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Flinders Park gears up for Australian Open
On January 19, the finals of the Australian tournament will be staged in Flinders Park at the Center Court or Court Number 1.
- NDTVSports
- Updated: February 25, 2007 09:04 AM IST
Read Time:2 min
Melbourne: The cricket action has moved away from Melbourne but the tennis will soon be starting with the first Grand Slam of the year - the Australian Open. On January 19, the finals of the tournament will be staged in Flinders Park at the Center Court or Court Number 1, which is also known as the Rod Laver Court. The court is named after Australia's most famous tennis player and the only man to have won the Australian, French, Wimbledon and the US Open titles in a single calendar year twice in 1962 and 1963. There's also the Margret Court Arena or Court Number 2 named aptly after a woman who won 62 grand slam events in both singles and doubles, more grand slam titles than any other player in history. And in 1970 she became the only Australian woman to achieve the Grand Slam. Apart from these two main courts, Flinders Park also has around 25 other smaller courts that are used by some of the lesser ranked and junior players at the Australian Open. The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tournament where the Center Court has a retractable roof and spectators are warned against the harsh sunlight and sunburn that comes with it. The Australian Open has everything a tennis fan would want - a merchandise stall, a hospitality tent to enjoy all the Aussie goodies. One can also take a walk down memory lane where every single Australian Open winner has his and her place on the walls of flinders park. And since this venue hosts the first Grand Slam of the year it helps to provide directions and distances to where the players are headed for the rest of the year.
Topics mentioned in this article
Tennis
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