Tennis in Australia

Tennis in Australia refers to the sport of tennis played in Australia. Tennis in Australia has been administered by Tennis Australia (formerly the Lawn Tennis Association of Australia (LTAA)) since 1904.

Australia hosts the first of the four Grand Slam events of the year, the Australian Open. The Australian Open is managed by Tennis Australia and was first played in Melbourne in 1905. The tournament was first known as the Australasian Championships and then became the Australian Championships in 1927 and the Australian Open in 1969.

In the 1950s, Australia became a tennis power, and Australian men won the Davis Cup 15 times from 1950 to 1967, led by outstanding players such as Frank Sedgman, Ken Rosewall, Lew Hoad, Roy Emerson, and Ashley Cooper.

Rod Laver has twice achieved the Grand Slam in men's singles, in 1963 and 1969, the only tennis player to have accomplished this feat. Fellow Australian tennis player Margaret Smith Court also achieved the Grand Slam in women's singles in 1969, Smith Court also holds the record for the greatest number of women's singles Grand Slams won and is one of only three players ever to have won a career Grand Slam "boxed set".

The Australian Open is one of four (along with the French Open, Wimbledon Championships and US Open) Grand Slam tennis tournaments played annually in Melbourne, Victoria in the last two weeks of January. The Australian open is the biggest and most well known tennis event in Australia and is known for its large crowds. 2016 saw the Australian open have a record crowd of 720, 899.

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