Teamed with legendary commentators Peter Landy and Garry Wilkinson, he was part of a revolutionary telecast when each match of the Australian summer tournaments was televised live in a seven-week period throughout December and January.

“What that did, I feel, was really put tennis back on the map,” Stone said. “I think playing a part in the resurgence of tennis in Australia is something that I look back on fondly.”

There have been countless standout memories made in the years since.

Stone recalls the Australian Open 1993 final, when Monica Seles recovered to beat Steffi Graf in an extraordinary battle between the world’s top women, as one of the best.  “It was the most fantastic tennis you’ve ever seen,” he recalls.

“There’s been so many great matches and cliffhangers over five sets,” adds the long-time commentator, making a favourite men’s match harder to name.

One man who is prominent in his memory bank, however, is fellow Melburnian Pat Cash.

In the final edition of the Australian Open staged at Kooyong, in 1987, Cash fell to Sweden’s Stefan Edberg in a five-set final.

Cash was a finalist against when the Australian Open moved to Melbourne Park the following year, but lost another epic five-setter to Mats Wilander.