The first tennis grand slam of the year, the Australian Open commences on the 13th January, 2019 and we are anxiously beaming with excitement to see one of the world’s best tennis players take to center stage.
The Australian Open tennis tournament is held annually and features men’s and women’s singles including mixed doubles, junior championships, wheelchair, legends and exhibition events. The first ever tournament was held in 1905 and has gone ahead to become of the largest annual sporting features in the world.
One should also note that it is also the first Grand Slam tournament to feature indoor play during wet weather or extreme heat with its three primary courts, the Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Arena and the refurbished Margaret Court Arena equipped with retractable roofs.
As we gear up for one of the biggest tennis torments this year, we are going to take a close look at what drives this prestigious event.
What you need to know about the Australian Open 2019
The tennis event will be a 14-day tournament beginning Monday at the Melbourne Park on hard surface courts with a prize money award of $42.85m. The women’s singles final is on 26th January while that of the men will be on 27th January. Like the U.S. Open, there are separate day and night sessions.
Apart from the prize money, expect a range of talented players to showcase their skills at this prestigious sports gala. Below are some profiles of the players to keep an eye on during this years Australian Open;
Men’s singles
1. Roger Federer
Federer, 37 will try again for his 100th career title as he bids for a third consecutive Australian Open trophy; only Djokovic has done that so far in this era. He’s ranked No. 3 with an impressive match record.
| 2018 Match Record | 48-10 |
| 2018 Singles Titles | 2: 4 |
| Career Singles Titles | 99 |
| Grand Slam Singles Titles | 20 — Australian Open (2004, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2017, 2018), French Open (2009), Wimbledon (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2017), U.S. Open (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008) |
2. Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic, 31 is a Serbian professional tennis player who is currently ranked world No. 1 in men’s singles tennis. He has taken on a lot challenges and risen to the top with might and power.
| 2018 Match Record | 53-12 |
| 2018 Singles Titles | 4 |
| Career Singles Titles | 72 |
| Grand Slam Singles Titles | 4 — Australian Open (2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016), French Open (2016), Wimbledon (2011, 2014, 2015, 2018), U.S. Open (2011, 2015, 2018) |
3. Rafael Nadal
The 32-year old Spaniard is currently world No. 2 in men’s singles tennis according to the Association of Tennis Professionals. He has won 17 Grand Slam singles titles, the second most in history for a male player, as well as a record 33 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles. Nadal has held the number one ranking for a total of 196 weeks.
| 2018 Match Record | 45-4 |
| 2018 Singles Titles | 5 |
| Career Singles Titles | 80 |
| Grand Slam Singles Titles | 17 — Australian Open (2009), French Open (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018), Wimbledon (2008, 2010), U.S. Open (2010, 2013, 2017) |
4. Andy Murray
A former world No. 1, Sir Andrew Barron Murray, 31 is a British professional tennis player from Scotland currently ranked No. 230 in men’s singles as of 7 January 2019. He is a three-time Grand Slam tournament winner and two-time Olympic champion. He announced that he’ll retire from the sport in 2019 due to consistent injuries.
| 2018 Match Record | 7-5 |
| 2018 Singles Titles | 0 |
| Career Singles Titles45 | 45 |
| Grand Slam Singles Titles | 3 (2013 Wimbledon,2016 Wimbledon,2015 US Open) |
5. Kevin Anderson
Kevin Anderson, 32 hasn’t won a match at the Australian Open in four years, but he is ready to make another come back at the title. The South African is ranked world No. 6 in men’s singles.
| 2018 Match Record | 47-19 |
| 2018 Singles Titles | 2 |
| Career Singles Titles | 6 |
| Grand Slam Singles Titles | 0 — Best: Runner Up U.S. Open (2017), Wimbledon (2018) |
Women’s singles
1. Serena Williams
After taking time off to have a baby and dealing with a health scare during childbirth, Williams reached two Slam finals in 2018. She returns to the tennis court having last played in the US Open final which she lost to Namoi Osaka in controversial circumstances.
| 2018 Match Record | 18-6 |
| 2018 Singles Titles | 0 |
| Career Singles Titles | 72 |
| Grand Slam Singles Titles | 23 — Australian Open (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2017), French Open (2002, 2013, 2015), Wimbledon (2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016), U.S. Open (1999, 2002, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014) |
2. Simona Halep
Simona Halep will remain at No.1 at the end of the Australian Open regardless of the results there giving her 48 weeks in a row at the top spot. The Romanian achieved the No.1 ranking in October 2017, and has won 18 WTA singles titles and one WTA doubles title.
| 2018 Match Record | 46-11 |
| 2018 Singles Titles | 3 |
| Career Singles Titles | 18 |
| Grand Slam Singles Titles | 1 — French Open (2018) |
3. Caroline Wozniacki
Caroline Wozniacki won her first career Grand Slam trophy in Australia last year and she’s the defending champion of the Women’s singles. The Danish professional is a former world No. 1 in singles was the first woman from a Scandinavian country to hold the top ranking position and 20th in the Open Era.
| 2018 Match Record | 41-17 |
| 2018 Singles Titles | 3 |
| Career Singles Titles | 30 |
| Grand Slam Singles Titles | 1 — Australian Open (2018) |
4. Naomi Osaka
Osaka won her first grand slam last year at the U.S. Open when she upset Serena Williams. She is aided by coach Sascha Bajin, who used to work with Serena and has a career-high Women’s Tennis Association ranking of No. 4 in the world, which she achieved in October 2018.
| 2018 Match Record | 40-20 |
| 2018 Singles Titles | 2 |
| Career Singles Titles | 2 |
| Grand Slam Singles Titles | 1 — U.S. Open (2018) |
5. Angelique Kerber
Angelique Kerber, a former world No. 1 currently ranked No. 2 is a German tennis professional who reached the semifinals run in last year’s Australian Open and won a grand slam at Wimbledon. She is also a three time Grand Slam champion.
| 2018 Match Record | 46-19 |
| 2018 Singles Titles | 2 |
| Career Singles Titles | 12 |
| Grand Slam Singles Titles | 3 — Australian Open (2016), Wimbledon (2018), U.S. Open (2016) |
The Australian Open is expected to be as tough as ever and we are definitely anxious to see who take the trophy and grand prize back home.
Also read: Sports Championships to Look Up to This 2019
