Exterior grandstand showing iconic lettering and broadcast boxes
Kooyong Stadium, at the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club, is an Australian tennis venue, located in the Melbourne suburb of Toorak, adjacent to the namesake suburb of Kooyong. The stadium was built in 1927, and has undergone several renovations.
It has a seating capacity of slightly more than 5,000. At its peak the stadium was capable of hosting up to 15,000 patrons.[2]
History
Kooyong was the venue for the Australian Open whenever that tournament was held in Melbourne, becoming the permanent venue from 1972 to 1987. It was the last Australian Open venue to play on grass courts.
The tournament was moved to the hard courts of Melbourne Park in 1988.[3] Now a hard-court surface, it remains the venue for the Kooyong Classic exhibition tournament.[2]
Kooyong has also hosted several Davis Cup ties and finals, including the 1986 Davis Cup Final which saw Australia defeat two-time defending champions Sweden 3–2 in late December. The stadium hosted a tie for the 2016 Davis Cup against the USA in March 2016 on a portable grass court.[4]
In 2019 the club demolished the upper western and southern stands, revising the seating capacity to approximately 5,000.[5] The venue had previously been capable of seating 8,500 spectators.[6]
Concerts
The venue has also hosted several concerts:
On 24 October 1971, Elton John performed a concert there.[7]
^"Former world No.1s, grand slam champs descend on Kooyong Classic". Herald Sun. 29 October 2019. The club has started an $18 million redevelopment, which includes returning the stadium to its 1930s form ahead of major clubhouse and site improvements in 2020. A reduced capacity crowd of more than 5000 [results] in what organisers hope will provide a "boutique atmosphere" at the former home of the Open.
