The sporting year is set to explode to life on Nine’s Wide World of Sports when the superstars of world tennis fire up for the Australian Open, with exclusive coverage of the first Grand Slam tournament of 2023.
Broadcast on Channel 9HD and 9GemHD, the best matches and biggest moments will be available live and free across 276 hours of coverage.
In addition to Channel 9 and 9Now, Stan Sport will provide coverage in 4K and will have every match ad-free, live and on demand.
Rafael Nadal will be looking to defend his title as he continues his battle with Novak Djokovic to finish their careers with the most men’s Grand Slam titles. Currently, Nadal holds 22 titles while Djokovic has 18.
The tournament’s favourite, Djokovic, has arrived in Melbourne with a warm welcome. Last year, he came unvaccinated but has put the scandal behind him and will be looking to make it a stunning 10 titles in the Australian Open, building on his 82-6 record here since 2007.
The competition for the top spots will be fierce as the likes of Nick Kyrgios, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and last year’s beaten finalist Daniil Medvedev all look to make a run for the title.
In the women’s tournament, Iga Swiatek is the clear favourite and will begin her quest for her fourth Grand Slam title by taking on Jule Niemeier on Monday.
Commentary throughout the tournament will be provided by Jim Courier, Todd Woodbridge, Lleyton Hewitt, Jelena Dokic, Dylan Alcott, Casey Dellacqua, Sam Smith, Alicia Molik, Mark Philippoussis, Darren Cahill and Peter Psaltis.
On Channel 9, the hosts are James Bracey, Roz Kelly and Tony Jones, while on 9Gem Nick McArdle, Emma Lawrence and Seb Costello will host the broadcast.
Additional off-court reporting will come from Alicia Loxley, Matthew Pavlich, Clint Stanaway, Danika Mason and Madeline Slattery.
Also off the court, Andy Lee returns with a new twist for 2023 when Sophie Monk and Mike Goldstein join him for a special Australian Open edition of The Hundred with the biggest names in tennis.
9Now gives fans the ability to watch every point of every match, at any time on the device of their choosing, in full HD with the new start-over button allowing fans to watch from the start of each session.
Nine’s Director of Sport, Brent Williams, said:
“The Australian Open has become an integral piece of our programming schedule and 2023 promises to be no different.
The biggest names in the game are here and the storylines evolving are as compelling as always.
“Whether you’re a tennis fanatic, a general sports lover or a casual fan, Nine has all bases covered for viewers to consume the ultimate summer sports festival however they choose.”
Joining Kyrgios to fly the Aussie flag in the men’s draw will be Alex de Minaur (No. 24), who defeated Nadal in the United Cup, Christopher O’Connell (No. 78), Jordan Thompson (No. 84) and Thanasi Kokkinakis (No. 93).
Aussie wildcards John Millman, Jason Kubler, Alexei Popyrin and Rinky Hijikata will all get a shot at pulling off underdog victories as they fight for a place in the final week.
In a big win for fans, the box-office men’s double combination of Kyrgios and Kokkinakis will reunite to defend their memorable 2022 doubles title.
Match Schedule
Rod Laver Arena
11:00am AEDT
Katerina Siniakova (Cze) v (7) Cori Gauff (USA), Yue Yuan (Chn) v (6) Maria Sakkari (Gre)
Not before 2:30pm AEDT
(1) Rafael Nadal (Spa) v Jack Draper (Gbr)
7pm AEDT
(1) Iga Swiatek (Pol) v Jule Niemeier (Ger), Marcos Giron (USA) v (7) Daniil Medvedev (Rus)
Margaret Court Arena
11:00am AEDT
(3) Jessica Pegula (USA) v Jaqueline Adina Cristian (Rom), (10) Hubert Hurkacz (Pol) v Pedro Martinez Portero (Spa), Sofia Kenin (USA) v (24) Victoria Azarenka (Blr),
7pm AEDT
(3) Stefanos Tsitsipas (Gre) v Quentin Halys (Fra), (10) Madison Keys (USA) v Anna Blinkova (Rus)
John Cain Arena
11:00am
Kyle Edmund (Gbr) v (15) Jannik Sinner (Ita), Alison Van Uytvanck (Bel) v (15) Petra Kvitova (Cze)
Not before 3:30pm
Sebastian Baez (Arg) v Jason Kubler (Aus)
7pm AEDT
Ajla Tomljanovic (Aus) v Nadia Podoroska (Arg)
1573 Arena
11:00am: Emma Raducanu (Gbr) v Tamara Korpatsch (Ger), Dusan Lajovic (Ser) v (20) Denis Shapovalov (Can), (20) Barbora Krejcikova (Cze) v Sara Bejlek (Cze), Alex Molcan (Svk) v Stan Wawrinka (Swi)
Kia Arena
11:00am: Anna Kalinskaya (Rus) v (13) Danielle Collins (USA), Daniel Altmaier (Ger) v (16) Frances Tiafoe (USA), (11) Paula Badosa Gibert (Spa) v Catherine McNally (USA), Vasek Pospisil (Can) v (6) Felix Auger-Aliassime (Can)
Court 3
11:00am: Bianca Vanessa Andreescu (Can) v (25) Marie Bouzkova (Cze), Talia Gibson (Aus) v Clara Burel (Fra), (11) Cameron Norrie (Gbr) v Luca Van Assche (Fra), John Millman (Aus) v Marc-Andrea Huesler (Swi)
