Ruud is also an interesting candidate to win the Australian Open, as he looks to make amends after his defeat in the US Open final. Had it not been for Alcaraz, the Norwegian would have been world number one and has a great chance to be the AO winner. Daniil Medvedev has reached two previous Australian Open finals, but he underwent surgery last year and his triumph in this event does not seem very likely.
Moving on to the predictions for the 2023 Australian Open in women's singles, there is no doubt that Iga Swiatek is the clear favorite. The Pole reached the semifinals of the Australian Open last year and was certainly disappointed in her defeat to Danielle Collins. However, Swiatek showed excellent form in the following months, winning Double Sunshine and then the French Open and US Open. It's hard to make a convincing case for either player to beat Iga Swiatek, who has been the most consistent and evenly matched player on the WTA Tour, posting a record of 67 wins to just nine lost matches in 2022. However, if by some miracle it is not Iga who will reach for the Grand Slam title in Australia, perhaps it will be Naomi Osaka, Caroline Garcia or Simona Halep, although the black cloud of a positive test for a banned substance hangs over the latter. It's also worth remembering Ons Jabeur, who reached two finals last year, but lost, and is certainly hoping that 2023 will be an even better year for her - you can bet she'd like to start the new season with a win at the Australian Open.
