About Australian Open 2024
The 112th edition of the Australian Open, the 56th in the Open Era, will take place at Melbourne Park, from January 14 to January 28, 2024. The Australian Open is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open.
Nicknamed "The Happy Slam,” the Australian Open is one of the oldest and most prestigious tennis competitions in the world. It was first held in 1905.
The Australian Open is the highest-attended Grand Slam event, with more than 902k tennis fans in attendance in the 2023 edition. It features women's and men's singles, women's and men's doubles, mixed doubles, and wheelchair competitions. It is played on hard courts, however, before 1987, it was played on grass courts.
Australian Open History
The Australian Open was first played at the Warehouseman's Cricket Ground in Melbourne in November 1905. That place is now known as the Albert Reserve Tennis Centre. The Australian Open was first known as the Australasian Championships. In 1927, it was named the Australian Championships. In 1969, it was named the Australian Open. While it started in November 1905, it was not designated as a major championship until 1924.
Rodney Heath was the first men's singles winner at the Australasian Championships in 1905, defeating Albert Curtis in four sets. Five years later in 1910, he won his second Australasian Championships, defeating Horace Rice in three straight sets in the final.
In 1922, the ladies' singles competition was introduced. Australian player Mall Molesworth was the first women's singles winner at the Australasian Championships in 1922 and successfully defended her title in 1923.
Before 1987, this tournament was played on grass courts, but since then two types of hardcourt surfaces have been used: green-coloured Rebound Ace up to 2007 and blue Plexicushion since 2008.
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic is the best player in Australian Open history, winning 10 titles there. Another player who holds a unique Australian Open record is Mats Wilander. Wilander won three Australian Open titles in his career in 1983, 1984, and 1988. He is the only player in Australian Open history who won the tournament on both grass and hard courts.
Australian Open 2024 Schedule
The first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open 2024 will take place from January 14 to January 28. The Australian Open 2024 Women's Singles Final will be played on January 27, and the Men's Singles Final will be played on January 28. The singles draw will come out on January 11. There are 128 players in each draw and 32 players will be seeded.
Australian Open 2024 Venue
The 2024 Australian Open will be held at Melbourne Park, Victoria, Australia, from 14–28 January 2024. It is the 112th edition of the tournament. Some of the famous stadiums, where matches will take place are Rod Laver Arena, Margaret Court Arena, and John Cain Arena.
Australian Open 2024 Defending Champions
Men's Singles - Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic won the Australian Open last year. In the final, he defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets to claim his 10th Australian Open crown.
Women's Singles- Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka won her first grand slam title at the Australian Open in 2023. In the final, she defeated Elena Rybakina in a close three-set match.
Men's Doubles – Rinky Hijikata and Jason Kubler
Women's Doubles - Barbora Krejčíková and Kateřina Siniaková
Mixed Doubles – Luisa Stefani and Rafael Matos
Australian Open 2024 Prize Money
The total prize pool for the 2024 Australian Open stands at A$86,500,000, the highest amount ever offered and an increase of 13.07% compared to 2023.
| Event | Winner | Finals | Semifinals | Quarterfinals |
| Singles | A$3,150,000 | A$1,725,000 | A$990,000 | A$600,000 |
| Doubles | A$730,000 | A$400,000 | A$227,500 | A$128,000 |
| Mixed Doubles | A$165,000 | A$94,000 | A$50,000 | A$26,500 |
Australian Open 2024 Points Distribution
Every professional tennis player wants to play in grand slam events. This is because major tournaments give players a chance to win a lot of ranking points and prize money. The 2024 Australian Open men's and women's champions will get 2000 ranking points.
The ranking points breakdown for the 2024 Australian Open is as follows:
| Event | Winner | Finals | Semifinals | Quarterfinals |
| Men’s Singles | 2000 | 1300 | 800 | 400 |
| Men's doubles | 2000 | 1200 | 720 | 360 |
| Women's singles | 2000 | 1300 | 780 | 430 |
| Women’s Doubles | 2000 | 1300 | 780 | 430 |
Australian Open 2024 Top Ranked Players
Novak Djokovic will be the No. 1 seed in the men’s singles, while Iga Swiatek will be the No. 1 seed in women’s singles in the Australian Open 2024.
Top seeds at the Australian Open 2024
Men’s
Novak Djokovic (SRB)
Carlos Alcaraz (ESP)
Daniil Medvedev
Jannik Sinner (ITA)
Andrey Rublev
Women’s
Iga Swiatek (POL)
Aryna Sabalenka
Coco Guaff (USA)
Elena Rybakina (KAZ)
Jessica Pegula (USA)
Players with the most wins in the tournament
Novak Djokovic is by far the best player in Australian Open history. He has won 10 Australian Open titles in his career so far. His career Australian Open win-loss record is 89–8, a 91.75 percent winning rate – his best win/loss percentage across the four Grand Slams. He will be looking forward to winning his 11th Australian Open title this year.
Rafael Nadal is the other player who will try to win his third title at the Australian Open. He has won 22 grand slam titles in his career so far and has a win-loss record of 76-15 at the Australian Open. He lost four finals at the Australian Open in 2012, 2014, 2017, and 2019.
On the WTA side, Naomi Osaka will be one to watch out for this year. She has won two Australian Open titles in 2019 and 2021, and her Australian Open career record is 24-5.
Other women’s players who will be looking to win the first slam for the year are Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff.
Where to watch the Australian Open 2024
Fans from all around the world can watch the Australian Open from the comfort of their homes. In the UK and Europe, fans can watch the Australian Open on Eurosport and its several divisions. In the US, ESPN will broadcast the tournament. Indian fans can watch the tournament on the various channels of Sony Network.
FAQs
A. The total prize money pool for the 2024 Australian Open stands at A$86,500,000.
A. The Australian Open will start on Sunday, 14 January, and conclude on Sunday, 28 January.
A. Yes, Rafael Nadal will play at the Australian Open 2024.
A. Yes, Naomi Osaka will play at the Australian Open this year.
A. The Australian Open is held in Melbourne every year because it attracts the biggest patronage of any Australian city.
