Australian Open

The first Grand Slam of the year is the Australian Open. This tournament has been staged in several cities in Australia and New Zealand, but it is nowadays held in Melbourne. The Australian Open is played on the hard courts at Melbourne Park. The surface is called Plexicushion Prestige and enhances a better depth perception of the ball, a greater contrast between the surface and the ball, and the ball’s visibility because of its color. Another benefit of this surface is the thin top layer that retains less heat and has more consistency. The winners of the tournament this year are the former number one players Roger Federer and Serena Williams; they both won a trophy cup called ‘Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup’ for the women and ‘Norman Brookes Challenge Cup’ for the men. Roger Federer won the Australian Open for the fourth time in his career and is together with Andre Agassi the winner of most singles titles at this tournament. Serena Williams won the Australian Open for the fifth time in her career and is therefore the winner of the most singles titles for women. The prize money for the winners, both women and men, is $2.2 million.