The Drive

Tennis SA acknowledges that our courts and offices are on the traditional Country of the Kaurna people, Park 26, which has the aboriginal name Tarntanya Wama meaning Adelaide Plain.

Located in the heart of the city, nestled between the River Torrens and Adelaide Oval, The Drive is Adelaide’s premier sporting, music, event and function precinct.

The venue hosts the annual Adelaide International, a blockbuster ATP, WTA and ITF Wheelchair tournament featuring some of the world’s top players.

The return of world-class tennis comes after a major two-stage redevelopment which has rejuvenated the area into a premier sporting venue.

The centre court is now integrated with a state-of-the-art, all-weather permanent roof, as well as two new grandstands and a wrap-around concourse, thanks to federal and state government funding. Next door, the brand-new sunken showcourt also features a world-class canopy.

Aside from major events, the precinct can also be used for high-performance training, corporate events, functions and weddings.

The Drive boasts a storied tennis history spanning over a century.

Traditionally known as Memorial Drive, it takes its name from War Memorial Drive upon which it is located, a scenic road separating the venue from the River Torrens.

The precinct was established in 1914 as the South Australian Lawn Tennis Club. The site’s grass courts were opened in 1921 before a grandstand and clubhouse were added in 1923.

A larger, permanent northern grandstand was earmarked in 1938, but the Second World War disrupted its funding streams. The project was saved courtesy of a loan from Holden chairman Sir Edward Holden. 

Memorial Drive hosted the Australian Championships, now the Australian Open after professionals joined amateurs in the tournament from 1969, a dozen times before the event settled in Melbourne.

The first Championships held there, in 1926, saw John Hawkes and Daphne Akhurst lifting the men’s and women’s singles titles respectively.

In subsequent years, many of Australia’s top players earned Championship silverware there including Rod Laver, Margaret Court, Roy Emerson, Ken Rosewall, Frank Sedgman, Ken McGregor, Mary Carter Reitano, Beryl Penrose and Esna Boyd.

The venue also played host to four Davis Cup challenge round finals, including when Australia triumphed over the United States in both the 1952 and 1956 editions. 

The site broadened its appeal beyond tennis from the 1960s, welcoming American exhibition basketball team the Harlem Globetrotters and travelling ice skating show Ice Capades, and later stage shows including Jesus Christ Superstar.

It’s central location and unique atmosphere have drawn some of the biggest names in music over the decades, including The Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, INXS, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, the Bee Gees, Cher, Phil Collins, U2, Bon Jovi, Elton John, Kylie Minogue and Aerosmith.

The International (or Rio) Challenge event of the 1980s and 1990s saw yet more top tennis players grace Memorial Drive including John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl, Pat Cash, Pat Rafter, Jim Courier, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi.

The venue also hosted the Australian Hardcourt Championships, a men’s ATP tour event, counting among its champions a 16-year-old Lleyton Hewitt in 1998 (and again in 2000), as well as Mark Woodforde (1988 and 1989), Jim Courier (1995), Todd Woodbridge (1997) and Novak Djokovic (2007). 

Following that tournament moving to Brisbane, Memorial Drive entertained the innovative World Tennis Challenge until 2019, an exhibition event featuring top current and former players.

A major redevelopment of the site was kickstarted in 2018 and completed in April 2023, with the new state-of-the-art facility now hosting the Adelaide International, an annual combined ATP and WTA tour event welcoming some of the tennis world’s biggest names.

Want to learn more about court booking, coaching availability or function packages?