How close the Australian Open came to being stripped of its grand slam status – as players refused to come when the tournament was held at a zoo and other substandard venues

Today it’s affectionately known as the ‘happy slam’ – and tennis stars from around the world have every reason to be optimistic given the staggering $86.5 million in prize money on offer at the 2024 Australian Open.

But it was not always highly regarded.

Before moving to its permanent home in Melbourne Park in 1988, previous locations included nearby Kooyong, Brisbane’s Milton Courts, Sydney’s White City and Hagley Park in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Even Perth Zoo hosted the tournament, according to the ABC.

Kooyong was first used as a venue in 1927, before gaining the right to become permanent host of the Open in 1972.

Before the tournament moved to Melbourne Park in 1988, many top players felt the facilities at nearby Kooyong were inadequate – including John McEnroe (pictured)

Opinions were divided on the grass court, with some top players feeling the facilities were not up to standard.

Many then chose to skip the Australian Open, leaving fans shortchanged.

‘Superbrat’ John McEnroe was someone who did not hold back in his criticism.

“It’s not good enough to play tennis on, you could say it looked like an ice rink,” the seven-time major winner said after a five-set win at the 1985 Open.

Tellingly, Colin McDonald, executive director of the Lawn Tennis Association of Australia, agreed with McEnroe.

He stated at the time that Australia had ‘fallen behind the rest of the world’ and was ‘at serious risk of losing its Grand Slam status’.

As a result, work soon began on the modern facility, Melbourne Park.

Meanwhile, McEnroe – a noted perfectionist – lifted the Wimbledon trophy three times – and also won four US Open titles, but Australia proved to be a venue where Grand Slam success eluded him.

His best finish was the semi-final in 1983, and he was infamously defaulted from the 1990 tournament for swearing at the referee, supervisor and umpire during a fourth-round match against Swede Mikael Pernfors.

Alex de Minaur threatens to become Australia’s best hope this year, with the world number 10 set to earn $600,000 if he can progress to the men’s quarter-finals – the prize money on offer is much higher than in previous decades

Poland’s Iga Swiatek is tipped by many tennis experts to win the Australian Open women’s singles title

Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley believes it is vital that ‘the best players in the world are appropriately compensated’

McEnroe’s record is in stark contrast to Serbian maestro Novak Djokovic, who has won an impressive 10 Australian Open titles and, at 36, is the men’s favorite ahead of the first-round matches starting on January 14 .

Djokovic is not a respected figure among all tennis fans, as the veteran was infamously deported from Australia in 2022 after refusing to reveal his vaccination status.

The lengthy fiasco generated many unwanted global headlines, but Djokovic returned last year to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final in straight sets.

Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley confirmed in December an increase in prize money for players at the first Grand Slam of 2024, with the men’s and women’s singles winners receiving $3.15 million each.

“It is critical to the continued success of the Australian Open that we ensure the world’s best players are appropriately compensated,” he said in a statement.

“As we know, this money allows players to invest in their own careers and in many cases helps them achieve success throughout the year.

“We want to ensure that Australia remains the launching pad for the global tennis season and that the players and their teams have everything they need to help them perform at their peak.”