Remembering the 1984 Australian Open, a tournament played in a different era

The Australian Open has transformed in the past two decades. Back in 1984 the tournament was played on grass at the old Kooyong Stadium and featured wooden racquets, a British former champion and a very angry Pat Cash

By Steven Pye for That 1980s Sports Blog, part of the Guardian Sport Network

Back in 1984, the Australian Open was a completely different tournament to the one we witness now. Played at the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club in Melbourne on grass courts that many of the players criticised, the timing of the event was far from ideal, sitting right at the end of a long and tiring season in November and December.

Some players avoided Australia completely – Bjorn Borg only appeared in the 1974 Australian Open, and Jimmy Connors played in just two – and as the 1980s progressed it became apparent that a change was in the air.

Continue reading...





source Sport | The Guardian http://ift.tt/1zlFv2d