The Australian Open (AO) is the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, and usually takes place in the second half of January. First held in 1905 at Melbourne's Albert Cricket Ground as the Australasian Championships, the event initially moved around many of Australia's largest cities, enjoying stints in Sydney, Adelaide, and Brisbane, among others, as well as a couple of cities in New Zealand. The AO finally settled back home in the state of Victoria, and is currently hosted at Melbourne Park.
As well as being famous for providing world-class matches at the start the tennis season, the Australian Open is also well-renowned for its feel-good factor; the AO is colloquially known as the “Happy Slam” because of the notably positive vibe that flows around the city, tournament, and courtside crowds. It is the highest-attended of the 4 Grand Slam tournaments.
Matches at the AO all take place on a hard court surface, and the 3 main show courts – Rod Laver Arena, Margaret Court Arena, and John Cain Arena – are all able to host matches indoors, so the games can continue in wet weather and extreme heat.
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