Australian Open
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The Australian open is played at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia in January.
It is the first Grand Slam tournament in the annual tennis calendar.
Since 1988 it has been played on hard courts.
For the past 20 years it has been the only Grand Slam event to have retractable roof to
control heat and rain. In 2009, Wimbledon will be the second.
Since January is during the Australian Summer, the tournament has had an extreme heat
policy since 1998. It gives the referee the discretion to suspend play, allow breaks
between sets or have the roof closed.
2009 prize money for first place: AU$1.62 million ($1.33 million CDN)
Surface
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From 1905-1987 the tournament was held on a grass surface.
From 1988-2007 a surface known as Rebound Ace was used.
Rebound Ace contains layers of polyurethane rubber, fiberglass, and other materials on
top of an asphalt or reinforced concrete base.
Rebound Ace was criticized by players in the later years of its use that high temperatures
made it very sticky. Players felt this lead to more injuries.
Since 2008, the surface used has been Plexicushion Prestige.
As a result, all lead up tournaments also changed their surfaces to Plexicushion.
Plexicushion contains substrate blend of latex, rubber, and plastic particles and an acrylic
Plexipave surface.
Plexicusion reduces body shock and muscle fatigue.
This system also gives a consistent and uniform bounce. It also retains less heat.
It is a slower surface compared to the DecoTurf used at the US Open.
Successful players
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As the surface at the Australia open is a hard court, players with a hard serve and
powerful strokes have tended to be among the most successful.
Multiple championships have been won since 1987 by Roger Federer (3), Andre Agassi
(4), Pete Sampras (2), Boris Becker (2), Jim Courier (2), Ivan Lendl (2) in the men’s
tournament.
Multiple championships have been won since 1987 by Serena Williams (4), Jennifer
Capriati (2), Martina Hingis (3), Monica Seles (4), Steffi Graf (4) in the women’s
tournament.
History
1905 – Began as the Australasian Championships.
1905-1972 – Seven different cities (Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, Christchurch,
Hastings) took turns hosting the tournament.
1905-1987 – The tournament is held at various times of the year generally ranging from
December to March depending on host location and also to try and cater to players.
1927 – Renamed the Australian Championships.
1920s – Boat rides from Europe took 45 days to reach Australia. Very few foreign players took
part in the tournament for many of the early decades.
1946 – First time tennis players flew by plane to Australia
1969 – The Australian Championships become the Australian Open.
1969-1982 – Many of the best players skipped the tournament because of its inconvenient
timing, remoteness and lack prize money.
1972-1987 – The tournament was held at the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club in Melbourne because
Melbourne drew the biggest attendance.
1983 – Big names such as Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe, and Mats Wilander participate. Shortly
afterwards the ITF prompt the Lawn Tennis Association of Australia to find a new
location for the growing event.
1988 – Melbourne Park was constructed and became the new host since Kooyong had outgrown
its capacity.
1988 – Attendance was 266 436. A 90% increase over 1987.
Pre-1995 – An equal pay policy for men and women was in place.
1995-2000 – Men and women were no longer paid equal prize money.
2001 – A return to equal prize for men and women.
2009 – Attendance was 603 160 demonstrating the tournament’s steady growth.
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/equal-prize-money-at-australian-open-637129.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Open
http://www.plexipave.com/systems/tennis/plexicushion/plexicushion.html
French Open
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The French open is played at Roland Garros Stadium in Paris, France starting in midMay and ending in early June.
It is the second Grand Slam tournament in the annual tennis calendar.
It is the world’s premier clay court event.
2008 prize money for first place: 1 million Euros ($1.62 million CDN)
Surface and implications for success of players
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The French open is the open Grand Slam tournament played on Clay.
Since clay is a slower surface, rallies tend to last longer than on surfaces. As a result,
some consider the French open to be the most physically demanding of the Grand Slam
tournaments.
The slow surface at the French Open also has an effect on the success of players. Serve
and volley players are not nearly as effective on these courts and as a result formerly
number 1 ranked players such as Pete Sampras and Roger Federer have not won. Pete
Sampras was particularly well known for his fast serve too.
Clay is well suited to Raphael Nadal’s game and as a result, he has won the French Open
the last four years. The last three years he has defeated Roger Federer in the final.
Other players who thrived on clay courts and won multiple French Opens include Bjorn
Borg (6), Gustavo Kuerten (3), Ivan Lendl (3), Mats Wilander (3).
In the women’s tournament, the clay court has resulted in multiple championships for
Justine Henin (4), Steffi Graf (6), Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (3), Monica Seles (3), Chris
Evert (7).
Since clay limits the effectiveness of the Williams sisters’ games (because they rely on
power), only 1 of their combined 37 Grand Slam titles have come at the French Open.
History
1891 – Began as a national tennis championship for France. Players had to be licensed in
France.
1897 – The first women’s tournament was held.
1912 – Played for the first time on a red clay surface.
1925 – Tournament opened up to international competitors. The host site alternated between
Racing Club de France and the Stade Francais.
1928 – The current stadium, Roland Garros, was built to host the French defense of their 1927
Davis Cup win. The Stade Francais gave 3 Ha of land to the French Tennis Federation to
build it on the grounds that it had to be named after aviation pioneer and WWI fighter
pilot Roland Garros; a former member of Stade Francais.
1928-32 – “The Four Musketeers” defend the Davis Cup at Roland Garros. By the end of this
streak, the French Championships were considered a major international tournament.
1940-45 – French Championships cancelled due to WWII
1945-47 – The French Championships are held after Wimbledon in the tennis season.
1968 – The French Championship became the French Open. Both amateurs and professionals
could now complete. It was the first Grand Slam tournament to do this.
1981-present – Alternate prizes have been given out in addition to the winner’s trophy. They are
voted on by the press.
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Prix Orange – the most fair-play and the most press friendly player
Prix Citron – the player with the strongest character and personality
Prix Bourgeon –the tennis player revelation of the year
2007 – Equal prize money given to both men and women for the first time ever.
http://www.tennistours.com/event_pages/french/history.asp
http://french.open-tennis.com/history.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Open