With the first Grand Slam of the season well and truly underway, the Australian Open has looked to get creative off the court onto our digital platforms with new social media initiatives.

In the tournament’s endeavours to get creative, the organisation, in conjunction with Twitter, has launched a number of features across the platform.

With more than 900,000 followers, the @AustralianOpen has always sought to be the most interactive Grand Slam as well as the most active on social media.

Five special hashtags featuring emojis have been unveiled with each hashtag accompanied by its own utility, for example; #AusOpen has been identified as the official tournament’s hashtag while #AOSelfie is a hashtag that tournament organisers will use to collect all the fan selfies during the event – all which will be displayed on a digital wall in the tournament’s village.

We’ve launched Twitter emojis for the @AustralianOpen! #AusOpen #AOSelfie #SleepIsForTheWeak #HewBeauty #7Tennis pic.twitter.com/ib1CbH8XUo

— Twitter Sports (@TwitterSports) January 15, 2016

The organisation will also use Periscope, the live streaming service owned by Twitter, to broadcast videos showing what happens behind the scenes and on the court in real-time.

The Australian Open has recognised videos as a way for the tournament to increase its engagement on Twitter including exclusive interviews, highlights, videos from players entering. All these are broadcast directly in the tournament organisation’s twitter timeline.

Pablo Carreno Busta may have lost the point, but he takes home @cpaaustralia Shot of the Day honours #AusOpen https://t.co/ZfgJiviFfp

— Australian Open (@AustralianOpen) January 18, 2016

Maria Sharapova hits Margaret Court Arena #ausopen https://t.co/EqQpIJObRy

— Australian Open (@AustralianOpen) January 18, 2016