The ILTF designated the Australasian Championships as a major championship in 1924. The decision followed an ILTF meeting held in 1923 and gave the event formal recognition alongside the leading international tournaments of the era.
The championship had already begun in 1905, but distance and difficult travel limited its international field. In the 1920s, travelling from Europe to Australia by ship could take about 45 days, making participation unusually demanding. Recognition as a major marked an important step in the tournament’s status and encouraged a more structured competition.
The 1924 edition was held at the Warehouseman’s Cricket Ground in Melbourne from 19 to 30 January. Tournament organisers also introduced seeding around this period, another sign of its growing importance.
The event’s names changed as its identity developed. It became the Australian Championships in 1927 and the Australian Open in 1969, when professional players were admitted in the Open Era. Today it is one of tennis’s four Grand Slam tournaments.