The Australian Open had no tournament in 1986 because its date was changed from late in the year to January. The 1985 edition was played in December, while the next edition was moved to January 1987.
This scheduling decision left 1986 without an Australian Open season. It was a calendar gap, not a cancellation caused by war, weather or a venue closure. The tournament resumed in January 1987 with Stefan Edberg defeating Pat Cash in the men’s singles final.
The shift followed several years in which the Australian Open was staged toward the end of the calendar year. Moving it back to January created a longer-than-usual interval between the 1985 and 1987 tournaments.
The year is sometimes confused with 1977, when the opposite-looking quirk occurred: two Australian Opens were played, one in January and another in December. Both events were part of the tournament’s broader transition between calendar slots.