2019 Australian Open
The 2019 Australian Open was the 107th edition of the Grand Slam tennis tournament, held from 14 to 27 January at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, serving as the first major event of the year in the professional tennis calendar.[1][2] In the men's singles, top seed Novak Djokovic of Serbia dominated the final against second seed Rafael Nadal of Spain, winning 6–3, 6–2, 6–3 to secure a record-extending seventh Australian Open title, his 15th Grand Slam singles crown overall, and maintaining a perfect 7–0 record in Melbourne finals.[3][4] In the women's singles, fourth seed Naomi Osaka of Japan came back to defeat eighth seed Petra Kvitová of the Czech Republic 7–6(2), 5–7, 6–4 in a three-set battle, claiming her second consecutive major title after the 2018 US Open and becoming the first Japanese player to ascend to the WTA world No. 1 ranking.[5][4] The tournament distributed a then-record prize money pool of A$62.5 million, a 14 percent increase from 2018, with singles champions each earning A$4.1 million.[6] It drew a record attendance of 796,435 spectators over the fortnight, surpassing the previous year's mark by more than 50,000.[4] In doubles competition, the French pair of Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut defeated Finn Henri Kontinen and Australian John Peers 6–4, 7–6(1) to win the men's title and complete a career Grand Slam in doubles; Australian Sam Stosur and China's Zhang Shuai took the women's doubles 6–3, 6–4 over Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic; while Czech Barbora Krejčíková and American Rajeev Ram claimed the mixed doubles title.[7][8] Notable highlights included Kvitová's inspiring return to a Grand Slam final over two years after a knife attack, 20-year-old Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas's upset of Roger Federer in the fourth round—saving 12 break points—and Osaka's emergence as a dominant force, ending an eight-major streak of different women's champions.[9][4]Overview
Dates and Venue
The 2019 Australian Open, the 107th edition of the tournament, took place from 14 to 27 January 2019 at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia.[10] This 14-day event marked the first Grand Slam of the tennis calendar year and was organized by Tennis Australia.[11] The primary venue, Melbourne Park, served as the central hub for all matches, featuring a complex of hard courts designed to host international professional tennis.[12] Key facilities included the main show courts: Rod Laver Arena, which accommodated approximately 15,000 spectators and hosted the marquee matches; Hisense Arena, a secondary arena with similar capacity for significant sessions; and Margaret Court Arena, offering additional premium viewing for outer rounds and select high-profile encounters.[12] As a prelude to the main draw, qualifying rounds were conducted from 8 to 11 January 2019, also at Melbourne Park, providing entry opportunities for lower-ranked players and drawing free public attendance to build early excitement.[13]Surface and Rules
The 2019 Australian Open was played on outdoor hard courts surfaced with Plexicushion, an acrylic-based material designed for consistent ball bounce and player comfort, which had been the official surface since 2008.[14] All matches across singles, doubles, and junior events took place on this medium-paced hard court at Melbourne Park, providing a uniform playing condition that favored baseline rallies while allowing for moderate speed.[15] A key regulatory change for the 2019 edition was the introduction of a final-set tiebreak rule across all events, applied when the score reached 6–6 in the deciding set; this consisted of a 10-point tiebreak where the first player or team to reach 10 points, with a margin of at least two, won the match.[16] This format, longer than the standard seven-point tiebreak used in earlier sets, aimed to shorten potentially marathon final sets while maintaining competitive integrity, and it was the first such implementation at a Grand Slam tournament.[17] Other standard rules included no promotion of lucky losers from the qualifying rounds into the main draw, with withdrawals handled through protected ranking provisions or prize money adjustments instead.[18] Women's and junior singles matches followed a best-of-three sets format, while men's singles adhered to best-of-five sets, all incorporating tiebreaks at 6–6 in non-deciding sets.[19] The tournament also enforced an updated extreme heat policy, featuring a five-point heat stress scale based on real-time measurements of air temperature, humidity, wind speed, and radiant heat to assess player risk.[20] When the scale reached certain thresholds, measures included a mandatory 10-minute extra break between the second and third sets in all singles matches, suspension of play on outer courts, or relocation of matches to shaded arenas like Rod Laver Arena.[21] Court dimensions adhered to International Tennis Federation (ITF) specifications: 23.77 meters in length and 8.23 meters in width for singles play, expanding to 10.97 meters wide for doubles, with all lines between 2.5 and 5 centimeters thick except the baseline at up to 10 centimeters.[22] Night sessions, typically starting at 7:00 p.m. local time on major show courts, were illuminated by floodlights to ensure visibility, allowing the tournament schedule to extend into cooler evening hours.[23]Prize Money Overview
The 2019 Australian Open distributed a record total prize pool of A$62,500,000, equivalent to approximately US$44.6 million, marking a 14% increase from the A$55 million allocated in 2018. This enhancement reflected the tournament's commitment to elevating financial incentives for participants across all levels, with particular emphasis on boosting rewards for early-round exits, qualifiers, and non-singles events.[6] Prize money distribution followed principles of equal remuneration for men and women in every category, ensuring parity in singles, doubles, and other disciplines. Amounts were structured progressively, escalating with advancement through tournament rounds to reward deeper progression while providing substantial support for initial participation. This approach aimed to promote fairness and sustainability in professional tennis.[6] The breakdown encompassed key categories: singles and qualifying singles (per player in 128-player draws for men and women), doubles (per team in 64-team draws for men and women), and mixed doubles (per team in a 32-team draw). Additional allocations covered juniors, wheelchair tennis (with a dedicated pool of A$300,000 across its events), and legends exhibitions, ensuring comprehensive coverage of the tournament's diverse competitions. All prizes were awarded in Australian dollars and disbursed directly to players or teams without intermediaries.[6][24]Points System
ATP and WTA Points
The 2019 Australian Open, as one of the four Grand Slam tournaments, awarded ranking points to players in the ATP and WTA tours based on their performance in singles and doubles events. These points contributed to players' overall rankings, calculated by accumulating results from the best 18 tournaments over a 52-week period for singles and 11 for doubles, with points from the prior year's event at the same tournament deducted upon completion of the new edition.[25][26]ATP Singles Points
In men's singles, points were distributed according to the round reached, reflecting the tournament's prestige as a Grand Slam. The winner received 2000 points, providing a significant boost to the top of the rankings.| Round | Points |
|---|---|
| Winner | 2000 |
| Finalist | 1200 |
| Semifinalist | 720 |
| Quarterfinalist | 360 |
| Round of 16 | 180 |
| Third Round | 90 |
| Second Round | 45 |
| First Round | 10 |
WTA Singles Points
Women's singles points followed a similar structure but with a distinct distribution established by the WTA, emphasizing deeper progression rewards compared to the ATP scale. The champion earned 2000 points, enabling Naomi Osaka to ascend to world No. 1 following her victory.[26]| Round | Points |
|---|---|
| Winner | 2000 |
| Finalist | 1300 |
| Semifinalist | 780 |
| Quarterfinalist | 430 |
| Round of 16 | 240 |
| Third Round | 130 |
| Second Round | 70 |
| First Round | 10 |
Doubles Points
Both ATP and WTA doubles events awarded points to teams, with each player receiving the full allocation credited to their individual doubles rankings. Adjustments applied for withdrawals or retirements, potentially reducing points based on the round of exit. For ATP doubles, the distribution mirrored singles: winner 2000, finalist 1200, semifinalist 720, quarterfinalist 360, and round of 16 180, with no points for earlier rounds. WTA doubles followed the women's singles scale: winner 2000, finalist 1300, semifinalist 780, quarterfinalist 430, round of 16 240, round of 32 130, and round of 64 10. These points helped solidify rankings for pairs like the men's champions Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut.[25][26]ITF Junior and Wheelchair Points
The junior competitions at the 2019 Australian Open, designated as Junior Grand Slams under ITF rules, awarded ranking points to boys' and girls' singles and doubles events to support player development and contribute to the ITF World Junior Tennis Rankings. These points reflect performance in a 64-draw singles format and 32-draw doubles format, with the highest allocations reserved for deep advancement. For instance, singles winners earned 1000 points, while doubles winners received 750 points, scaling downward based on round reached.[27]| Round Reached (Singles) | Points |
|---|---|
| Winner | 1000 |
| Finalist | 700 |
| Semi-finalist | 490 |
| Quarter-finalist | 300 |
| Round of 16 | 180 |
| Round of 32 | 90 |
| First round | 10 |
| Round Reached (Doubles) | Points |
|---|---|
| Winners | 750 |
| Finalists | 525 |
| Semi-finalists | 367 |
| Quarter-finalists | 225 |
| Round of 16 | 135 |
| Round Reached (Singles: Men/Women/Quad) | Points |
|---|---|
| Winner | 800 |
| Runner-up | 500 |
| Semi-finalist | 300 |
| Quarter-finalist | 180 |
| Round of 16 (if applicable) | 100 |
| Round Reached (Doubles: Men/Women/Quad) | Points |
|---|---|
| Winners | 800 |
| Runners-up | 500 |
| Semi-finalists | 300 |
| Quarter-finalists | 180 |
| Round of 16 (if applicable) | 100 |
Player Entries
Seeding
The seeding for the 2019 Australian Open was determined using the official ATP and WTA rankings as of January 7, 2019, the Monday preceding the start of the tournament. This process prioritized the highest-ranked eligible players, with provisions for protected rankings allowing injured players who had not competed recently to retain seeding based on their ranking prior to the injury. A total of 32 players were seeded in both the men's and women's singles main draws, 16 teams in each of the men's and women's doubles draws, and 8 pairs in the mixed doubles draw.[29][30] In singles, seeds were placed strategically in the draw to avoid early matchups between top players, with the No. 1 seed positioned at the top of one half and the No. 2 seed at the bottom of the opposite half, ensuring potential semifinals for Nos. 1 vs. 4 and 2 vs. 3.[30] The top eight seeds in men's singles were:| Seed | Player | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Novak Djokovic | SRB |
| 2 | Rafael Nadal | ESP |
| 3 | Roger Federer | SUI |
| 4 | Alexander Zverev | GER |
| 5 | Kevin Anderson | RSA |
| 6 | Marin Čilić | CRO |
| 7 | Dominic Thiem | AUT |
| 8 | Kei Nishikori | JPN |
| Seed | Player | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Simona Halep | ROU |
| 2 | Angelique Kerber | GER |
| 3 | Caroline Wozniacki | DEN |
| 4 | Naomi Osaka | JPN |
| 5 | Sloane Stephens | USA |
| 6 | Elina Svitolina | UKR |
| 7 | Karolína Plíšková | CZE |
| 8 | Petra Kvitová | CZE |