It was not originally planned to become a massive international tournament, but in 1923, the International Lawn Tennis Federation decided that this would be a worldwide event.
The Australian Open has been staged in five different cities in Australia, as well as in New Zealand twice (19). The tournament began in 1905 as the Australasian Championships, and was held in Melbourne at the Warehouseman’s Cricket Ground. The Australian Open is one of the four prestigious Grand Slam tennis tournaments that attract the best players and fans from around the world. The AO holds the record for the highest attendance of any tennis tournament ever staged with 812,174 people attending the 2020 edition.
