Jake Rowland 
A match at the Australian Open can be over in two sets or stretch through five, but the scoring rules are easier to follow once you know where the tiebreaks fit. The key difference is singles: men play best of five sets, while women play best of three. Both formats use a 10-point tiebreak if … Read more
A day at the Australian Open can mean watching a top seed on Rod Laver Arena, finding a close match on an outside court, or moving between venues as the Melbourne heat builds. The trick is knowing what a “day session” ticket covers—and how much the schedule can change once play begins. Day sessions are … Read more
The Australian Open’s blue courts look familiar every January, but the surface beneath the players’ feet has changed more than once. Today the tournament is played on GreenSet hard courts, a choice that shapes the bounce, movement and tactics of matches at Melbourne Park. It is a hard court, but that does not mean it … Read more
At the Australian Open, the biggest matches tend to end up under one roof: Rod Laver Arena, the tournament’s main court. It is where champions lift the trophy, where evening crowds create a charged atmosphere, and where a sudden Melbourne downpour does not have to stop play. If you are planning a visit—or simply trying … Read more
The Australian Open’s ball kids are easy to overlook until a fast rally sends a ball skidding toward the net, a player needs another ball, or a changeover begins. Then their timing and movement become part of the show. If you’re curious about what the job involves—or helping a young tennis fan prepare to try … Read more
A fresh set of balls can change the feel of a tennis match almost instantly. At the Australian Open, the change follows a set schedule—not a player’s preference—and the new balls can make serves jump and rallies feel quicker. Here’s when the change happens, why it matters, and what to buy if you want to … Read more
A player can lose a match at the ATP Finals and still reach the semifinals. That’s the twist that makes the event’s round-robin stage so compelling: one defeat is survivable, but every set—and sometimes every game—can affect who gets through. How the ATP Finals round robin works The eight singles players are divided into two … Read more
The ATP Finals can pay a player several million dollars without requiring him to win a knockout tournament. The reason is the round-robin format: players earn money for taking part, add to it with each group-stage win, and collect more if they reach the semifinals or final. So the champion’s headline prize is only part … Read more
The youngest player to win a major professional singles title depends on which tour you mean. On the WTA Tour, the record belongs to Tracy Austin, who won a title at 14 years and 28 days old. On the ATP Tour, Aaron Krickstein is the youngest champion, at 16 years, 2 months and 13 days. … Read more
The answer depends on what counts as a “match.” A junior event, a qualifying round, a main-tour match and a Grand Slam main-draw match are different milestones. On the women’s professional tour, Jennifer Capriati won a WTA match at 13 years and 11 months in 1990. At a Grand Slam, she won a match at … Read more