2019 Australian Open Preview, Predictions & Betting Tips

First held in 1905 as the Australasian Championships, the Australian Open was play on grass courts until 1988 when the tournament switched to hard courts. The tournament has been staged in five Australian and two New Zealand cities before permanently moving to Melbourne in 1972 because it attracted the biggest crowds.

Roy Emerson won six men’s titles at the Australian Open in the amateur era with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer winning six each in the professional era. Margaret Smith Court played across both eras in the women’s tournament, winning seven Australian Open titles in the amateur era and four in the professional era. Serena Williams is the most successful women’s player in the professional era with seven titles.

The first major tournament of the tennis season begins with the 2019 Australian Open in Melbourne. The first Grand Slam of the year is one of the biggest sporting events in the southern hemisphere, with 743,667 attending the event in 2018.