Serena won the Australian Open seven times between 2003 and 2017, making it one of her two best major victories.
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The first Grand Slam of any tennis season has always traditionally been the Australian Open. Like any other tournament of its category, it is one of the most prestigious on the calendar and something any tennis player in the world aspires to win. Over the years, there have been several champions in the Open Era since Rod Laver won it first in 1969. The most successful men’s player is the great Novak Djokovic, followed by Roy Emerson and Roger Federer. Even though there were only 17 competitors in the first edition, it grew and, starting in 1924, the International Tennis Federation named it one of the four majors (Grand Slams). It was given the new name, Australian Championships, three years later. But the tennis competition didn’t officially become known as the Australian Open until 1969, which was almost a year after the Open Era began.
A number of the most memorable tennis moments have taken place at the tournament over the years, with legends like Rod Laver, Margaret Court, Steffi Graf, Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic, and Roger Federer among those who have left their mark on the occasion. Here, we go back in time to examine the men’s singles champions of the Open Era at the Australian Open.
Serena won the Australian Open seven times between 2003 and 2017, making it one of her two best major victories. It was the last major she won in the beginning of her career. She’s won Wimbledon seven times as well. Additionally, she becomes riskier the further she travels through Melbourne. Serena is 15-1 once she advances past the quarterfinals. Her lone defeat in the previous two rounds occurred in 2016, when Angelique Kerber engaged in a two-hour-long struggle to defeat her 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in the championship match.
Hingis is a three-time champion and three-time runner-up like Navratilova, but she had a better win-loss record overall: 52-7 to 46-7. The Swiss reached six straight finals, winning three straight championships in 1997, 1998, and 1999 before losing in the final to Lindsay Davenport in 2000, Jennifer Capriati in 2001, and Capriati again in 2002. During that time, the Swiss won 39 of 42 matches in Melbourne.
Court is without a doubt the greatest winner of the Australian Open overall. However, seven of her 11 victories occurred prior to the Open Era, when the event was still known as the Australian Championships and the fields weren’t as competitive as they are now. The Australian legend lost to Navratilova in the quarterfinals of her final appearance in 1975. She won the competition four times during the Open Era, in 1969, 1970, 1971, and 1973.
