Top 10 Australian Open singles champions in the Open Era

The Australian Open, unlike other slams, was the forgotten slam for most part of the 20thcentury. Its remote location, timing when it is held (around the Christmas and New year holiday period) and lack of prize money led to it being relegated to a second-tier status. However, for the past three decades or so, the tournament has reinvented itself, and is now one of the tournaments most looked forward to on the calendar, by players and fans alike. Through this article, I will be looking at the top 10 Mens and Womens Singles champions at the Australian Open, players who have left their mark on the tournament on their way to becoming all-time greats.Note: This list only includes champions in the Open Era.

#1 Evonne Goolagong Cawley

One of Australia’s greatest ever players, Evonne Goolangong Cawley, made the Australian Open her own through the mid-seventies, winning four consecutive titles from 1974 to 1977. Apart from her tennis skills, Cawley was also a native Australian, and thus established herself as a role model for the previously disadvantaged community. Through her graceful style of tennis and speed around the court, Cawley managed to beat the best in the business, including a young Martina Navratilova on the way to her four titles. 

Cawley retired with 7 Grand Slam titles to her name, with the US Open being the only Slam to elude her. She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1988, and then the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame in 1994, getting well-deserved recognition for her feats on court.