2012 Australian Open
renz_reggy03
PExer
in Sports Zone
Date: January 16-29, 2012
Edition: 100th
Category: Grand Slam
Location: Melbourne Park,
Melbourne, Australia
Defending Champions:
Men's Singles - Novak Djokovic
Women's Singles - Kim Clijsters
Comments
By Tennis Australia
At Australian Open 2012 the mens singles championships will be contested for the 100th time.
The Grand Slam of Asia-Pacific boasts an honour role the equal of any in world sport with past winners including great Australian names such as Roy Emerson, Rod Laver and John Newcombe, iconic tennis personalities Andre Agassi and Jim Courier, and current stars Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and most recently, Novak Djokovic.
To commemorate the occasion, Australian Open organisers have struck a special limited edition collector coin that was released at the Australian Open 2012 launch this morning.
The 2012 champion will also receive a one-off medallion to mark the occasion.
We are really looking forward to presenting the winner of the 100th Australian Open mens singles championships winner with the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup and a specially struck commemorative medal, Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley said today.
Tennis has a rich history, nowhere more so than in Australia, and the players respect the traditions and enjoy celebrating the milestones of our great sport.
Since the first Australian Open in 1905 there have been 59 champions, the first being Rodney Heath who won again in 1910.
Australian great Roy Emerson won the Australian Open six times between 1961 and 1967, more than any other player. Ken Rosewall, Andre Agassi and Roger Federer have all hoisted the trophy four times, with the great Rod Laver joining Mats Wilander, Jack Crawford and James Anderson as three-time Australian Open champions.
Other major anniversaries to be celebrated during Australian Open 2012 include:
- 50 years since Rod Laver won his first Grand Slam
- 45 years since Roy Emersons sixth and final Australian Open title
- 40 years since Ken Rosewall won his third and final Australian Open title
- 25 years since the event moved to Melbourne Park
- 20 years since Jim Courier celebrated his first Australian Open win with a dip in the Yarra
The Australian Open has an incredible history which is inextricably linked to the players, both past and present, and they have all left their mark on the event.This incredible event has been part of the fabric of the nation for more than 100 years, and its the rich history, the traditions and the personalities involved that make it so special to both the players and the fans, Tiley continued.
The Australian Open Series will kick off on January 2.
Seems like the trophy can go to anyone in the Top 4.
Sana (at least) 3/4 uli for Nole sa taong darating.
By Tennis Australia
The superstars of tennis are heading to Australian Open 2012, with 99 of the worlds top 100 men and women all confirmed for the years first Grand Slam event.
Novak Djokovic is determined to defend his title and maintain his world No.1 position, while Roger Federers year-end win in London sees him eyeing off a sixth Australian Open title and the honour of becoming the tournaments 100th mens singles champion.
Rafael Nadal will put his disappointing 2011 season behind him and Andy Murray, twice a finalist in Melbourne, is desperate for a Grand Slam breakthrough.
Australias own US Open champion Sam Stosur leads a new generation of Grand Slam winners in contention for the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup.
Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, and French Open winner Li Na will be joined by defending champion Kim Clijsters and five-time AO winner Serena Williams, both returning from injury.
World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki is still in the hunt for her maiden Grand Slam, while former champion Maria Sharapova is showing all the signs of returning to winning form.
Only world No.13 Robin Soderling and No.69 Alisa Kleybanova, both currently battling illness, are missing from the ranks.
The 104 direct acceptances into the mens draw include Tommy Haas, Fernando Gonzalez, Benjamin Becker and Paul-Henri Mathieu, all of whom used their injury protected rankings.
The womens draw includes 108 direct acceptances, with Timea Bacsinszky and Anna Chakvetadze both using protected rankings as they return from injury. Venus Williams, currently ranked 105, has also made the cut. Williams hasnt played since withdrawing from her second-round US Open match after being diagnosed with autoimmune disease Sjögrens Syndrome.
Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said he was thrilled with the line-up.
Its incredible to once again have every available top player in both the mens and womens fields heading to play the Australian Open.
These superstars of world sport love coming to Melbourne. They love the Australian Open and the fans, the city, the facilities at Melbourne Park and the way we look after them while they are here.
They in turn will provide an unbelievable couple of weeks of drama, excitement and entertainment for all of us lucky enough to attend the event or follow it on TV or online. We are in for some incredible tennis in January. I cant wait!
The mens field will be completed by 16 qualifiers and eight wildcards, while the womens field has 12 qualifiers and eight wildcards to be added.
With only a few weeks to the kick-off of Australian Open 2012, the worlds top tennis stars have only a short window in which to gain the match practice they need to be fit and ready to go for the years first Grand Slam tournament. As a result, tournaments leading into the Australian Open are simply loaded with tennis talent, including Grand Slam champions, top-ranked players, exciting future prospects, colourful characters and a healthy contingent of local stars.
While some players choose to prepare through exhibitions, events in Asia, the Middle East and New Zealand, or traditional lead-up events at Perths Hopman Cup or Kooyongs AAMI Classic in Melbourne, Januarys tennis schedule is anchored by Australian Open Series events in Brisbane, Sydney and Hobart before players head to Melbourne Park for two weeks of intense action.
Brisbane International
Queenslands premier tournament recently received a boost on the womens side with the WTA upgrading the event to Premier status, contributing to a significant increase in both prize money and star power. As a result the womens field is jam-packed with stars for the 2012 edition, including Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, Kim Clijsters, home favourite Sam Stosur and Serbian duo Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic.
Other talent joining them will be top-tenner Andrea Petkovic, 2010 French Open champion Francesca Schiavone and former world No.5 Daniela Hantuchova.
The Brisbane International has a history of producing stunning matches and worthy winners in the womens draw. In 2010, Clijsters and Justine Henin played out a sensational final and one of the highest-quality matches of the season that ended with Clijsters winning the title in a third set tiebreak. In 2009, Victoria Azarenka won her first career title, setting her along the path that now sees her entrenched in the worlds top five. And in 2011, Petra Kvitova bagged the trophy, kicking off a year that saw her win the Wimbledon title and climb to world No.2.
The mens event also boasts an impressive list of names. The tournament will be headed by world No.4 Andy Murray, and hell be joined by former top 10 stars Gilles Simon (currently No.12) and Tommy Haas, who is on the comeback trail from injury. Yet much of the focus will be on the exciting young guns of the draw, headed by local hope Bernard Tomic, and also including Americans Donald Young and Ryan Harrison and Japans Kei Nishikori. Also taking part will be the ever-popular Marcos Baghdatis, James Blake and former No.5 Tommy Robredo.
Apia International Sydney
Nine of the worlds top 10 women have signed on to contest the Apia International at the Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre, continuing a long-standing tradition of strong womens draws at the event in Australias harbour city.
Heading the field will be world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki and 2011 Grand Slam champions Stosur, Kvitova and Li Na also the defending champion who will ensure the battle for the trophy is a memorable one. Also looking to fine-tune their games in the week before the Australian Open will be No.3 Azarenka, fellow top tenners Vera Zvonareva, Agnieszka Radwanska and Marion Bartoli, Grand Slam champions Ivanovic and Svetlana Kuznetsova, and former world No.1 Jankovic. In the mens draw, those at Homebush will get to see 2009 US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro in action, who after an injury-plagued 2010 has climbed back to world No.11 by the end of 2011. Del Potro will be joined by Australian great Lleyton Hewitt, with the two-time major winner receiving a wildcard into the draw.
Also entering the Sydney event will be the monster-serving American John Isner, flashy Frenchman Richard Gasquet, sunny Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis, former champion Dmitry Tursunov and rising Serb Viktor Troicki.
Moorilla International Hobart
This womens only event has an impressive honour roll of champions, including Kim Clijsters (2000), Alicia Molik (2003), Anna Chakvetadze (2007), Kvitova (2009) and 2011 winner and local hope Jarmila Gajdosova. Gajdosova will be back to defend her title at the Domain Tennis Centre in 2012, and will be joined by another Australian favourite in Casey Dellacqua the Western Australian was recently granted a wildcard into the event. Belgian Yanina Wickmayer enters as the highest-ranked player, peaking at No.12 in 2010 and reaching the US Open semifinals the year before that. Also making the trip to Hobart will be Spanish veteran Anabel Medina Garrigues, 2011 US Open semifinalist Angelique Kerber and former world No.11 Shahar Peer.
AAMI Classic Kooyong
A prestigious lead-in event to the Australian Open, this eight-man round-robin event in played at the charming Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club, the Australian Opens former home before its move to Melbourne Park in 1988. The invitational event each year attracts a stellar field of top men looking to guarantee themselves at least three matches against quality opposition prior to their Australian Open campaign. This year is no exception. Top ten stars Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Tomas Berdych and Mardy Fish will all grace the field, joined by former world No.1 and 2003 US Open Andy Roddick and former world No.7 Gael Monfils. Also appearing will be AAMI Classic debutantes Bernard Tomic generating plenty of local interest in the event and fast-rising young Canadian Milos Raonic. Completing the field is Austrian Jurgen Melzer.
for those who cannot wait for Australian Open, the Hopman Cup will start on December 31.
http://hopmancup.com/Teams-Schedule/Match-Schedule.html
in the absence of Serbia, i'll be rooting for Kvitova/Berdych (Czech Republic) team-up.
"Hi everyone,
Unfortunately, I had to pull out of the Brisbane tournament yesterday. My ankle only recently started feeling good and therefore I want to make sure I'm fully ready for the coming year by not rushing into things too fast.
On the other hand, its Christmas Eve and you know how much I love to play Santa! Still have a few presents to wrap. Got a bit carried away at the Grand Bazaar in Turkey a week ago, so many beautiful things!
Wishing everyone a wonderful Holiday!"
Feodore_Knox or mrazmaniac?