Australian Open Chronicles: Greetings from Down Under Irina Falconi, an American who is playing at the Australian Open, will write posts throughout the tournament for Straight Sets as she did during the United States Open last year. She has her own tumblr page, and can be followed on Twitter. I am writing from Melbourne, Australia, home of the Australian Open in the land of vegemite, marmite, Tasmanian devils, kangaroos, koalas and Crocodile Dundee. When you think of Australia, you might think of that cool factor -- and the time change. People reading this in New York have a 16-hour time difference right now. We are ahead of you by sixteen hours which means that we greeted 2013 with open arms while you were sleeping. You may be wondering more about this lovely slam. You know how awesome the United States Open is. You've heard about the French Open and its red clay. And of course Wimbledon is Wimbledon. The Australian Open, now this one here is a keeper. By no means am I saying that this Grand Slam event is better than the others, but I will honestly say it's in my top four slams. My team and I arrived in Australia a week before Christmas for the first tournament of the year, to prepare for the heat, time change and everything else that comes with being Down Under. We got to Melbourne from Sydney on a wonderful Monday morning before the qualifying matches started Thursday. When we arrived, we were greeted happily by awesome greeters. The other Slams have them as well, but these are special. The first term you must learn is "How you going?" Not "How are you?," or "What's up?," or "How are you doing?" It's "how you going?" It's like nothing I've ever heard before, and the accent that comes along with it just makes it that much cooler. Melbourne Park is a beautiful facility, which has been newly renovated with a spanking new National Training Center. It's sick. You may have heard that the tennis player committees, on both the women and men tours, have been demanding more money from Grand Slams for a few years. So what did Australian Open decide to do this year? They decided to give you a check upon arrival. When you arrive to get your credential, you get a cute little envelope with your name on it. Inside is $1,000 check. They are really stepping up. Not only that, but they also increased the prize money for first-, second-, and third-round players, by 30 percent. Other grand slams, please take note. I could go on forever about how wonderful this slam is, but here are some more highlights: $55 a day for food (and great food at that) * Not just one locker room, but two so coaches can also get their stuff in there * Three other facilities that provide hitting opportunties for players for when they can't get a court at Melbourne Park * Live music in the dining hall * Koala, kangaroo, and crocodile visits * Epic player party Last but not least is Melbourne itself. It's one of the coolest cities I've been to. From St. Kilda beach, to Southgate, to the Docklands, you can't go wrong. Friends and family, you must come to Australia. Craig Tiley, Aussie Open tournament director, you can thank me later. Any questions you might have about the Australian Open? What do you want to know about the tour? Feel free to ask me questions. I'm all ears. Cheers, and good on ya, mates!