Australian Open 2011 Dates

With the end of the tennis season last month, tennis fans must be looking forward to the new season, a season in which there promises to be a lot of action, right from the word go. With many players, on both the WTA tour and the ATP tour, making huge inroads in the rankings, it should be a pleasure to watch the new season unfold. Will the new decade see new stars at the top of the rankings, or will it be just a continuance of the dominance of last season's stars is something that all tennis fans will probably give an arm and leg to know. Thankfully, the 2011 season starts in just under a month now, and the first major or Grand Slam of 2011 is just a little more than a month away. For those of you who are unaware, the first major of 2011 will be the Australian Open, and in the next few paragraphs, let's not only look at the 2011 Australian Open dates, but also last year's champions and some brief history of the Australian Open.

The Australian Open

One of only 4 majors that are played throughout the course of the year, the Australian Open assumes a certain importance as it is the first major of the year, and can easily decide, or be detrimental to, the outcome of a players year. Besides being the first major, it is also at the very beginning of the year, and most players have had a chance to rest off the rigors of the previous season by the time the Australian Open rolls in, and for most players, remains the best chance to win a Grand Slam. Let's take a look at some of the quick facts of this Grand Slam.

• Also known as the Grand Slam of Asia/Pacific, the Australian Open was first played in 1905.
• Though played at the beginning of the year, the Australian Open take places during the Australian summer, and can feature days with very high temperature as well. The tournament has rules and regulations that ensure that players are not exposed to extremely high temperatures.
• The Australian Open is played at Melbourne Park, with the Rod Laver Arena and the Hisense Arena being the two main courts.
• The Australian Open has been contested on grass as well as hard surfaces. The current surface is 'Plexicushion Prestige', which has been used since 2008.
• In spite of being one of the premier tennis tournaments, the Australian Open is the only Grand Slam that is not covered live on network television in the United States.
• In 2010, more than 25 million Australian dollars was distributed as prize money for the tournament.

Australian Open 2011 Dates

The dates for the 2011 Australian Open are out, and the first Grand Slam of the year will be played from the 17th of January 2011 to the 31st January 2011. This forms the last two weeks in January, and is consistent with the official schedule, which says that the Australian Open is conducted in the last fortnight in January. The championship matches are on the last weekend of the schedule, with the Women's Final being held on Saturday and the Men's Final being held on Sunday. For 2011, this will mean that the finals will be played on the 30th and 31st of January, barring any rain or extreme heat delay. The draw of the Australian Open features 128 of the top players and the schedule will be declared on the Friday before the tournament is scheduled to start.

2010 Champions & 2011 Favorites

After getting to know the dates, let's take a look at the current or defending champions of 2010 and who is most likely to win this prestigious event in 2011.

2010 Results

Men's	Roger Federer
Women's	Serena Williams
Men's Doubles	Bob & Mike Bryan
Womens's Doubles	Venus & Serena Williams
Mixed Doubles	Cara Black & Leander Paes

2011 Favorites

The Australian Open favorites, as tennis fans must be aware, have changed from the list above, and the most notable change will be the one right at the top. In place of Roger Federer, it is Rafael Nadal who is the top contender for the title at Melbourne Park, and after an amazing 2010 season, is looking all set to take away Federer's Australian Open crown. Though Federer has been playing awesome tennis towards the end of the season, and won the year ending ATP Tour Finals, the men's singles favorite will have to be Rafael Nadal.

In the women's section, unfortunately, the defending champion Serena Williams will not be playing due to a foot injury, and she has already confirmed her absence at the first Grand Slam of the year. Her absence gives other players a chance, and it will have to be said that Caroline Wozniacki will be the best bet at the 2011 event. Players like Kim Clijsters and Venus Williams might be up to the challenge, but as far as favorites go, it will be the top ranked Caroline Wozniacki.

Tennis aficionados have much to look forward to in the new tennis season, and the Australian Open will set the course for the year for most players. Will we finally see one of the many talented players lift their first Grand Slam title? Remember, 6 of the top ten on the men's side have never won a Grand Slam, though many have come tantalizingly close, and 4 of the top 10 on the women's side have never won a Grand Slam either, so the competition is going to be fierce. Whatever happens, now that the Australian Open 2011 dates are out, make sure that you do not miss the Australian Open this year.