The 2025 Australian Open is now just a month away, as players are daring to dream of success at Rod Laver Arena.
The tennis season is nearly upon us, and once more the Australian Open is set to kick the year off with a bang on the WTA Tour.
Plenty of storylines are reaching a fever pitch ahead of the tournament, as several women will head to the event with the belief that they can go on to win the title.
Aryna Sabalenka won the Australian Open in 2024, as she defended her crown from the year prior, and will be looking to become the first woman since Martina Hingis in 1999 to win three consecutive titles down under next year.
One of her biggest rivals, Coco Gauff won the WTA Finals at the end of 2024, and many believe she can carry that momentum into the first Major tournament of the new season.
Perhaps Sabalenka’s biggest rival, Iga Swiatek, won the French Open this year and can move one step closer to completing the Career Slam with a win in Australia.
Plenty of contenders on the hard courts in Melbourne, but what happened the last time the event was played on grass?
Hana Mandlikova: The woman who won the last grass court Australian Open in 1987
Before 1988, Wimbledon wasn’t the only Major tournament to be played on grass courts, as Melbourne also used the surface.
The Australian Open’s final tournament on grass in 1987 was a classic, as the two top players in the women’s game faced off for the title.