Australia's Open (ATOM Study Guide)

NB: This study guide includes both a full guide as well as a condensed Grab and Go version.

Every January, the Australian Open commands global attention, but when off-court drama steals the show, Australia itself becomes part of the spectacle. As the world’s attention strays beyond the court, national insecurities and divisions are laid bare.

Australia’s Open charts the Australian Open’s trajectory from a suburban tennis club to the biggest annual sporting event in the Southern Hemisphere. After almost losing Grand Slam status in the 1980s, the tournament works hard to project a free and breezy image of Australia to the world in a process organisers dub ‘Australianisation’. By 2017, the Open hosts historic finals that well and truly grab the world’s attention.

But while organisers, government and business celebrate the international spotlight, the world’s attention inevitably strays beyond the court. And what is revealed is a country far more complex than the 'Happy Slam' image suggests. Australia’s Open counterpoints irresistible on-court drama with the nation’s off-court divisions as they are unintentionally revealed to the world. In recent years the Australian Open has become a stage for the nation’s same-sex marriage debate; confronting treatment of refugees; and complex relationship to its colonial past.

The cast includes former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash, CEO Craig Tiley, former Chair of the US Open Katrina Adams, New York Times correspondent Damien Cave, broadcasters Shelley Ware and Bruce McAvaney and veteran journalist Tracey Holmes. Australia’s Open goes inside some of the tournament’s most memorable finals, including Serena and Venus Williams’ last Grand Slam final and unexpected comebacks from Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Capturing the poetry of the tournament as well as its power, the documentary highlights that at the Australian Open there is always more than a game at stake.

Curriculum Links:

Australia’s Open is suitable viewing for secondary students in Years 7–12. Learning Areas:

• English
• Geography
• History
• Legal Studies
• Media
• Physical Education
• Politics

Teachers are advised to consult the Australian Curriculum and curriculum outlines relevant to their state or territory for further information. Australia’s Open is a relevant resource for certificate and diploma courses in Sport and Recreation.