Photo: Instagram/tennischannel
(Podcast length - 5:02 mins)
The Australian Open kicks off the new year and the professional tennis season. Like the Aussies, this tournament always brings a lot of partying and excitement to the court. Roger Federer nicknamed it the “Happy Slam” for a reason.
PS: Can you name the four Grand Slam or Major tournaments in tennis? Answer below.
Transcript
1. The prize pool for this year's tournament is a record-high $76.5M, a 3.4% increase from last year. The men's and women's singles champions will make $2.97M each, while the winning teams in doubles will land $695,000. Reaching the second round in the singles tournaments means a guaranteed payout of $106,000. COMING IN HOT
2. It seems that the Australian Open has become synonymous with pregnancies. Most famously, while pregnant, Serena Williams won the Australian Open (her 23rd and last career Grand Slam win). Former Open champion Naomi Osaka dropped out of this year's tournament. Earlier this month, she announced that she and her boyfriend were expecting. Last year's Open champion, former No. 1 Ash Barty, ended a 44-year drought for Australians winning the tournament, then retired in March. She recently announced she is pregnant. THE NEXT GENERATION
3. As we enter into an era in women's tennis without the Williams sisters (Serena is "evolving away from tennis," and Venus qualified but is injured), there will still be a strong showing for American women. No. 3 Jessica Pegula (whose family owns the Buffalo Bills/Buffalo Sabres), No. 7 Coco Gauff, No. 10 Madison Keys and No. 14 Danielle Collins are poised to be a threat this season. BIG SHOES TO FILL
4. On the men's side, No. 1 ranked Carlos Alcaraz and No. 10 Nick Kyrgios had to withdraw from the tournament, so Rafael Nadal takes the No. 1 seed, seeking to tie Serena Williams with 23 majors. But his friendly foe, Novak Djokovic, is back after missing the tournament last year after a vaccine mandate that turned into a deportation mess. Djokovic has won the tournament a record nine times. The bracket is designed so that Nadal and Djokovic can only meet in the finals. MADE FOR TV
*Update: Rafael Nadal exits the tournament in the second round with a loss to American Mackenzie MacDonald. It’s his earliest exit in the tournament since 2016. He is battling a hip injury.
5. Since Australia's seasons are opposite the US, it's likely to be a scorcher in Melbourne. Enter the EHP or "Extreme Heat Policy." The scale starts at (1) for temperate playing conditions and escalates to (5), which results in a suspension of play. It's not just the athletes they're worried about. There are 394 ball kids selected for this year's Open, the largest batch in the tournament's history. THE HEAT IS ON
PS: Want more tennis? Check out the new Netflix series, “Break Point,” giving us a behind-the-scenes look at the world of professional tennis or the latest tiebreaker format for Grand Slam tournaments this season.
Answer: The four Grand Slam/Major tournaments are the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.
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