the model for the sydney international was formed in 1885 when colonial officials decided there was a need to discover the best tennis player in each of the colonies and to use the tournament to assist with selection to the australasia davis cup team, however the first time the tournament was played as a permanent annual event was in 1935. between 1970 and 1989 it was part of the grand prix tennis circuit and a grand prix super series tournament from 1970 to 1971.