2005 Australian Open
The 2005 Australian Open was the 93rd edition of the Grand Slam tennis tournament and the first major event of the year, held at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 17 to 30 January.[1] The tournament featured competitions in men's and women's singles, doubles, and mixed doubles on hard courts, with a total prize money of A$6,743,444.[1] In the men's singles final, fourth seed Marat Safin of Russia defeated hometown favorite Lleyton Hewitt of Australia, 1–6, 6–3, 6–4, 6–4, to claim his second Grand Slam title and first Australian Open crown, marking a triumphant return after injury layoff.[2] Safin's path included a five-set semifinal victory over world No. 1 Roger Federer, 5–7, 6–4, 5–7, 7–6(8–6), 9–7, in one of the tournament's most memorable matches.[3] This remains the only Grand Slam tournament in which Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic all participated but none reached the final.[4] Hewitt, seeded third, reached the final by upsetting second seed Andy Roddick in the semifinals, becoming the first Australian man to contest the title since 2001.[3] The women's singles was won by seventh seed Serena Williams of the United States, who rallied from a set and an injury deficit to beat top-ranked Lindsay Davenport, also of the United States, 2–6, 6–3, 6–0, in the final—her seventh Grand Slam singles title and second at the Australian Open.[5] Williams, playing through a rib injury, dominated the latter stages by winning the final nine games straight, while Davenport had earlier advanced past Amélie Mauresmo in the semifinals.[6] In doubles, Zimbabwean pair Wayne Black and Kevin Ullyett claimed the men's title, defeating American twins Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan 6–4, 6–4 in the final.[7] The women's doubles crown went to Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia and Alicia Molik of Australia, who beat Davenport and Corina Morariu of the United States 6–3, 6–4.[8] Australians Scott Draper and Samantha Stosur won the mixed doubles, edging Ullyett and Liezel Huber of South Africa 6–2, 2–6, 7–6(8–6).[9] The event, known as the Centenary Australian Open, drew widespread attention for emerging talents like 18-year-old Rafael Nadal reaching the fourth round in his Grand Slam debut and 17-year-old qualifier Novak Djokovic making his main draw appearance, though neither advanced to the semifinals. Twenty years later, during the 2025 Australian Open, Novak Djokovic and Gaël Monfils were the only active professional players who had also competed in 2005, with both reaching the second week of the tournament.[4][10] Attendance exceeded 500,000 spectators, underscoring the tournament's growing global appeal under its hard-court format at Melbourne Park's Rod Laver Arena.[11]Overview
Tournament Details
The 2005 Australian Open was the 93rd edition of the tournament, held from 17 to 30 January at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia.[1] The event was directed by Paul McNamee in what would be one of his final years overseeing the Grand Slam.[12] Played on outdoor hardcourts surfaced with Rebound Ace, the tournament utilized Dunlop as the official ball supplier.[13][14] The singles draws consisted of 128 players each, while doubles events featured 64 teams. Men's singles and doubles matches were contested in a best-of-five sets format, whereas women's events followed a best-of-three sets structure.[1] A total of 543,873 spectators attended the tournament over its two-week duration, marking a record at the time.[15]Prize Money and Attendance
The 2005 Australian Open distributed a total prize money purse of A$19,100,000, equivalent to approximately US$14.9 million based on contemporary exchange rates.[16][17] This represented a slight increase from the previous year, underscoring the tournament's growing financial scale as a Grand Slam event. The prize structure emphasized singles competition, with the men's and women's singles champions each receiving A[1,000,000](/page/1,000,000), runners-up earning A525,000, doubles winning teams awarded A$300,000 (split between partners), doubles runners-up taking A160,000, and mixed doubles winners receiving A$100,000.[8] In addition to monetary rewards, the tournament allocated ATP and WTA ranking points according to the standard Grand Slam distribution of the era: 1,000 points for the singles winner, 700 for the runner-up, 450 for semifinalists, 250 for quarterfinalists, 150 for round-of-16 participants, 75 for third-round players, 35 for second-round exits, and 5 points for first-round losses.[18] The event drew a record total attendance of 543,873 spectators over its duration, surpassing previous benchmarks for the Australian Open and highlighting its rising popularity.[19] Peak daily crowds exceeded 60,000 on key session days, such as the men's final, reflecting strong fan engagement at Melbourne Park's venues with capacities up to around 15,000 on the main show courts.[20]Significant Events
Withdrawals and Injuries
The 2005 Australian Open was significantly impacted by pre-tournament withdrawals from several top players, particularly in the women's draw. Defending champion Justine Henin-Hardenne, who had won the title in 2004 and held the world No. 1 ranking, withdrew due to a right knee injury, following a viral illness that had sapped her energy throughout the second half of 2004.[21] Kim Clijsters, the 2004 runner-up, also pulled out as she continued recovering from left wrist surgery performed in 2004, opting not to risk further stress on the joint so early in the season.[22] Adding to the absences, two-time former champion Jennifer Capriati withdrew because of a right shoulder injury that had persisted from late 2004.[23] These withdrawals reshaped the draw, opening the women's singles field. The tournament proceeded without three players who had collectively reached the previous year's final and held multiple Grand Slam titles, underscoring the vulnerability of the top ranks to health issues. In-tournament injuries were less prominent among main draw players, though several retirements occurred in the qualifying rounds due to minor strains and fatigue, contributing to a cautious atmosphere around player fitness.[24][25] Historically, the 2005 Australian Open exemplified a broader trend of rising injury concerns in Grand Slams during the early 2000s, where top players like Henin-Hardenne and Clijsters faced recurrent issues that sidelined them from major events more frequently than in the late 1990s.[26] This year's absences among former champions mirrored patterns seen in prior tournaments, such as the 2004 Australian Open, but amplified the focus on the physical toll of the professional tour.[27]Notable Matches and Upsets
One of the tournament's most dramatic upsets occurred in the men's semifinals, where third-seeded Marat Safin defeated top seed and defending champion Roger Federer in a five-set thriller, 5–7, 6–4, 5–7, 7–6(8–6), 9–7, ending Federer's 26-match winning streak and marking his only loss on hard courts that year.[28] The match, lasting four hours and 38 minutes, featured Safin saving a match point in the fourth-set tiebreaker and showcasing powerful serving to overcome Federer's precision, propelling Safin to his second Australian Open title.[28] In the men's draw, local favorite Lleyton Hewitt, seeded third, navigated a grueling path highlighted by a resilient fourth-round victory over 18-year-old Rafael Nadal, winning 7–5, 3–6, 1–6, 7–6(3), 6–2 despite a hip injury that forced him to limp through much of the match.[29] Hewitt's comeback from two sets to one down against the emerging Spaniard energized the home crowd and advanced him to the semifinals, from which he defeated second seed Andy Roddick to reach the final, where he lost to Safin.[29] Another early seed exit came when 27th-seeded Paradorn Srichaphan lost in the second round to unheralded Jarkko Nieminen, 6–3, 6–4, 6–2, hampered by 42 unforced errors in a match that lasted just 106 minutes.[30] On the women's side, ninth seed Vera Zvonareva suffered a shocking second-round defeat to unseeded compatriot Vera Dushevina, 6–3, 6–3, in a lopsided 61-minute affair plagued by Zvonareva's 28 unforced errors.[31] This upset marked the highest-ranked woman's early exit and highlighted Dushevina's breakthrough, as she advanced to the third round before falling.[32] Adding to the surprises, unseeded Australian Alicia Molik stunned tenth-seeded Venus Williams in the third round, 7–5, 7–6(3), converting her third match point after Williams saved two others, propelling Molik to her first Grand Slam quarterfinal.[33] Serena Williams, returning unseeded after a 10-month injury hiatus and ranked outside the top 100, mounted an inspiring comeback run, capped by a semifinal escape against fourth seed Maria Sharapova, whom she defeated 2–6, 7–5, 8–6 after saving three match points to extend her winning streak to 19 matches.[34] Williams' resilience, including overcoming three break points in her final service game, underscored her dominance and set the stage for her tournament victory.[35]Seeds
Men's Singles
- Roger Federer (Switzerland)
- Andy Roddick (United States)
- Lleyton Hewitt (Australia)
- Marat Safin (Russia)
- Carlos Moyá (Spain)
- Guillermo Coria (Argentina)
- Tim Henman (United Kingdom)
- Andre Agassi (United States)
- David Nalbandian (Argentina)
- Gastón Gaudio (Argentina)
- Joachim Johansson (Sweden)
- Guillermo Cañas (Argentina)
- Tommy Robredo (Spain)
- Sébastien Grosjean (France)
- Mikhail Youzhny (Russia)
- Tommy Haas (Germany)
- Andrei Pavel (Romania)
- Nicolás Massú (Chile)
- Vincent Spadea (United States)
- Dominik Hrbatý (Slovakia)
- Nicolas Kiefer (Germany)
- Ivan Ljubičić (Croatia)
- Fernando González (Chile)
- Feliciano López (Spain)
- Nikolay Davydenko (Russia)
- Paradorn Srichaphan (Thailand)
- Mario Ančić (Croatia)
- Taylor Dent (United States)
- Thomas Johansson (Sweden)
- Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spain)
- Jürgen Melzer (Austria)
- Radek Štěpánek (Czech Republic)[2]
Women's Singles
- Lindsay Davenport (United States)
- Amélie Mauresmo (France)
- Anastasia Myskina (Russia)
- Maria Sharapova (Russia)
- Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia)
- Elena Dementieva (Russia)
- Serena Williams (United States)
- Venus Williams (United States)
- Vera Zvonareva (Russia)
- Alicia Molik (Australia)
- Nadia Petrova (Russia)
- Patty Schnyder (Switzerland)
- Karolina Šprem (Croatia)
- Francesca Schiavone (Italy)
- Silvia Farina Elia (Italy)
- Ai Sugiyama (Japan)
- Fabiola Zuluaga (Colombia)
- Elena Likhovtseva (Russia)
- Nathalie Dechy (France)
- Tatiana Golovin (France)
- Amy Frazier (United States)
- Magdalena Maleeva (Bulgaria)
- Jelena Janković (Serbia and Montenegro)
- Mary Pierce (France)
- Lisa Raymond (United States)
- Daniela Hantuchová (Slovakia)
- Anna Smashnova (Israel)
- Shinobu Asagoe (Japan)
- Gisela Dulko (Argentina)
- Flavia Pennetta (Italy)
- Jelena Kostanić Tošić (Croatia)
- Iveta Benešová (Czech Republic)[5]