The Australian Open has changed venues more than any other Grand Slam in history. It was played in Sydney and Brisbane before making Kooyong its home in Melbourne for most of the post-war era. It moved from Kooyong in 1987 to the newly built Flinders Park Stadium, now known as Melbourne Park.  The iconic stadium, with its Rod Laver and Margaret Court Arenas, was the first Grand Slam stadium to have a retractable roof, which was used during its first Women's final between Steffi Graf and Chris Evert in 1988.

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Known as the 'Happy Slam' and regularly voted by players as the best organised of the Grand Slams, the Australian Open has not been an overly happy tournament for Australian players. The last Australian Men's Champion was Mark Edmondson in 1976. Ash Barty restored national pride in 2022, becoming the first Australian Women's champion since Christine O'Neill in 1978. Often played under searing summer skies, the Australian Open is considered to be Melbourne's premier sporting event.