The organization of the Australian Open 2021 has long been in trouble because of the global COVID-19 pandemic that has hit the world. There have been many protests related to direct flights to Australia in the state of Victoria, bringing new positive cases into the country and creating much controversy.
Controversy also for the different quarantines between top players and other tennis players in Adelaide and Melbourne. But now it’s time to play, now it’s time to rewrite history.
And when we talk about history, there are some names that are inextricably linked to the history of the greatest tennis tournaments and the Australian Open is no exception. Gerald Patterson against John Hawkes in 1927 was probably one of the most beautiful and exciting games in the history of the tournament.
This was yet another Australian derby that Patterson won after five sets with a final score of 3-6, 6-4, 3-6, 18-16, 6-3.
Australian Open: the best men’s matches of all time
Roger Federer versus Rafael Nadal 2017, the men’s singles final 2017 was one of the best games of the tournament and definitely one of the most important and touching tennis games of all time.
Federer’s victory in an incredible and unexpected final against Nadal resulted in the Swiss maestro winning his 18th slam after five sets. In the final set, Federer came back from a break to take the win, with the end result of 6–4, 3–6, 6–1, 3–6, 6–3.
In 1988, after four hours and twenty-eight minutes of fighting, Mats Wilander defeated Pat Cash in five sets for 6-3, 6-7 (3), 3-6, 6-1, 8-6 behind the Australian with a two-set deficit to one. It was an exciting game that coincided with the Swedish tennis player’s third victory in Melbourne.
1960 was the golden age of Australian tennis. And one of the tennis icons of those years, Rod Laver, defeated his compatriot Neale Fraser in five unforgettable sets for 5–7, 3–6, 6–3, 8–6, 8–6 and won his first title at the Australian Open!
In 1936 there was another memorable game between two of the greatest exponents of Australian tennis. Adrian Quist defeated compatriot Jack Crawford after five exciting sets 6: 2, 6: 3, 4: 6, 3: 6, 9: 7 and won his first Australian Open, which was then known as the Australian Championships.
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