Serena vs. Venus Williams and More Iconic Moments as Australian Open Starts

The Australian Open is set to begin in Melbourne and herald the start of a new tennis season and an opportunity for someone to get their name written into Grand Slam history.

Rafael Nadal will be there to defend his title and is hoping to extend his record of 23 Grand Slam wins, but the women's division will be without its defending champion.

Australian Ashleigh Barty announced her retirement from the sport after she won the title last year and last week revealed that she was pregnant, and therefore skipping the tournament. The news was followed this week with another former champion, Naomi Osaka, who was expected to compete in Melbourne, also sharing baby news.

Take a look at these nine most memorable moments from Australian Open history:

Serena Williams
Serena Williams (R) celebrates with the championship trophy during the awards ceremony after her victory against sister Venus Williams (L) in the women's singles final of the Australian Open in Melbourne on January 28, 2017.... Getty Images

2017: Serena Williams vs. Venus Williams

The Williams sisters met in the final at the 2017 Australian Open, with one of them leaving the Rod Laver Arena as a history maker.

Serena Williams was already a six-time winner of the Australian Open before the game, while Venus Williams had gone nine years since her last Grand Slam title. In her 73rd major tournament, she was hoping to become the oldest champion of the era at the age of 36.

But it was Serena that claimed the major win with a 6-4, 6-4 victory, which meant she became the most prolific Grand Slam winner with her 23rd title.

2003: The Serena Slam

Serena Williams won her first Grand Slam title in Australia in 2003, marking an incredible achievement.

At just 20, Williams had already won the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open, making her a household name around the world.

Tennis fans wanted Williams to do a clean sweep and win in Australia but at 2-5 down in the final set to then-world champion Kim Clijsters, it looked doubtful.

After surviving two match points, Williams fought back to win 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 and faced world number two, her sister Venus, in the final.

Williams duly won the tense match and was in tears at the end as she celebrated what has since been dubbed the "Serena Slam."

1997: The youngest-ever Grand Slam winner

The end of the 90s saw a new guard in tennis stars and the one leading the way was teenager Martina Hingis.

At the age of just 16 years old and 117 days, the Swiss star beat former world number 3 Mary Pierce in the final.

Martina Hingis
Above, teenager Martina Hingis celebrates winning the 1997 Australian Open. At just 16 years old, Hingis is the youngest-ever Australian Open winner. Getty Images

Hingis won the final 6-2, 6-2 which was in keeping with her impressive form at the tournament in which she didn't drop a set and won 64 percent of her sets either by 6-1 or 6-2.

Hingis went on to appear in six consecutive finals at Melbourne Park, winning two more titles in 1998 and 1999.

2012: The greatest men's match of all time?

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal slugged it out for 5 hours and 53 minutes during the 2012 Australian Open men's final, making it the longest Grand Slam final of all time.

The pair were the top two in the ATP rankings and one point lasted an incredible 31 shots before leaving Djokovic on the ground.

Serbian star Djokovic eventually won out 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7, 7-5, with the game finishing at 1:37 a.m. local time.

Djokovic Nadal
Novak Djokovic of Serbia celebrates winning championship point in his men's final match against Rafael Nadal of Spain in the 2012 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 29, 2012. The historic match lasted 5... Getty Images

2011: Kim Clijsters dubbed 'Aussie Kim' after winning in green

Belgian Kim Clijsters won the hearts of the Australians in the 2011 tournament and after winning the title, she told the crowd: "I finally feel like you guys can call me 'Aussie Kim.'"

She had originally been given the moniker when she dated Australian men's tennis player Lleyton Hewitt, but playing in the green that is the country's colors, Clijsters became the nation's hero.

Clijsters also became the first mother to win the Australian Open since home star Evonne Goolagong Cawley did in 1977.

2022: Djokovic deported due to vaccination status

One of the biggest moments of last year's tournament happened before a shot was even taken as Novak Djokovic arrived in Australia with the belief he had a vaccination exemption after refusing the COVID-19 vaccine.

The exemption was questioned and his visa was canceled upon arrival in Melbourne. After going to court to try and prove that he had a right to play, Djokovic lost the appeal and 10 days later was deported from the country.

1987: Edberg beats Cash on grass

Swedish Grand Slam winner Stefan Edberg's victory over home favorite Pat Cash in the 1987 Australian Open final may not be the most memorable win, but it proved to be a milestone moment in the tournament's history.

The five-setter was the last to be played on a grass court at the Australian Open, with it turning to hard courts from then on, leaving Wimbledon in the United Kingdom as the only Grand Slam to still be played on grass courts.

1990: McEnroe gets disqualified

John McEnroe always had an opinion to share during his playing career. But in 1990 he went too far, becoming the first person since 1963 to be disqualified from a Grand Slam match.

John McEnroe
Above, American tennis star John McEnroe argues with the umpire during the Australian Open at Flinders Park in Melbourne in January 1990. McEnroe was ultimately ejected from the tournament due to his conduct. Getty Images

Shouting, swearing and arguing with the umpire while disputing a line call, McEnroe was treading a fine line until he added throwing his racket to the mix. The tennis great was promptly kicked out of the tournament without another point being played.

1995: Pete Sampras cries during game

Pete Sampras was a force to be reckoned with during his tennis career and barreled his way through winning many Grand Slams.

The quarterfinal of the 1995 Australian Open proved that there was a very human side to him as his emotions engulfed him while playing Jim Courier.

During a changeover, Sampras broke down in tears, devastated as he learned that his coach, Tim Gullikson has been diagnosed with a brain tumor.

Despite the high emotions, Sampras pulled through, winning the match 6-7 (4-7), 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.

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