SUMMARY
- The main draw of the Australian Open is set to begin on January 14.
- We take a look at the top seeds of the tournament.
The new season is off to a blistering start as players gear up for the Australian Open. As the first marquee event of the year, the tournament promises exciting matchups as giants collide for the ultimate prize. With hours to go for the tournament to commence, the anticipation around it has reached a fever pitch.
The main draw of the tournament will begin on January 14 at Melbourne Park. The last-minute preparations for the Grand Slam are underway, and the seeds for the event have been confirmed. In this article, we take a detailed look at the schedule, the draws, and everything else.
The top seeds at the Australian Open
Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic will take to the court as the defending champion and the top seed this year. Djokovic has already won the title a record 10 times, but he is on the hunt for his 11th. Given the form he has been in of late, Novak is one of the favorites to lift the title again.
On the women’s side of the draw, Iga Swiatek is the top seed in the tournament. Iga has been in destructive form, with a remarkable winning streak of late. The Pole has won several titles en route to the new season, including the WTA Finals. She will hope to add to her Grand Slam collection in Melbourne this year.
Official seeds for the Australian Open pic.twitter.com/hdeJB5hWtL
— Michal Samulski (@MichalSamulski) January 10, 2024
Besides the top seeds, all eyes will be on Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz. Sabalenka is the defending champion and is seeded second this year. Alcaraz has yet to make it to the second week in Melbourne in his career. The Spaniard will look to rectify that this time.
Besides the top players, Holger Rune, Alex de Minaur, and Elena Rybakina will also be players to watch out for. Rybakina has been in excellent form of late, as she won the title at Brisbane International. She was also the runner-up at the event last year and will try to better her record this time.
The schedule
The main draw is set to commence on January 14, on a Sunday for the first time ever. However, the qualifying rounds, which would have begun the proceedings on January 8, got delayed due to rain. It was played over four days, and January 11 saw the last of the qualifiers making their way to the main draw.
Many players participated in charity matches between January 9 and 12. Djokovic entertained the crowd at the Rod Laver Arena with his athleticism and his humor.
Steve Smith bowling to Novak Djokovic.
– This is class. 🐐pic.twitter.com/16rYJamAZy
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) January 11, 2024
The first-round singles matches will be played between January 14 and 16, before the second round begins on January 17. Men’s and women’s doubles matches will begin on January 16, and mixed doubles on January 20. The second week will be just as exciting, as the Wheelchair Championship starts on January 23.
Fans will be looking forward to the business end of the tournament. The women’s finals will be played on January 27, whereas the men’s finals will be played on January 28.
Where to watch?
All ESPN channels—ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+—will broadcast the matches in the US. Since Melbourne is 16+ ahead of the US, fans can catch the day-session matches during primetime ET. The night session matches will air at 3 a.m. ET.
European fans can tune into Eurosport, the official broadcasting partner for the Australian Open this year. Sony Sports will cover the matches in the Indian subcontinent, whereas beIN Sports will broadcast in the Middle East.