It is one of the Grand Slam events on the ATP World Tour. Melbourne is home to the Australian Open which in 2012 will celebrate its 100th anniversary. The greatest tennis players in the world love the time they get to spend down under during the tournament and you will too. It is an excellent idea to build your Australian vacation around the event.
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The tournament always takes place over the last two weeks in January when the weather in Melbourne is ideal. The seasons there are just the opposite of North America and Europe, so January is in the middle of their summer with an average high temperature of 79 degrees. It is the perfect time to swim at one of Melbourne’s beautiful beaches or take a boat trip out into the bay. Melbournesbays.org can help you find all the best spots.
Melbourne is also known world wide for the night life. The tennis professionals love visiting Federation Square and Rose Street Artist’s Market almost as much as they love going to Melbourne Park for the tournament. The shopping and bar hopping are world class. Brunswick Street is the place to go after the sun goes down.
It is no wonder that Melbourne is one of the favorite stops on the ATP Tour. Novak Djokovic launched his amazing 2011 season at the Australian Open and will be back to defend his title. Past winners like Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are expected back as well to try and get back on top and take in the beautiful surroundings that Melbourne has to offer.
