Jake Rowland 
A Davis Cup doubles match can change the direction of a tie in a hurry. It may be the only rubber on the schedule that day, the point that puts a country through, or a chance for a captain to turn two singles players into a sharper team. The basic doubles rules are familiar, but … Read more
The Australian Open has produced some of tennis’s most memorable streaks: Novak Djokovic winning three titles in a row, Serena Williams lifting the trophy while pregnant, and Roger Federer returning to the top of the sport at 35. If you’re looking for the champions by year, or wondering who has won the most, the records … Read more
The Australian Open feels different from the other Grand Slams before the first serve: it arrives in the middle of the Southern Hemisphere summer, the courts are bright blue, and evening matches can stretch under the lights at Melbourne Park. Some of its customs reach back more than a century; others are relatively recent additions … Read more
January tennis in Melbourne can turn on a few degrees of heat, a gust of wind—or one nerve-shredding tiebreak. The Australian Open is the season’s first Grand Slam, and its mix of fast hard courts, demanding summer conditions and late-night drama makes it a very different test from the other majors. For fans, it is … Read more
At the Australian Open, “the stadium” could mean the vast arena where the finals are played—or a smaller court where you can sit close enough to hear every change of direction. The tournament takes place at Melbourne Park, a group of arenas and outdoor courts just south-east of central Melbourne. Knowing how its main venues … Read more
A player can be ranked 30th in the world and still draw the No. 1 seed in the first round of the Australian Open. That sounds unlikely, but it can happen when injuries, withdrawals and the timing of the draw affect who is actually in the field. Knowing how the seedings work helps explain why … Read more
At the Australian Open, the headline match is only part of the scheduling puzzle. A day session can run long, a night match may start later than expected, and the player you came to see might be assigned to a different court or session. Knowing how the tournament is laid out makes it much easier … Read more
The Australian Open has a knack for making records feel unusually hard-won. Summer heat, fast conditions and the pressure of the first major of the year have tested generations of champions. Novak Djokovic has set the men’s singles mark in the modern game, while Margaret Court’s women’s record reaches back to a very different era … Read more
For many players, the Australian Open begins before the television cameras arrive. A place in the main draw may depend on three hard matches in Melbourne’s summer heat, with little time to recover between them. If you’re planning to follow the qualifying rounds—or wondering what a win there actually earns—a few details make the tournament … Read more
The Australian Open was once the far-flung major that leading players were most likely to skip. Today, it opens the tennis season in front of packed crowds, with late-night matches and a city built around the tournament. That change—from a difficult trip on the tennis calendar to one of the sport’s biggest events—is central to … Read more