1988, the tennis center in flinders Park was officially completed and put into use, replacing the smaller Kuyan Stadium as the competition venue. 1996, Victorian Governor Jeff Kenneth decided to rename the venue Melbourne Park. The largest stadium in Melbourne Park can accommodate nearly 65,438+05,000 people, and the roof can be closed. In 2000, the stadium was named "Rod Laval Stadium" to commemorate Australian male tennis player RodneyGeorge. Hisense Arena, the second stadium, was built in 2000, which can accommodate 10500 spectators and the ceiling can be closed. The third court was originally named 1, and in 2003 it was named "margaret court Arena" to commemorate the Australian female tennis player margaret court who won the Australian Open with 1 1. The expansion of margaret court Stadium is scheduled to be completed in 20 15. The expansion will increase the capacity of the stadium from 6000 to 7500, and install the roof.
The table below lists the stadium facilities in Melbourne Park. Before 1988 was changed to Melbourne Park, the Australian Open used a grass court. Lawn tennis court is characterized by small friction between the ball and the ground and quick rebound. 1988 After the competition was moved to Melbourne Park, the venue was changed to a hard court. Hard court has a flat surface and high hardness, and the ball bounces regularly, but it bounces faster. Therefore, a player who plays in an all-round way can have certain advantages, which is not only conducive to the baseline stroke, but also suitable for serving the net. He can not only play topspin and backspin, but also hang high balls and put short balls. However, because the hard court is not as elastic as other courts, and the surface reaction is strong and stiff, it is easy to hurt players.
Before the Australian Open in 2008, the game used a hard floor called rebound Ace, which was a typical slow hard floor, and the ball would bounce higher after landing. This material has been continuously criticized since 1988 appeared in the Australian Open. The reason is that it is summer in Australia every January, and this material is very sticky in overheated weather. Leighton hewitt once accused the venue of being "smelly shit"; Not only that, this kind of venue is considered to be extremely harmful to athletes. After the Australian Open in 2007, the organizing committee decided to change the venue material to Plexicushion. The acrylic synthetic material in this new venue improves the ball speed and makes it closer to the decorative lawn material used in the US Open. At the same time, the color of the venue has changed from a single light green to a blue with shades. The change of venue was supported by players including roger federer and Serena Williams.