How the @AustralianOpen aced it on Twitter

Dubbed the “social slam” for its amazing fan engagement and access, the @AustralianOpen stepped things up again in 2016 by delivering what might be one of the best tournaments yet, both on the court and on Twitter.

The conversation was led by @AustralianOpen, which Tweeted clips almost immediately after the winning shots and celebrations, while @DjokerNole and @AngeliqueKerber celebrated with fans across the world.

With the @AustralianOpen delivering top-draw video throughout the tournament, it’s no surprise that #AusOpen 2016 made a huge impact on the official account, with overall follower growth of 54,000— including 24,000 followers on the first day of competition alone, and six million views of amazing videos like these.

Here are the five most-mentioned women’s players from #AusOpen 2015:

And these are the most-mentioned men’s players:

With nonstop action, these were the most-mentioned events of the entire tournament:

Twitter was a huge part of the experience at 2016 #AusOpen, both on and off the court. The #AOSocialSuite gave a selection of lucky fans a Twitter-themed seat upgrade.

For the first time ever, a Periscope racket was used to broadcast live Q&As and behind-the-scenes snippets, with Periscope hearts turned into tennis balls for #AusOpen broadcasts.

@7Tennis put on a show for fans, with instant replays of the big moments and amazing rallies, including that breathtaking point between @DjokerNole and @rogerfederer in the men’s semi-final.

This year, we introduced custom #AusOpen Twitter Emojis to help tennis fans add a little extra colour to their Tweets, and fans and players took to them with a gusto, especially the #HewBeauty tribute emoji for retiring Aussie legend @lleytonhewitt.

@AustralianOpen Twitter content also hits the roads of Australia, with more than 40 digital billboards across the country providing action and real-time score updates.

With the first Grand Slam of the season setting a high benchmark, the baton is now passed to the French Open (@rolandgarros), @Wimbledon and the @usopen, all of which always put on a great show.

See you down under next year!