It’s game on for the Aussie summer of tennis in 2026 when Nine provides the most comprehensive coverage of the Australian Open available anywhere, when the first Grand Slam of the year begins on Sunday, January 18.
Nine will hit different when over 500 hours of live and exclusive coverage with every single match from Melbourne Park, including qualifying and exhibition matches, will be available on Channel 9HD, 9GemHD and to stream on 9Now, combined with every second of the action on Stan Sport, will giving viewers the best seat in the house.
Leading the men’s singles draw is current men’s world no.1 Carlos Alcaraz, reigning champion Jannik Sinner who is hunting a hat-trick of AO men’s singles titles, and the king of Melbourne Park - 10 time champion Novak Djokovic.
Women’s top seed and world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka is back to avenge her loss in the 2025 final, Iga Swiatek (No.2) of Poland chasing her first AO championship after her 2025 Wimbledon win, in front of a classy pack of American challengers led by 2025 AO Champion Madison Keys, Amanda Anisimova (No.3), Coco Gauff (No. 4) and Jess Pegula (No. 6).
Chasing a home win is Aussies Alex de Minaur (No. 6), Maya Joint (No. 32), Daria Kasatkina (No.40), Alexei Popyrin (No. 50), Adam Walton (No.77), Ajla Tomljanovic (No.78), Aleksander Vukic (No.87), Tristan Schoolkate (No.97) and Kim Birrell (No.106) and Thanasi Kokkinakis.
Aussie wildcards Emerson Jones, Rinky Hijikata, James Duckworth, Priscilla Hon, Taylah Preston, Talia Gibson and Christopher O’Connell will all get a shot at pulling off underdog victories as they fight for a place in the final week of competition. While the always entertaining Nick Kyrgios will feature in the Men’s doubles draw.
Nine’s Wide World of Sports has assembled a top notch 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.
On Channel 9, the hosts are James Bracey, Sylvia Jeffreys and Tony Jones, while on 9Gem Georgie Parker, Nick McArdle and Brett Phillips will host the broadcast.
Capturing all the colour of the event will be reporters Bronte Gildea and Marlee Silva. Additional off-court reporting will come from Natalie Yoannidis and Sam McClure. Plus match callers Brenton Speed and Peter Psaltis.
Andy Lee returns with Sophie Monk and Mike Goldstein when they put the players to the test in a special Australian Open edition of The Hundred.
Nine’s Director of Sport, Brent Williams, said: “The AO is the greatest sporting event and festival of fun on the Australian summer calendar.”
“The world’s best are making their way to Melbourne for 15 days and nights of brilliant on court action, while around the grounds the entire precinct comes to life with a thriving festival of food, music and family entertainment. What could be better than that!
“The action never stops and you won’t miss a moment with unprecedented access and comprehensive coverage of the biggest matches and moments on Channel 9, streaming platforms 9Now and Stan Sport, plus additional coverage on 9News.”
Opening week action will be available on Channel 9 with the Million Dollar 1 point slam on Wednesday, De Minaur v Alcaraz on Thursday, and the inaugural AO Opening Ceremony with legends Roger Federer , Andre Agassi , Pat Rafter and a performance from beloved rock band Crowded House on Saturday at 7.30pm AEDT, on Channel 9.
The fight for a Grand Slam berth is available for free when every game of the Australian Open qualifying series is available live on 9Now from Monday, January 12.
