Every Tennis season kickstarts with Brisbane International which starts from December end and leads to the first Grand Slam of the Season – the Australian Open. Fans are custom to the Australian Open schedule starting from mid-January. But there was a time when the Australian Open was played during the December Festive season with some matches even scheduled on Christmas Day. Check out the Five instances when the Australian Open was played on Christmas Day. Year Ender 2024: Australian Open Scripting New Record and Springing UP New Stars in First Grand Slam of Season.

Australian Open 1975 (Schedule: December 21, 1974 – January 1, 1975)

During the Open Era, Tennis schedules were nearly confirmed but the first year of the same was looking to set the schedules in line. The Australian Open 1975 started on December 21 and finals were played on the new year’s eve. Aussie star John Newcombe won the title with a win over Jimmy Connors in a four-set final while another Australian Tennis star Evonne Goolagong won the Women’s Singles title by defeating teenager Martina Navratilova

Australian Open 1977 (Schedule: December 19 – December 31, 1977)

After the 1977 Australian Open played in January, there was another edition of the Happy Slam in the same year due to a change of schedule, with the latter taking place right at the end of the year. Then world number one Vitas Gerulaitis won the men’s event, while Evonne Goolagong continued her dominance on the hard court once again winning her home major for the fourth time.

Australian Open 1978 (Schedule: December 25, 1978 – January 3, 1979)

While the day could have been spared considering the festive season, the Australian Open 1978 started right on Christmas Day. The schedule was made to incorporate the last season and the upcoming season’s schedule. Argentinian icon Guillermo Vilas won his first Australian Open in 1978 while Chris O’Neil was the women’s singles champion. 23-Year-Old Indian Tennis Star Rithvik Bollipalli Confirms Direct Entry to Australian Open 2025 Main Draw, Set to Make Grand Slam Debut With Ryan Seggerman.

Australian Open 1979 (Schedule: December 24, 1979 – January 2, 1980)

With the number of participants increasing and the Tennis calendar getting crowded, the Happy Slam decided to start the 1979 edition during the festive season only.  Defending Champion Vilas won his second title beating American John Sadri in a straight-sets final and Barbara Jordan was champion in the women’s event.

Australian Open 1981 (Schedule: December 24, 1981 – January 3, 1982)

The Australian Open again started on Christmas Eve in 1981, the fifth and final year of action taking place over Christmas Day. The schedule corrections were made in the following seasons handing January as the Australian Open month. In 1981, Johan Kriek won his first of consecutive AO title, while Martina Navratilova won the Women’s singles title held earlier in December 1981.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 25, 2024 07:20 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).