| 2016 Australian Open | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | 18–31 January 2016 | |||
| Edition | 104th | |||
| Category | Grand Slam | |||
| Draw | 128S / 64D / 32X | |||
| Prize money | A$44,000,000 | |||
| Surface | Hard (Plexicushion) | |||
| Location | Melbourne,Victoria, Australia | |||
| Venue | Melbourne Park | |||
| Attendance | 720,363 | |||
| Champions | ||||
| Men's singles | ||||
| Women's singles | ||||
| Men's doubles | ||||
| Women's doubles | ||||
| Mixed doubles | ||||
| Wheelchair men's singles | ||||
| Wheelchair women's singles | ||||
| Wheelchair quad singles | ||||
| Wheelchair men's doubles | ||||
| Wheelchair women's doubles | ||||
| Wheelchair quad doubles | ||||
| Boys' singles | ||||
| Girls' singles | ||||
| Boys' doubles | ||||
| Girls' doubles | ||||
| Men's legends doubles | ||||
| Women's legends doubles | ||||
| ||||
The2016 Australian Open was atennis tournament that took place atMelbourne Park between 18 and 31 January 2016.[1] It was the 104th edition of theAustralian Open, and the firstGrand Slam tournament of the year. The tournament consisted of events for professional players in singles, doubles and mixed doubles play. Junior and wheelchair players competed in singles and doubles tournaments.
Novak Djokovic successfully defended the men's singles title and thus won a record-equaling sixth Australian Open title.Serena Williams was the defending champion in the women's singles but failed to defend her title, losing toAngelique Kerber in the final; by winning, Kerber became the first German player of any gender to win a Grand Slam title sinceSteffi Graf won her last such title at the1999 French Open.[2]
As in previous years, this year's tournament's title sponsor wasKia. This edition set a new attendance record for the tournament of 720,363.[3]

The 2016 Australian Open was the 104th edition of the tournament and was held atMelbourne Park inMelbourne,Victoria, Australia.
The tournament was run by theInternational Tennis Federation (ITF) and was part of the2016 ATP World Tour and the2016 WTA Tour calendars under the Grand Slam category. The tournament consisted of both men's and women's singles and doubles draws as well as a mixed doubles event. There were singles and doubles events for both boys and girls (players under 18), which was part of the Grade A category of tournaments, and also singles, doubles and quad events for men's and women'swheelchair tennis players as part of the NEC tour under the Grand Slam category.
The tournament was played on hard courts and take place over a series of 25 courts, including the three main show courts:Rod Laver Arena,Hisense Arena andMargaret Court Arena.[4]
In Australia, selected key matches were broadcast live by theSeven Network. The majority of matches were shown on the network's primary channelChannel Seven, however during news programming nationwide and most night matches inPerth, coverage shifted to either7Two or7mate. Additionally, every match was also available to bestreamed live through a free 7Tennismobile app.[5]
Internationally,ESPN held the rights for America and Central America, broadcasting matches onESPN2 andESPN3 in the United States as well as regionally onESPN International. ESPN also sub-licenses matches toTennis Channel.[6][7] Other broadcasters includedbeIN Sports in the Middle East,SuperSport in Africa,Eurosport through Europe (plusNOS Netherlands andSRG SSR in Switzerland),CCTV,iQiyi andSMG in China,Fiji One in Fiji,Sony ESPN in India, bothWowow andNHK in Japan,Sky in New Zealand andFox Sports Asia in selected markets in the Asia Pacific region.[6] In Canada,TSN broadcast matches across multiple channels.[8]
Spectator safety became a major issue during the tournament, with up to four separate cases reported:
On 7 March 2016, five weeks after the conclusion of the tournament, world number sevenMaria Sharapova announced at a press conference in Los Angeles that she had failed a drug test following her quarter-final defeat bySerena Williams on 26 January. Sharapova confessed to taking the substancemeldonium, which was placed on theWorld Anti-Doping Agency's list of banned substances on 1 January; she was later suspended for two years (later reduced to fifteen months on appeal), backdated to 26 January, and was subsequently docked the $A375,000 she earned for reaching the quarter-finals.[13][14][15]
Below is a series of tables for each of the competitions showing the ranking points on offer for each event.
| Event | W | F | SF | QF | Round of 16 | Round of 32 | Round of 64 | Round of 128 | Q | Q3 | Q2 | Q1 |
| Men's singles | 2000 | 1200 | 720 | 360 | 180 | 90 | 45 | 10 | 25 | 16 | 8 | 0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's doubles | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| Women's singles | 1300 | 780 | 430 | 240 | 130 | 70 | 10 | 40 | 30 | 20 | 2 | |
| Women's doubles | 10 | — | — | — | — | — |
Wheelchair points[edit]
| Junior points[edit]
|
The Australian Open total prize money for 2016 was increased by four millionAustralian dollars to tournament record A$44,000,000.
| Event | W | F | SF | QF | Round of 16 | Round of 32 | Round of 64 | Round of 1281 | Q3 | Q2 | Q1 |
| Singles | A$3,400,000 | A$1,700,000 | A$750,000 | A$375,000 | A$193,000 | A$108,000 | A$67,000 | A$38,500 | A$20,000 | A$12,000 | A$6,000 |
| Doubles * | A$635,000 | A$315,000 | A$157,500 | A$78,500 | A$43,000 | A$25,500 | A$16,500 | — | — | — | — |
| Mixed doubles * | A$157,000 | A$78,500 | A$39,250 | A$18,000 | A$9,000 | A$4,500 | — | — | — | — | — |
1Qualifiers prize money was also the Round of 128 prize money.
*per team
2016 Australian Open – Men's singles
Djokovic and Murray had faced one another 30 times prior to the final, with Djokovic victorious on 21 occasions. Murray had lost four Australian Open finals, three times to Djokovic, while the Serb had won the title five times. After an even first game, Djokovic broke Murray twice to lead 5–0, before Murray held. Djokovic took the winning game to secure the first set 6–1 in 30 minutes. The second set went with serve until Djokovic broke Murray to lead 4–3. The Scot broke back immediately and held his serve, but Djokovic broke in the eleventh game, then went on to hold serve, taking the second set 7–5. Djokovic broke the Murray serve in the first game of the third set, but Murray broke back to restore parity in the set at 3–3. The subsequent games went with serve and sent the set to a tie-break. Djokovic led 3–0 and 6–1 before finally securing the championship victory by three sets to love, with a 7–3 tie-break victory.[16]
Going into the final, Kerber and Williams had faced each other six times with Williams holding a 5–1 advantage. Kerber broke Williams in the third game of the first set with Williams breaking back to make it 3–3. Kerber immediately broke back and held serve to win the first set 6–4. Williams took advantage of the third of three break points in the fourth game of the second set, the remainder of the set going with serve, leveling the match at one set all. Kerber broke Williams in the second game of the final set, but Williams immediately broke back and held her own serve to level the deciding set at 2–2. Another break for Kerber saw her leading 5–2 but Williams broke back once again, taking the set to 5–4 to Kerber. A cross-court exchange described as "breathtaking" saw Williams hit the ball long, securing the title for Kerber.[17]
The following are the seeded players and notable players who withdrew from the event. Seeding are arranged according to ATP and WTA rankings on 11 January 2016, while ranking andpoints before are as of 18 January 2016.
| Seed | Rank | Player | Points before | Points defending | Points won | Points after | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 16,790 | 2,000 | 2,000 | 16,790 | Champion, defeated | |
| 2 | 2 | 8,945 | 1,200 | 1,200 | 8,945 | Runner-up, lost to | |
| 3 | 3 | 8,165 | 90 | 720 | 8,795 | Semifinals lost to | |
| 4 | 4 | 6,865 | 720 | 180 | 6,325 | Fourth round lost to | |
| 5 | 5 | 5,230 | 360 | 10 | 4,880 | First round lost to | |
| 6 | 6 | 4,560 | 720 | 360 | 4,200 | Quarterfinals lost to | |
| 7 | 7 | 4,235 | 360 | 360 | 4,235 | Quarterfinals lost to | |
| 8 | 8 | 4,145 | 180 | 360 | 4,325 | Quarterfinals lost to | |
| 9 | 10 | 2,725 | 0 | 180 | 2,905 | Fourth round lost to | |
| 10 | 11 | 2,495 | 90 | 180 | 2,585 | Fourth round lost to | |
| 11 | 12 | 2,475 | 180 | 10 | 2,305 | First round retired vs. | |
| 12 | 13 | 2,405 | 0 | 90 | 2,495 | Third round lost to | |
| 13 | 14 | 2,270 | 360 | 720 | 2,630 | Semifinals lost to | |
| 14 | 15 | 2,145 | 90 | 180 | 2,235 | Fourth round lost to | |
| 15 | 16 | 1,835 | 45 | 180 | 1,970 | Fourth round lost to | |
| 16 | 17 | 1,720 | 180 | 180 | 1,720 | Fourth round lost to | |
| 17 | 18 | 1,703 | 27 | 10 | 1,686 | First round lost to | |
| 18 | 19 | 1,690 | 180 | 90 | 1,600 | Third round lost to | |
| 19 | 20 | 1,645 | 10 | 90 | 1,725 | Third round lost to | |
| 20 | 23 | 1,515 | 10 | 10 | 1,515 | First round lost to | |
| 21 | 26 | 1,475 | 90 | 90 | 1,475 | Third round lost to | |
| 22 | 24 | 1,485 | 45 | 10 | 1,450 | First round retired vs. | |
| 23 | 25 | 1,485 | 45 | 360 | 1,800 | Quarterfinals lost to | |
| 24 | 21 | 1,640 | 45 | 180 | 1,775 | Fourth round lost to | |
| 25 | 22 | 1,525 | 0 | 45 | 1,570 | Second round lost to | |
| 26 | 27 | 1,430 | 180 | 90 | 1,340 | Third round lost to | |
| 27 | 28 | 1,420 | 180 | 90 | 1,330 | Third round lost to | |
| 28 | 29 | 1,290 | 180 | 90 | 1,200 | Third round lost to | |
| 29 | 30 | 1,260 | 360 | 90 | 990 | Third round lost to | |
| 30 | 31 | 1,255 | 45 | 45 | 1,255 | Second round lost to | |
| 31 | 32 | 1,240 | 90 | 90 | 1,240 | Third round lost to | |
| 32 | 33 | 1,191 | 90 | 90 | 1,191 | Third round lost to |
The following player would have been seeded, but he withdrew from the event.
| Rank | Player | Points Before | Points defending | Points After | Withdrawal reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 2,850 | 90 | 2,760 | Back injury[18] |
| Seed | Rank | Player | Points Before | Points defending | Points won | Points After | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 9,945 | 2,000 | 1,300 | 9,245 | Runner-up, lost to | |
| 2 | 2 | 5,965 | 430 | 10 | 5,545 | First round lost to | |
| 3 | 3 | 5,101 | 240 | 130 | 4,991 | Third round lost to | |
| 4 | 4 | 4,670 | 240 | 780 | 5,210 | Semifinals lost to | |
| 5 | 5 | 4,542 | 1,300 | 430 | 3,672 | Quarterfinals lost to | |
| 6 | 7 | 3,642 | 130 | 70 | 3,582 | Second round lost to | |
| 7 | 6 | 3,710 | 10 | 2,000 | 5,700 | Champion, defeated | |
| 8 | 10 | 3,511 | 430 | 10 | 3,091 | First round lost to | |
| 9 | 12 | 3,090 | 130 | 130 | 3,090 | Third round lost to | |
| 10 | 11 | 3,175 | 10 | 430 | 3,595 | Quarterfinals lost to | |
| 11 | 14 | 2,954 | 130 | 70 | 2,894 | Second round lost to | |
| 12 | 13 | 3,030 | 10 | 240 | 3,260 | Fourth round lost vs. | |
| 13 | 15 | 2,825 | 70 | 130 | 2,885 | Third round lost to | |
| 14 | 16 | 2,745 | 240 | 430 | 2,935 | Quarterfinals lost to | |
| 15 | 17 | 2,600 | 780 | 240 | 2,060 | Fourth round lost to | |
| 16 | 18 | 2,571 | 70 | 10 | 2,511 | First round lost to | |
| 17 | 19 | 2,525 | 130 | 10 | 2,405 | First round lost to | |
| 18 | 21 | 2,465 | 130 | 70 | 2,405 | Second round lost to | |
| 19 | 22 | 2,445 | 10 | 70 | 2,505 | Second round lost to | |
| 20 | 23 | 2,341 | 10 | 130 | 2,461 | Third round lost to | |
| 21 | 24 | 2,300 | 780 | 240 | 1,760 | Fourth round lost to | |
| 22 | 25 | 2,230 | 10 | 10 | 2,230 | First round lost to | |
| 23 | 20 | 2,475 | 10 | 70 | 2,535 | Second round lost to | |
| 24 | 26 | 1,965 | 10 | 10 | 1,965 | First round lost to | |
| 25 | 27 | 1,935 | 70 | 10 | 1,875 | First round lost to | |
| 26 | 28 | 1,880 | 10 | 10 | 1,880 | First round lost to | |
| 27 | 29 | 1,875 | 70 | 10 | 1,815 | First round lost to | |
| 28 | 30 | 1,725 | 70 | 130 | 1,785 | Third round lost to | |
| 29 | 31 | 1,630 | 240 | 10 | 1,400 | First round lost to | |
| 30 | 32 | 1,622 | 10 | 70 | 1,682 | Second round lost to | |
| 31 | 35 | 1,398 | 10 | 10 | 1,398 | First round lost to | |
| 32 | 34 | 1,420 | 130 | 10 | 1,300 | First round lost to |
The following players would have been seeded, but they withdrew or not entered from the event.
| Rank | Player | Points Before | Points defending | Points After | Withdrawal reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 3,621 | 10 | 3,611 | Retirement from tennis[citation needed] | |
| 9 | 3,590 | 10 | 3,580 | Bacterial infection[19] |
| Team | Rank1 | Seed | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 1 | ||
| 7 | 2 | ||
| 16 | 3 | ||
| 23 | 4 | ||
| 30 | 5 | ||
| 33 | 6 | ||
| 39 | 7 | ||
| 41 | 8 | ||
Men's singles[edit] | Women's singles[edit]
|
Men's doubles[edit] | Women's doubles[edit]
|
Mixed doubles[edit] |
|
The qualifying competition took place in Melbourne Park on 13 – 16 January 2016.
Men's singles[edit]Main article:2016 Australian Open – Men's singles qualifying
Lucky loser[edit] | Women's singles[edit]Main article:2016 Australian Open – Women's singles qualifying
|
The following players were accepted directly into the main draw using a protected ranking:
|
|
The following players were accepted directly into the main tournament, but withdrew with injuries and personal reasons.
|
|
† – not included on entry list
‡ – withdrew from entry list
§ – withdrew from main draw
|
|
| Preceded by | Grand Slams | Succeeded by |