EN  UA

All-time Australian Open Venues

Warehouseman's Ground, Melbourne: 1905, 1911, 1914, 1924

In 1905, Warehouseman's Cricket Club Ground (later Albert Cricket Ground) in St.Kilda Road, Melbourne, Victoria, hosted the first tennis Australasian Championships since 1922 - Australian Open.

Christchurch, New Zealand: 1906

Auchenflower, Brisbane: 1907, 1915

Double Bay Grounds, Sydney: 1908, 1919

In 1919, Double Bay Grounds in Sydney hosted Australasian Championships (now Australian Open) and International Lawn Tennis Challenge (now Davis Cup).

Perth Zoo, Perth (tennis courts were hired out): 1909

In 1909, Perth Zoo's tennis courts were hired out, and Zoo became the home of the 5th Australasian Championships.

Adelaide: 1910, 1920

Hastings, New Zealand: 1912

Mueller Park (Kitchener Park in 1916-1981), Perth: 1913, 1921

In 1916, Mueller Park changed its name to Kitchener Park due to wartime patriotic fervor.

White City Stadium, Sydney: 1922, 1925, 1928, 1931, 1934, 1937, 1940, 1947, 1951, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1971

White City Stadium, Sydney
White City Stadium in Rushcutters Bay, Sydney, New South Wales, was built in 1922 for the New South Wales Championships. In the same year stadium held the Australasian Championships (now Australian Open). The Centre Court, with its natural grass surface, seated 8,000 people, but with the use of temporary grandstands, the capacity of the main arena could be increased to as high as 25,000 as it was when the Davis Cup final was played at the venue in 1954. In 1962, Rod LAVER won the Australian Open and started his way to his first Grand Slam. In 1970, Margaret COURT won the singles title for her third Grand Slam. From 1922 until 2000, the tennis complex was home to the NSW Open (now - Mediabank International, one of the essential tennis tournaments in the Australian Open Series) before it was moved to the Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre at Homebush.

Milton Courts, Brisbane: 1923, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1969

Milton Road, Brisbane
The Milton Tennis Centre at Frew Park, Milton Road, Queensland, was opened in 1915. The tennis complex consisted of four grass courts and 19 hard courts. The main arena seated 7,000 people and had a grass surface. In 1969, Rod LAVER won here Australian Open, the first tournament of his second Grand Slam. In 1999 the venue was closed because of heavy financial losses.

Memorial Drive, Adelaide: 1926, 1929, 1932, 1936, 1938, 1946, 1949, 1952, 1955, 1959, 1963, 1967

Memorial Drive, Adelaide
The courts at Memorial Drive Park, Adelaide, were opened in October 1921, after South Australian Lawn Tennis Association leased about six acres of ground Park 22 in the South Park Lands between Goodwood and the Bay Roads for 21 years. The main arena with a grass surface (now the central court has a hard surface) seated 6,000 people. In 1938, Donald BUDGE took here the first step to the first Grand Slam in tennis history. Since 2009 the World Tennis Challenge (exhibition tournament held in the week before the Australian Open) has been played at Memorial Drive.

Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club, Melbourne: 1927, 1930, 1933, 1935, 1939, 1948, 1950, 1953, 1957, 1961, 1965, 1968, 1972-1987

Kooyong Stadium, Melbourne
In 1927, Kooyong Stadium at the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club, Melbourne, was opened and hosted Australian Open. The tennis complex consisted of twenty grass courts. The main arena (now a hard-court surface) has a capacity of 8,500. In 1953, Maureen CONNOLLY won Australian Open and stepped to the first woman Grand Slam. From 1972 until 1987, Kooyong became the Australian Open's permanent home for the first time in tournament history. Since 1988, each January before the Australian Open, Kooyong held the AAMI Classic, a tennis exhibition singles-only tournament.

Melbourne Park (Flinders Park in 1988-1996), Melbourne: 1988 - present

Melbourne Park
In 1988, Australian Open moved to the new National Tennis Centre at Flinders Park, Melbourne (which was renamed Melbourne Park in 1996), because Kooyong, the previous venue, had become too small. This year was lucky for Steffi GRAF, who won the last single Grand Slam in tennis history. Now tennis complex consists of Rod Laver Arena (formerly Centre Court), John Cain Arena (formerly Hisense Arena), three show courts including Margaret Court Arena, indoor tennis practice courts, and 19 outdoor tennis courts with lighting.

Melbourne Park Grounds Map

Melbourne Park Grounds Map
Source: australianopen.com

Rod Laver Arena

Rod Laver Arena Map
Source: australianopen.com

Rod Laver Arena is the main tennis stadium of the Melbourne Park complex, with a seating capacity of 14,820. In January 2000, formerly known as Centre Court, the stadium was named to honor Rod Laver, two-time owner of the Grand Slam. From 1988 until 2007, the official surface of the Australian Open was green Rebound Ace, a tennis hardcourt composed of polyurethane rubber, fiberglass, and other materials on top of an asphalt or reinforced concrete base. In 2008, the surface was changed to Plexicushion, colored bright blue. The Arena features a moveable roof allowing players to continue to play during rain or extreme heat.

John Cain Arena

John Cain Arena Map
Source: sportsnetholidays.com

John Cain Arena was completed and opened in 2000. It was initially called the Multi-Purpose Venue, then Vodafone Arena after the naming rights was sold to Vodafone. In 2008, the stadium was renamed Hisense Arena after a multi-million dollar six-year deal. The venue has a fixed seating capacity of 4,500, while raiseable, retractable, and removable seating increases the arena capacity to 10,500. The court has a Plexicushion surface and a retractable roof, which enable all-weather play during tournament competition. In December 2020, the arena was renamed "John Cain Arena" in honor of the late State Premier of Victoria.