The Australian Open is getting underway this week, but do you know about this history of the Australian Open? If not, read on for some interesting facts about the Australian Open in the early days.

1880 was the year of the first Australian Tennis tournament and it was held in Melbourne. It was the Championship of the Colony of Victoria. Until 1905, all states in Australia and New Zealand held their own championship tournaments.

Then in 1905, the ‘Australasian Men’s Championships’ kicked off at the Warehouseman’s Cricket Ground in Melbourne. This was later renamed the Australian Championships in 1927, and by 1969 it had been given the name that it goes by today: The Australian Open.

In the 1905 event, around 5000 spectators watched the event at the Warehouseman’s Cricket Club, and the Australian Open became the ‘Grand Slam of Asia/Pacific’, as it is still known today. The winner was Rodney Heath who triumphed in the final.

From 1969, the Australian Open was held in various locations each year on a rotating basis including Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide in Australia, and in Hastings and Christchurch in New Zealand. This continued until 1972.

1922 was the first year that women entered into the championships, and the tournaments were held in Sydney, Australia that year. The first ever female winner was Margaret Molesworth,  who won the final against Esna Boyd. Esna Boyd was in the finals every year until 1926.

From the birth of the championships until 1976, the Australians dominated the tournaments and won almost all of them. Less than twenty players from other countries triumphed in those seven decades. Since that time, the open has become much more of an international event.

Because the people of Melbourne enjoyed the Australian Open so much, in 1972 Melbourne became the home of the Australian Open and it has been held there every year since. The Melbourne Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club was chosen as the annual venue.

Sixteen years later in 1988, as the number of Australian Open enthusiasts increased, Melbourne Park was created to cope with the growing numbers of visitors. This resulted in a huge growth in spectators for the Australian Open event.

The Melbourne Park became the new venue for the Australian Open, with Centre Court being the main tennis arena. This name was changed in 2000 to Rod Laver Arena, after Rod Laver who had won the open three times and was one of the greatest tennis players.

Until 1976 the Australians’ victories were unshakable, however since then the event has been won by players from all over the globe. There have been several players who have won the tournament a number of times, including Serena Williams (USA), Andre Agassi (USA) and Roger Federer (Switzerland).

Melbourne Park underwent a huge refurbishment in 90s, with a carnival atmosphere to surround the open that year. The Australian Open is today one of the biggest Australian sporting events. In 2007, over half a million spectators attended the open, showing it’s ever increasing popularity.