The Australian Open, the first of four Grand Slam tennis events in every calendar year, returns this Sunday 12 January, with games taking place in Melbourne.
Having taken place in Melbourne since 1905, the Australian Open is a premiere event where the top tennis players all over the world go head-to-head in the hopes of winning the prestigious title.
This year, 300 hours of live and free coverage, including exhibition and qualifying matches, will be available on Channel 9HD, 9GemHD and to stream on 9Now.
Australian Open: player highlights
Nick Kyrgios is back to take on the giants of world tennis with reigning men’s singles champion Jannik Sinner, plus the ‘king of Melbourne Park’ Novak Djokovic and defending Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz headline the Men’s Singles draw.
Top seed Aryna Sabalenka is chasing three Australian Open Women’s Singles titles in a row, in front of a pack of challengers led by Americans Coco Gauff (No. 3) and Jess Pegula (No. 7), Iga Swiatek (No.2) of Poland and 2023 runner-up Elena Rybakina.
A strong Australian contingent will join Kyrgios, with Alex de Minaur (No. 8), Alexei Popyrin (No. 25), Jordan Thompson (No. 27), Christopher O’Connell (No. 64), Aleksander Vukic (No. 67), Thanasi Kokkinakis (No. 77), Rinky Hijikata (No.79), Adam Walton (No. 91), James Duckworth (No.94), plus Kim Birrell (No.99) and Olivia Gadecki (No.106).
Aussie wildcards Ajla Tomljanovic, Daria Saville, Tristan Schoolkate, Li Tu, James McCabe, Emerson Jones, Talia Gibson and Maya Joint will all get a shot at pulling off underdog victories as they fight for a place in the final week of competition.
ScreenHub: 9Network’s 2025 slate pegs The Golden Bachelor, Madam and The Floor
Who is hosting the Australian Open?
In a mammoth AO25 broadcast, Nine’s Wide World of Sports has assembled an unrivalled team of hosts and expert commentators to cover every corner of Melbourne Park.
Expert commentary throughout the tournament will be provided by Jim Courier, Jelena Dokic, John McEnroe, Todd Woodbridge, Lleyton Hewitt, Sam Stosur, Dylan Alcott, John Millman, Casey Dellacqua, Sam Smith and Alicia Molik.
Also joining the coverage are Paris 2024 gold medallists Ariarne Titmus and Jess Fox, alongside Marlee Silva.
On Channel 9, the hosts are James Bracey, Roz Kelly and Tony Jones, while on 9Gem Sylvia Jeffreys, Nick McArdle and Brett Phillips will host the broadcast.
Additional off-court reporting will come from Clint Stanaway and Danika Mason, plus match callers Brenton Speed and Peter Psaltis.
Elsewhere, Andy Lee returns with Sophie Monk and Mike Goldstein to put the players to the test in a special Australian Open edition of The Hundred.
‘The AO is without doubt the greatest sporting event on the Australian summer calendar,’ said Nine’s Director of Sport, Brent Williams.
‘The best players in the world have assembled in Melbourne for what promises to be another scintillating and compelling fortnight of tennis on the courts. While around the grounds, the thriving festival of food, music, family and entertainment is ready to be brought to life.
‘Come rain, hail or shine the action never stops and you won’t miss a moment with comprehensive coverage of the biggest matches and moments on Channel 9 and 9Gem, with every court streamed live and free on 9Now.’
All the opening week action will be highlighted by the program A Night with Novak on Channel 9 this Thursday, 9 January from 7.30pm AEDT.
How to watch the Australian Open (AO25)
Throughout the Australian Open, fans will have the ability to watch every point of every match, at any time live and in full HD on 9Now. You can also watch comprehensive highlights with the programs Match Highlights, AO Daily Top Moments and AO Morning Serve.
9Now will broadcast every match of the main draw, as well as the Juniors Girls and Boys Championships, Wheelchair Championships and for the first time; the Junior Wheelchair Championships, the Asia Pacific Elite 14 and Under, AO25 Deaf Championships and the AO25 Intellectual Disability Championships.
You can also catch the free, live broadcast of AO25 at Melbourne’s Federation Square.
When does the Australian Open take place?
The match dates for AO25 are as follows:
1st Round: Sunday 14 January
1st Round: Monday 15 January
1st Round: Tuesday 16 January
2nd Round: Wednesday 17 January
2nd Round: Thursday 18 January
3rd Round: Friday 19 January
3rd Round: Saturday 20 January
4th Round: Sunday 21 January
4th Round: Monday 22 January
Quarter Finals: Tuesday 23 January
Quarter Finals: Wednesday 24 January
Women’s Semi Finals: Thursday 25 January
Men’s Semi Final: Friday 26 January – Screening from 7pm
Women’s Final: Saturday 27 January
Men’s Final: Sunday 28 January
The Australian Open begins this Sunday 12 January, with a live broadcast on 9Network and 9Now. Stan Sport will then have replays of every match to stream on-demand.
