Australian Open 2024: How to watch, who is playing? What is the schedule? Are Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal playing?
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Updated 11/01/2024 at 14:56 GMT
When is the 2024 Australian Open tennis event getting underway? Who's playing? How to watch and live stream in the UK? Are Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal playing in the tournament? World No. 1 Djokovic is going for an 11th title in Melbourne, which will be the first Grand Slam of the new season. Stream the 2024 Australian Open live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com.
Djokovic shows off flexibility and balance ahead of Australian Open
The first tennis Grand Slam of 2024 is fast approaching. Melbourne will once again play host to the best players in the world who will battle it out to be crowned the Australian Open champion.
Novak Djokovic is the men’s defending champion having clinched his 10th title in 2023 with a straight-sets victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Rod Laver Arena, while Aryna Sabalenka came from a set down to beat Elena Rybakina in the women's final.
Djokovic added the French Open and US Open titles to his Grand Slam haul of 2023 and finished the year in style with further Masters 1000 titles in Cincinnati and Paris, before he also clinched the ATP Finals crown in Turin.
He will, however, face stiff opposition if he wants to claim a record-extending 11th Australian Open and 25th Grand Slam singles title.
While Rafael Nadal is absent after suffering a small injury on his return to action at the Brisbane International, the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner will all believe they can dethrone the Serbian.
In the women’s draw, the likes of defending champion Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek and US Open champion Coco Gauff will be among the favourites, but there are potential contenders wherever you look. British tennis fans have hopes for Emma Raducanu after she was added to the main draw as a replacement for the injured Lauren Davis.
Read on for everything you need to know…
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Djokovic wishes everyone Happy New Year in Chinese at a press conference
When is the Australian Open?
An extra Sunday has been added at the start of the 2024 Australian Open, meaning it runs from January 14 to 28.
How to watch and stream the Australian Open
You can watch every day of the 2024 Australian Open live on Eurosport, while you can enjoy all the action on discovery+, the Eurosport app and eurosport.com.
Who is playing in the Australian Open?
The draw for the 2024 Australian Open has been made and it will see the men's and women's defending champions open against qualifiers.
On the other side of the men's singles draw, Alcaraz will be keen to add the title in Australia to his 2022 US Open and 2023 Wimbledon victories and arrest a run of two straight defeats to Djokovic, should the pair face each other in Melbourne.
Elsewhere, Medvedev, Sinner, Andrey Rublev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev, Holger Rune, Hubert Hurkacz and Taylor Fritz are among the contenders.
One of the biggest talking points ahead of the event was Nadal's return to the sport.
The Spaniard had been out of action since last year’s Australian Open, when he was beaten in the second round by MacKenzie McDonald, and underwent hip surgery in the summer.
He returned to singles action in style with an impressive straight sets victory over Dominic Thiem in the first round of the Brisbane International but picked up an injury in his third-round defeat to Jordan Thompson.
The good news is that the micro tear on his hip was in a different place to the issue that sidelined him in 2023, but it was serious enough that he had to pull out of the first Grand Slam of the year.
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Highlights: Nadal defeats Thiem in straight sets at Brisbane International
There are also question marks over former world No. 1 Andy Murray, who plays Martin Etcheverry in the opening round, while home hero Nick Kyrgios will be absent.
Murray was forced to withdraw from Great Britain’s Davis Cup clash against Serbia with a shoulder injury that capped off a disappointing end to the season, during which he also parted ways with long-time coach Ivan Lendl.
The Brit started his 2024 campaign with a tough three-set loss to Grigor Dimitrov in Brisbane and hinted at potential retirement, saying "it could be the last year".
As for Kyrgios, the Australian missed the majority of the 2023 season with a knee injury and admitted in November there was “still a lot of work to do” in his recovery, while the 28-year-old also struggled with a wrist complaint during the year.
In the women’s draw, defending champion Sabalenka is among the favourites to retain her crown after claiming her first Grand Slam in Melbourne to start 2023 in style.
She lost the opening set to Elena Rybakina but fought back to win 4-6 6-3 6-4. Sabalenka then had the chance to bookend her year with the US Open but, despite going a set up in the final, lost to an inspired Coco Gauff.
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Australian Open highlights: Sabalenka roars back to beat Rybakina and claim maiden Grand Slam title
Sabalenka traded the world No. 1 spot in 2023 with Swiatek, who will also be fancied to make a strong run in Melbourne.
The Pole has won four Grand Slams but has only once made it past the fourth round of the Australian Open. She will be out to improve on that record.
As well as Swiatek, Sabalenka, Gauff and Rybakina, the likes of Jessica Pegula, Ons Jabeur and Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova will be out to start 2024 with a bang.
And what of Raducanu? The Brit returned for the first time since undergoing surgery in May 2023, and secured victory over qualifier Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the first round of the ASB Classic in Auckland. As mentioned above, she is now part of the main draw and takes on Shelby Rogers first.
What is the Australian Open schedule?
For the first time, an extra Sunday has been added at the start of the 2024 Australian Open. The action will get underway on Sunday, January 14 and conclude on Sunday, January 28.
- Start of qualifying - Monday, January 8
- Start of men's and women's first round - Sunday, January 14
- Start of men's and women's second round - Wednesday, January 17
- Start of men's and women's third round - Friday, January 19
- Start of men's and women's fourth round - Sunday, January 21
- Start of men's and women's quarter-finals - Tuesday, January 23
- Women's semi-finals - Thursday, January 25
- Men's semi-finals - Friday, January 26
- Women's final - Saturday, January 27
- Men's final - Sunday, January 28
What is the Australian Open format?
There will be 128 players in both the men’s and women’s main draws at the start of the tournament, which is a straight knockout until a winner is crowned.
The men play best-of-five-set matches, while the women compete over the best-of-three sets.
When is the Australian Open final?
The women’s final is up first and will take place on Saturday, January 27, before the men’s showdown a day later on Sunday, January 28.
Both finals will be held inside the iconic Rod Laver Arena.
What is the Australian Open prize money?
The 2024 Australian Open prize money has yet to be announced. Last year, there was a record AUD $76.5 million on offer, which included winner’s cheques of $2,975,000 for both Djokovic and Sabalenka.
We will update this page with a rundown of the 2024 prize money when tournament organisers release the information.
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Stream top tennis action, including the 2024 Australian Open, live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at Eurosport.com.
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