Editing Australian Open (section)

=== Open era ===
[[File:Ausopen margaret court arena medium.jpg|thumb|[[Margaret Court Arena]] at the Australian Open in 2005 prior to its redevelopment. [[Rod Laver Arena]] is in the background.]]
Beginning in 1969, when the first Australian Open was held on the [[Milton Courts]] at Brisbane, the tournament was open to all players, including professionals who were not allowed to play the traditional circuit.<ref name=Ausstadiums>{{cite web|url=http://www.austadiums.com/stadiums/special/milton.php |title=Milton Tennis Centre|publisher=Australian Stadiums|access-date=25 January 2008| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080117043727/http://www.austadiums.com/stadiums/special/milton.php| archive-date= 17 January 2008 | url-status=live}}</ref> Nevertheless, except for the 1969 and 1971 tournaments, many of the best players missed the championship until 1982, because of the remoteness, the inconvenient dates (around Christmas and New Year's Day) and the low prize money. In 1970, [[George MacCall]]'s [[National Tennis League]], which employed [[Rod Laver]], [[Ken Rosewall]], [[Andrés Gimeno]], Pancho Gonzales, [[Roy Emerson]] and [[Fred Stolle]], prevented its players from entering the tournament because the guarantees were insufficient. The tournament was won by [[Arthur Ashe]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23047855-5001023,00.html |title=Hewitt chases amazing slam win |publisher=[[news.com.au]] |work=[[The Daily Telegraph (Sydney)|The Daily Telegraph]] |author=Nikki Tugwell |date=14 January 2008 |access-date=25 January 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080201114907/http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0%2C22049%2C23047855-5001023%2C00.html |archive-date= 1 February 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:Australian Open 2007 Night Session.JPG|thumb|Rod Laver Arena night session in 2007, the last year the tournament used the [[Rebound Ace]] surface.]]
In 1983, [[Ivan Lendl]], [[John McEnroe]] and [[Mats Wilander]] entered the tournament. Wilander won the singles title<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wilandertribute.com/22.html|title=Australian Open 1983|author=Alan Trengove|publisher=wilandertribute.com|access-date=19 February 2008|archive-date=23 January 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090123195128/http://www.wilandertribute.com/22.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and both his [[Davis Cup]] singles rubbers in the [[1983 Davis Cup#Final|Swedish loss to Australia]] at [[Kooyong Stadium|Kooyong]] shortly after.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.daviscup.com/en/draws-results/tie/details.aspx?tieId=10000700 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130630131645/http://www.daviscup.com/en/draws-results/tie/details.aspx?tieId=10000700 |url-status=dead |archive-date=30 June 2013 |title=World Group 1983 Final|publisher=[[Davis Cup]]|access-date=19 February 2008}}</ref> Following the 1983 Australian Open, the [[International Tennis Federation]] prompted the [[Tennis Australia|Lawn Tennis Association of Australia]] to change the site of the tournament, because the Kooyong stadium was then inappropriate to serve such a big event. In 1988 the tournament was first held at Flinders Park (later renamed Melbourne Park).<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,21131668-5001023,00.html|title=Rebound Ace under review|publisher=[[news.com.au]]|work=[[The Daily Telegraph (Sydney)|The Daily Telegraph]]|date=29 January 2007|access-date=19 February 2008|archive-date=29 May 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120529135353/http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/rebound-ace-under-review/story-e6frexni-1111112902265|url-status=dead}}</ref> The change of the venue also led to a change of the court surface from grass to a hard court surface known as [[Rebound Ace]].<ref name="nyt2008">{{cite news|author1=Christopher Clarey|title=On the surface, Australian Open gets a new bounce|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/13/sports/13iht-srtennis.5.9176593.html|newspaper=The New York Times|date=13 January 2008|access-date=21 January 2018|archive-date=16 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171216092207/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/13/sports/13iht-srtennis.5.9176593.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Mats Wilander was the only player to win the tournament on both grass and hard courts. In 2008, after being used for 20 years, the Rebound Ace was replaced by a cushioned, medium-paced,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.itftennis.com/technical/equipment/courts/courtlist.asp|title=List of Classified Court Surfaces|work=itftennis.com|access-date=7 February 2009|archive-date=25 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121225200228/http://www.itftennis.com/technical/equipment/courts/courtlist.asp|url-status=live}}</ref> acrylic surface known as [[Plexicushion|Plexicushion Prestige]]. [[Roger Federer]] and [[Serena Williams]] are the only players to win the Australian Open on both Rebound Ace and Plexicushion Prestige. The main benefits of the new surface are better consistency and less retention of heat because of a thinner top layer.<ref name="nyt2008"/> This change was accompanied by changes in the surfaces of all lead-up tournaments to the Australian Open. The change was controversial because of the new surface's similarity to [[DecoTurf]], the surface used by the [[US Open (tennis)|US Open]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://boston.bizjournals.com/boston/stories/2008/01/28/story7.html|title=Tennis court surfacer serves up two major deals|work=Boston Business Journal|date=28 January 2008|access-date=29 January 2010|archive-date=26 May 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120526074649/http://boston.bizjournals.com/boston/stories/2008/01/28/story7.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Before the Melbourne Park stadium era, tournament dates fluctuated as well, in particular in the early years because of the climate of each site or exceptional events. For example, the 1919 tournament was held in January 1920 (the 1920 tournament was played in March) and the 1923 tournament in Brisbane took place in August when the weather was not too hot and wet. After a first 1977 tournament was held in December 1976&nbsp;– January 1977, the organisers chose to move the next tournament forward a few days, then a second 1977 tournament was played (ended on 31 December), but this failed to attract the best players.
[[File:Rod Laver Arena entrance 2023.jpg|alt=New Rod Laver Arena entrance added in 2018 as part of the Melbourne Park redevelopment.|thumb|New Rod Laver Arena entrance added in 2018 as part of the Melbourne Park redevelopment.]]
From 1982 to 1985, the tournament was played in mid-December. Then it was decided to move the next tournament to mid-January (January 1987), which meant no tournament was organised in 1986. Since 1987, the Australian Open date has not changed (except for [[2021 Australian Open|2021]], when it was postponed by three weeks to February due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]). Some top players, including [[Roger Federer]] and [[Rafael Nadal]], have said in the past that the tournament is held too soon after the Christmas and New Year holidays, and expressed a desire to consider shifting the tournament to February.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24922806-3162,00.html|title=Rafael Nadal keen to call time on early slam|work=Herald Sun|location=Australia|date=17 January 2009|access-date=18 September 2009|first=Leo|last=Schlink|archive-date=29 May 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120529135355/http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/nadal-keen-to-call-time-on-early-slam/story-e6frf9if-1111118585564|url-status=dead}}</ref> Such a change, however, would move the tournament outside Australia's summer school holiday period, potentially impacting attendance figures.

Prior to 1996, the Australian Open rewarded fewer [[ATP rankings]] points than the other three Grand Slam tournaments. The reason cited by the ATP was the prize money offered by the Australian Open was far less than the other three majors.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/01/14/sports/tennis-australian-open-gains-more-clout-and-seles-to-its-lineup-for-1996.html |title=Tennis; Australian Open Gains More Clout and Seles To Its Lineup for 1996 |work=The New York Times |last=Clarey |first=Christopher |date=14 January 1996 |access-date=19 May 2023 |url-access=subscription |archive-date=20 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520021028/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/01/14/sports/tennis-australian-open-gains-more-clout-and-seles-to-its-lineup-for-1996.html |url-status=live }}</ref>