It is a full six weeks before the start of the 2010 Grand Slam tennis season with the start of the Australian Open in mid-January. Many may have forgotten that the Australian Open used to be played in December, sometimes over the Christmas holidays that keep away many of the world’s best players. This week, WorldTennisMagazine.com will provide excerpts from the book ON THIS DAY IN TENNIS HISTORY ($19.95, New Chapter Press, www.TennisHistoryBook.com) that detail Australian Open events that happened this week.
ON THIS DAY IN TENNIS HISTORY – December 10
1983 – Martina Navratilova defeats Kathy Jordan 6-2, 7-6 (5) in 78 minutes to win the Australian Open women’s singles title in Melbourne, Australia. Navratilova concludes her year losing only one match in 86 matches – that to Kathy Horvath in the round of 16 in the French Open. Navratilova wins $75,000 with the title, raising her 1983 tournament winnings to $1,443,030.