The model for the Sydney International was formed in 1885 when colonial officials decided there was a need to discover the best tennis player in each of the colonies and to use the tournament to assist with selection to the
Australasia Davis Cup team, however the first time the tournament was played as a permanent annual event was in 1935. Between 1970 and 1989 it was part of the
Grand Prix tennis circuit and a
Grand Prix Super Series tournament from 1970 to 1971. The tournament was not included on the men's or women's schedule for the 2020 and 2021 seasons, as the new
ATP Cup took place in the same period. The tournament briefly returned in 2022 as the
Sydney Tennis Classic, before being replaced by the mixed-gender event,
United Cup since 2023.
Tournament locations The inaugural edition of the tournament was played in May 1885 at the "Association Ground" in
Moore Park, part of the
Sydney Cricket Ground. In 1908 control of the tournament was handed over to the NSW Tennis Association and the event moved to
Double Bay. From 1922 until 1999 the event was hosted at the
White City complex, close to the
Sydney central business district. Since the 2000 edition, the event was played at the
Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre, in
Sydney Olympic Park, a suburb of Western Sydney and formerly part of the suburb of
Homebush Bay, which was constructed for the tennis events at the
2000 Summer Olympics. The venue consists of 15 outdoor courts and a centre court along with an administrative building, for the whole of Tennis NSW. == Past finals ==