The "Australian Open" is a Grand Slam tournament in tennis.
It is the first of tennis's four annual Grand Slam tournaments, followed by the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. The event is played at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Victoria, on hard courts, usually during the second half of January.
The tournament began in 1905 as the Australasian Championships and was initially staged in several Australian and New Zealand cities. It became the Australian Championships in 1927 and adopted the name Australian Open in 1969, when the tournament entered the Open Era and professional players could compete alongside amateurs.
A common mix-up is confusing the Australian Open with the Australian Open golf tournament or other sporting events held in Australia. In quiz and tennis contexts, however, the unqualified name refers to the Grand Slam tennis championship. Its singles draws feature 128 players, while doubles and mixed-doubles competitions are also held.