Memorial Drive Park
Encyclopedia
Memorial Drive Park, more generally referred to as "Memorial Drive", is a tennis
venue, located adjacent to the Adelaide Oval
, in the park lands surrounding the centre of Adelaide, South Australia. Memorial Drive took its name from the winding avenue, known as War Memorial Drive, which separates the venue from the River Torrens
.
The Memorial Drive Tennis club was established in 1914, under the name South Australian Lawn Tennis Club. About 6 acres (2.4 ha) of land were leased to the club and the courts were opened in October 1921 by the Governor of South Australia, Sir Archibald Weigall.
Gerald Patterson
won the first South Australian Men's Singles Championship at the venue in 1922, the same year in which he also won Wimbledon
for the second time. The following year, a clubhouse and grandstand were erected at Memorial Drive, the northern grandstand being the former stand from Adelaide Oval
, which was dismantled and then reassembled. In 1938 a large permanent grandstand was erected on the northern side of the courts.
Over the years many major events have been held on the grass courts including the Davis Cup
and Australian Open
Championships. In 1926 the Australian men's singles title was staged at the courts for the first time, won by John Hawkes
. Adelaide hosted a total of fourteen Australian championships until 1967, of which twelve were played at Memorial Drive. In 1938 American
Donald Budge won the first leg of the first grand slam
in tennis at Memorial Drive by defeating Australia
’s John Bromwich
.
In January 1933 Australia played a tennis Test match against the United States. American champion Ellsworth Vines
made his only appearance in Adelaide and among the Australian representatives were Harry Hopman
, Adrian Quist
, and John Bromwich
. The following year, international matches featured the English
champion Fred Perry
.
Adelaide's first exposure to professional tennis involved the French
dual Wimbledon champion Henri Cochet
in contests against local professionals in 1935. In 1958 Pancho Gonzalez and Lew Hoad
appeared at Memorial Drive
as part of Jack Kramer's professional troupe.
From 1974 until 2007 the Adelaide International tournament was played at Memorial Drive, and since 2009 the World Tennis Challenge
has been played there.
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
venue, located adjacent to the Adelaide Oval
Adelaide Oval
The Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide...
, in the park lands surrounding the centre of Adelaide, South Australia. Memorial Drive took its name from the winding avenue, known as War Memorial Drive, which separates the venue from the River Torrens
River Torrens
The River Torrens is the most significant river of the Adelaide Plains and was one of the reasons for the siting of the city of Adelaide, capital of South Australia. It flows from its source in the Adelaide Hills near Mount Pleasant, across the Adelaide Plains, past the city centre and empties...
.
The Memorial Drive Tennis club was established in 1914, under the name South Australian Lawn Tennis Club. About 6 acres (2.4 ha) of land were leased to the club and the courts were opened in October 1921 by the Governor of South Australia, Sir Archibald Weigall.
Gerald Patterson
Gerald Patterson
Gerald Leighton Patterson MC was an Australian male tennis player. He was born in Melbourne, educated at Scotch College Melbourne and died in Melbourne in 13 June 1967. He was the co-World No...
won the first South Australian Men's Singles Championship at the venue in 1922, the same year in which he also won Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
for the second time. The following year, a clubhouse and grandstand were erected at Memorial Drive, the northern grandstand being the former stand from Adelaide Oval
Adelaide Oval
The Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide...
, which was dismantled and then reassembled. In 1938 a large permanent grandstand was erected on the northern side of the courts.
Over the years many major events have been held on the grass courts including the Davis Cup
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
and Australian Open
Australian Open
The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court...
Championships. In 1926 the Australian men's singles title was staged at the courts for the first time, won by John Hawkes
John Hawkes (tennis)
John Hawkes was a former Australian male tennis player.Hawkes won the singles title at the 1926 Australasian Championships.- References :...
. Adelaide hosted a total of fourteen Australian championships until 1967, of which twelve were played at Memorial Drive. In 1938 American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Donald Budge won the first leg of the first grand slam
Grand Slam (tennis)
The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and...
in tennis at Memorial Drive by defeating Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
’s John Bromwich
John Bromwich
John Edward Bromwich was a male tennis player from Australia who, along with his countryman Vivian McGrath, was one of the first great players to use a two-handed forehand....
.
In January 1933 Australia played a tennis Test match against the United States. American champion Ellsworth Vines
Ellsworth Vines
Henry Ellsworth Vines, Jr. was an American tennis champion of the 1930s, the World No. 1 player or the co-No. 1 for four years in 1932, 1935, 1936 and 1937.-Biography:...
made his only appearance in Adelaide and among the Australian representatives were Harry Hopman
Harry Hopman
Henry Christian Hopman, CBE was a world-acclaimed Australian-American tennis player and coach, born in Glebe, Sydney, New South Wales, and soon moving to Parramatta, a city adjoining Sydney and now effectively a suburb of the metropolis.Hopman was a student at Rosehill Public Primary school...
, Adrian Quist
Adrian Quist
Adrian Karl Quist was an Australian male tennis player.-Biography:Adrian Quist was born in Medindie, South Australia. The tennis legend grew up in Adelaide and once played Harry Hopman, however he lost, only because he gave Hopman a head start...
, and John Bromwich
John Bromwich
John Edward Bromwich was a male tennis player from Australia who, along with his countryman Vivian McGrath, was one of the first great players to use a two-handed forehand....
. The following year, international matches featured the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
champion Fred Perry
Fred Perry
Frederick John Perry was a championship-winning English tennis and table tennis player who won 10 Majors including eight Grand Slams and two Pro Slams. Perry won three consecutive Wimbledon Championships between 1934 and 1936 and was World No. 1 four years in a row...
.
Adelaide's first exposure to professional tennis involved the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
dual Wimbledon champion Henri Cochet
Henri Cochet
Henri Jean Cochet was a champion tennis player, one of the famous "Four Musketeers" from France who dominated tennis in the late 1920s and early 1930s....
in contests against local professionals in 1935. In 1958 Pancho Gonzalez and Lew Hoad
Lew Hoad
Lewis Alan Hoad was a champion tennis player....
appeared at Memorial Drive
Memorial Drive
Memorial Drive may refer to:Streets* Memorial Drive , Georgia* Memorial Drive , Alberta* Memorial Drive , Massachusetts* Memorial Drive * Memorial Drive...
as part of Jack Kramer's professional troupe.
From 1974 until 2007 the Adelaide International tournament was played at Memorial Drive, and since 2009 the World Tennis Challenge
World Tennis Challenge
The World Tennis Challenge is a three night exhibition tournament held in the week before the Australian Open in Adelaide, South Australia. The tournament was created by a consortium of past players including Jim Courier, Darren Cahill, Mark Woodforde and Roger Rasheed. It has four teams of two...
has been played there.
Concerts
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- 19 February 1972 - The Bee GeesBee GeesThe Bee Gees are a musical group that originally comprised three brothers: Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was successful for most of their 40-plus years of recording music, but they had two distinct periods of exceptional success: as a pop act in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and as a...
- 1972 - The Rolling StonesThe Rolling StonesThe Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
- 20–21 February 1973 - Black SabbathBlack SabbathBlack Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
and Status Quo - 1974 - SladeSladeSlade are an English rock band from Wolverhampton, who rose to prominence during the glam rock era of the early 1970s. With 17 consecutive Top 20 hits and six number ones, the British Hit Singles & Albums names them as the most successful British group of the 1970s based on sales of singles...
- 1974 - Uriah HeepUriah Heep (band)Uriah Heep are an English rock band formed in London in 1969 and regarded as a seminal classic hard rock act of the 1970s. Uriah Heep's progressive/art rock/heavy metal fusion's distinctive features have always been massive keyboards sound, strong vocal harmonies and David Byron's operatic vocals...
- 23 November 1974, with Cold Chisel - The Skyhooks - 21 December 1974, with Ayers Rock, Daddy CoolDaddy Cool (band)Daddy Cool is an Australian rock band formed in Melbourne in 1970 with the original line-up of Wayne Duncan , Ross Hannaford , Ross Wilson and Gary Young . Their debut single "Eagle Rock" was released in May 1971 and stayed at number 1 on the Australian singles chart for ten weeks...
, Matt Taylor and Cold Chisel and 20 December 1975 - Joe CockerJoe CockerJohn Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE is an English rock and blues musician, composer and actor, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing, and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of The Beatles...
- 26 February 1975, with Cold Chisel - 5KA Concert - 8 March 1975 - The Skyhooks, with SherbetSherbet (band)Sherbet was one of the most prominent and successful Australian rock bands of the 1970s. Their biggest singles were "Summer Love" and "Howzat" , both reaching number one in Australia. "Howzat" was also a top 5 hit in the UK. Though the band's success in the U.S...
- Deep PurpleDeep PurpleDeep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
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- 1980 - The PoliceThe PoliceThe Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
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- 1981 - Cold ChiselCold ChiselCold Chisel is a rock band that originated in Adelaide, Australia. It is one of the most acclaimed Australian rock bands of all time, with a string of hits throughout the 1970s and 1980s and huge sales that continue to this day, although its success and acclaim was almost completely restricted to...
- 11–12 September 1982 - Midnight OilMidnight OilMidnight Oil , were an Australian rock band from Sydney originally performing as Farm from 1972 with drummer Rob Hirst, bass guitarist Andrew James and keyboard player/lead guitarist Jim Moginie...
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- 17 April 1985 and 31 March 1990 - Bob DylanBob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
- 1986, with Tom Petty and the HeartbreakersTom Petty and the HeartbreakersTom Petty And The Heartbreakers are an American rock band from Gainesville, Florida. They were formed in 1976 by Tom Petty , Mike Campbell , Benmont Tench , , Ron Blair and Stan Lynch... - ZZ TopZZ TopZZ Top is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "That Little Ol' Band from Texas". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based boogie rock, has come to incorporate elements of arena, southern, and boogie rock. The band, from Houston Texas, formed in 1969...
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- 1988 - Sting - 11 November 1988
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- 16 September, with JetJet (band)Jet are an Australian rock band formed in 2001 while attending St Bede's College Mentone in Melbourne, . The band consists of lead guitarist Cameron Muncey, bassist Mark Wilson, and brothers Nic and Chris Cester on vocals/rhythm guitar and drums respectively...
and Yves Klein BlueYves Klein BlueYves Klein Blue was an Australian indie/rock band from Brisbane. The band are signed to Brisbane record label Dew Process, under which they re-released their debut EP Yves Klein Blue Draw Attention to Themselves...
and 30 October 2010, with Jet and Andrew Morris Duo
See also
- Adelaide Entertainment CentreAdelaide Entertainment CentreThe Adelaide Entertainment Centre is an indoor arena located in the South Australian capital of Adelaide, and is used for sporting and entertainment events. It is the principal venue for concerts, events and attractions for audiences between 2,000 and 12,000. It is located on Port Road in the...
- Adelaide Festival CentreAdelaide Festival CentreThe Adelaide Festival Centre, Australia's first multi-purpose arts centre, was built in 1973 and opened three months before the Sydney Opera House. The Festival Centre is located approximately 50 metres north of the corner of North Terrace and King William Street, lying near the banks of the River...
- Adelaide OvalAdelaide OvalThe Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide...
- Thebarton TheatreThebarton TheatreThe Thebarton Theatre , is an entertainment venue located in the inner-western Adelaide suburb of Torrensville, South Australia. Constructed in 1926, it is one of the most popular medium size venues in Australia. With a capacity of 2000, it is often used by newly formed bands and established...