The Happy Slam is the most popular major, says Boris Becker.
Becker, who won three of the four Grand Slams, says the Australian Open's refurbished and spacious facilities, including two stadiums featuring retractable roofs, the fact you can walk to the tournament from the city and it's staged at the start of the season when players are fresh and eager makes Melbourne the people's major.
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"It all started with Australia; I think they changed the rule book," Becker told Eurosport and Hall of Fame colleagues Mats Wilander and John McEnroe in this Tennis Legends podcast. "They wanted to matter and they were the first one with the roof.
"And they were the ones with spacious facilities for players, coaches and everybody else to the point where it's probably the most popular Grand Slam of all the four because everybody's looking to come to Melbourne at the beginning of the year."
McEnroe does not agree with Becker rating Wimbledon and the US Open highest when it comes to Grand Slam status.
"The French always has this great tradition and will always be this tremendous event," McEnroe said. "But for someone in the States, it's not as important as Wimbledon, which is sort of Augusta or the Masters of golf...
"Me being from New York, the US Open, I'm biased but I think it's the best city in the world. New York, there's something incredible, the energy there. So I think the other ones have worked hard to catch up and they're closer.
"But it's hard for me to think that Wimbledon and the Open, there's just something about them. They've always had the edge, in my book."
Photo credit: Eurosport