It’s time to start the professional tennis season anew with the first major of the year — the Australian Open — when hundreds of the world’s top tennis players will gather in Melbourne to test their chances on the hard courts — and in the Aussie summer heat.
The main draw kicks off a day earlier this year, putting live action on screens big and small at 7:00 pm ET on Saturday, January 13, 2024. The tournament will close with the men’s singles final and women’s doubles final on Saturday, January 28, 2024, at 3:30 am ET.
Here’s a preview of this year’s Australian Open, with a look at some of the big questions and fine details so you can get the most out of the next two weeks of action from Melbourne.
How to Watch the Australian Open
In the U.S., ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN+ are the main avenues for catching matches throughout the next two weeks of the Australian Open. ABC will pick up a pocket or two of coverage, and Tennis Channel will host a program before coverage begins each day, as well as replays.
The Australian Open has the full rundown of its broadcast partners around the globe.
Three Big Questions
1) Will Novak Djokovic take the Australian Open once again? The world number one is looking to win in Melbourne for the 11th time, and, with it, to start his quest for the elusive Grand Slam. He’s been incredibly close, falling short just one major multiple years. Could 2024 finally be the one? There are multiple players (Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner to name two) who have the ability to take down Djokovic, but can they do it in a best-of-five scenario at the Serb’s slam?
2) Who is ready in the women’s draw? Last year, three of the four majors were taken by first-time slam winners. Aryna Sabalenka will attempt to defend her Australian Open title. Coco Gauff will be looking to show the world that she can build on lifting the U.S. Open trophy. There’s little doubt that Marketa Vondrousova will want to prove Wimbledon wasn’t a fluke. Iga Swiatek, who has dominated so much of women’s tennis the last few years will want to make inroads at a tournament that has been a weak spot for her. And let’s be sure to throw in Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, Ons Jabeur, and Karolina Muchova for good measure. It’s everyone’s and no one’s tournament all at the same time.
3) Is Jannik Sinner ready to take a major? All signs point to yes. He’s lifted his game an entire notch since joining forces with Darren Cahill nearly two years ago. His discipline, shot selection, serving, and in-match IQ have all gone up. Toward the end of last year, he beat Djokovic multiple times. But can he do it in a best-of-five match? That remains to be seen. Hopefully, we’ll get the chance to find out.
The Draws
It’s rare that all the top 8 seeds make it to the quarterfinals of a major, but — who knows? — maybe we can make Australian Open history this year. And if that happens, here are the projected quarterfinal match-ups based on seedings.
Women’s quarterfinals:1 Iga Swiatek vs. 7 Marketa Vondrousova 73 Elena Rybakina vs. 5 Jessica Pegula8 Maria Sakkari vs. 4 Coco Gauff6 Ons Jabeur vs. 2 Aryna Sabalenka
Men’s quarterfinals:1 Novak Djokovic vs 7 Stefanos Tsitsipas 4 Jannik Sinner vs. 5 Andrey Rublev 8 Holger Rune vs. 3 Daniil Medvedev 6 Alexander Zverev vs. 2 Carlos Alcaraz
Take a look at the full up-to-date women’s draw and the men’s draw on the Australian Open site.
Unfortunate First Rounds
Whether it’s fellow country people or fan favorites facing off, here are some first-round matches that we simply wish weren’t happening.
Iga Swiatek vs. Sofia Kenin: The American, who won the Australian Open in 2020, is trying to make a comeback after a rocky few years. This match-up won’t help with that.
Danielle Collins vs. Angelique Kerber: Speaking of former Australian Open champions, Kerber, the 2016 winner, is returning after more than a year away from the tour following the birth of her child. And who does she face? Collins, who was an Aussie Open finalist in 2022. It’s a rough first round for both.
Peyton Stearns vs. Daria Kasatkina: Two players who come to the court (and life!) with a lot of heart shouldn’t have to face each other in the first round, if for no other reason than the sake of their fans. But here we are.
Emma Raducanu vs. Shelby Rogers: Raducanu has faced a lot of pressure since winning the U.S. Open, and an uncooperative body hasn’t helped. It’s her first major back since undergoing double wrist surgery and now she has to face Rogers, who has become such a fan favorite over the last few years.
Caroline Garcia vs. Naomi Osaka: We don’t want this as a first round. Or, do we?
Andy Murray vs. Tomas Etcheverry: On the one hand, it’s a shame Murray has to face a seed in the first round. On the other, if he must, this is the best case scenario for him.
Adrian Mannarino vs. Stan Wawrinka: The Frenchman is playing the best tennis of his career and is showing no signs of slowing down. And Wawrinka is striking the ball as cleanly as ever. It should make for a great match, but a shame they have to face each other right away.
Matteo Berrettini vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas: Berrettini, the former top tenner is trying to make his way back after a long stretch of injuries. This match isn’t helping.
Jannik Sinner vs. Botic van de Zandschulp: This is emphatically not an easy first round match for the number four seed. And van de Zandschulp is probably not too happy about it, either.
Frances Tiafoe vs. Borna Coric: Two crowd favorites going toe-to-toe is going to make the Happy Slam a little less happy for one group of fans.
Felix Auger-Aliassime vs. Dominic Thiem: Two nice guys who have a lot to offer the sport and are struggling to do it at the moment won’t be helped by this draw.
Who Got the Australian Open Wild Cards?
Eight men and eight women received wild cards into the Australian Open. A mix of big names, scrappy upstarts, and college and junior stars have made their way onto the list.
Men’s Singles Wild CardsArthur Cazaux, James Duckworth, Jason Kubler, Patrick Kypson, James McCabe, Marc Polmans, Juncheng Shang, Adam Walton
Women’s Singles Wild CardsAlize Cornet, Kimberly Birrell, Olivia Gadecki, Mai Hontama, McCartney Kessler, Taylah Preston, Daria Seville, Caroline Wozniacki
Read, Watch, Listen
A few things to get you in the mood:
“How the Happy Slam Remains Undefeated” by yours truly for Racquet magazine.
Ben Shelton discusses what it was like to leave the U.S. for the first time a year ago — and what he’ll have to do for a repeat performance this Australian Open.
The folks at The Tennis Podcast have their preview from Melbourne.
And if you’re still struggling with the absence of Rafa Nadal, let this story by Caira Conner for New York magazine console you.
Who to Follow
For constant updates on the ground, you’ll certainly want to keep up with James Gray.
Back to The Tennis Podcast team — they’ll be putting out an episode each day from Melbourne during the Australian Open. Their work is truly second to none.
And keep up with Court Theory’s Australian Open updates on The Daily Theory. We can talk all things Australian Open if you follow Court Theory on Twitter. Or X. Or whatever we’re calling it these days.
