Australian Open: Taste of History Quiz

Answer: The Australasian Championships

Prior to 1905, the states of Australia ran their own separate tennis championships, but in 1905, the Australasian Championships were held for the first time. They were played at a cricket ground in a suburb of Melbourne. The tournament's name evolved from the Australasian Championships to the Australian Championships (1927) to the now familiar Australian Open (1969).

Answer: All these

In the early days of the tournament, when it was known as the Australasian Championships, it was played in a number of different cities in Australia and New Zealand. Brisbane, Christchurch and Hastings are among other cities to have also hosted the tournament. It was decided in 1972 to hold the tournament in the same city every year.

Answer: Grass

The Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club was chosen as the venue for the Australian Open in 1972, when it was decided to give the tournament a permanent home. Melbourne was selected as the host city because tournaments held there in the past attracted the largest number of spectators. The last Australian Open to be played at Kooyong was in 1987.

Answer: It was the first time both amateur and professional players could enter

The first true "Australian Open" was played in 1969, with professional and amateur players allowed entry for the first time. The three other Grand Slam events (Wimbledon, US Open and French Open) allowed professionals to contest their tournaments in the previous year. Prior to this, professional players were not allowed to play on the traditional circuit.

However, even with the ban lifted, some professional players did not play in the Australian Open during the 1970s due to comparatively poor prize money.

Answer: No one, the tournament was not played in 1986

In the 1970s and early to mid-80s, the Australian Open was usually held during the month of December, although the dates tended to change from year to year. In the mid-80s, it was decided that the tournament should be held in mid-January, so, rather than hold a tournament in late 1986 and then another one almost directly after in January of 1987, the December 1986 tournament was scrapped.

Answer: Flinders Park

Flinders Park, which was later renamed Melbourne Park, was purpose-built for the Australian Open. The reason for the move was the relatively small capacity of the Kooyong complex. The International Tennis Federation felt that the tournament had outgrown Kooyong and asked the tournament directors to move it to a stadium with a larger capacity.

The move paid dividends immediately, with attendance at the 1988 tournament almost double that of 1987.

Answer: Mats Wilander

Mats Wilander won the Australian Open three times. He won it twice on the grass of Kooyong in 1983 and 1984, and once in 1988 on the Rebound Ace of the tournament's new location at Flinders Park. John Newcombe won the men's title twice on grass in 1973 and 1975. Stefan Edberg won the Australian Open twice (1985 and 1987), both times on grass. Ivan Lendl also won the tournament twice in 1989 and 1990, both on the Rebound Ace of Flinders Park.

Answer: Pat Rafter

The very popular Pat Rafter retired in 2002 never having won his home tournament. However, he twice won the US Open and was runner-up at Wimbledon twice. The great Roy Emerson won the singles tournament six times before the advent of the Open era in 1969. Ken Rosewall won the men's title four times; twice each in the 1950s and 1970s.

The story of Mark Edmonson's singles win has "classic Aussie battler" written all over it; he won in 1976 wearing a pair of Dunlop Volleys, ranked 212th in the world at the time.

Answer: Margaret Smith Court

Margaret Court (nee Smith), one of the finest tennis players Australia has ever produced, won the Australian women's singles title seven times before the Open era, and a further four times between 1969 and 1973. Her Grand Slam record is outstanding, with 24 singles wins from 29 finals. Show Court One at the Melbourne Park complex was named after Margaret Court in January 2003.

Answer: Norman Brookes

The Norman Brookes Challenge Cup is presented to the winner of the men's singles title. Norman Brookes was a champion Australian tennis player of the early 20th century, winning three Grand Slam singles titles (one Australian and two Wimbledon). The Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup is presented to the winner of the women's singles title and was named after Daphne Akhurst Cozens, an Australian tennis player who won the Australian women's singles title five times in the 1920s and early 1930s.