The eyes of the world will be on Melbourne from Monday when the world’s best tennis players battle it out in the Australian Open 2021.

Not only will it be the first Grand Slam of the year, but also the first global sporting event with crowds contested anywhere in the world for many months.

From Monday, February 8 until Sunday, February 21, the tournament’s best matches and biggest moments will be broadcast live and free on Nine and 9Gem.

And on 9Now, our free video-on-demand service, viewers will be able to watch every point of every match on every court, ensuring Australians get the best tennis experience available, anytime, anywhere, on a device of their choosing.

In a world ravaged by a global pandemic, Tennis Australia has undertaken a phenomenal effort to see that the greatest tennis players on the planet can compete in a COVID-safe environment.

Fans will be the winners of this massive undertaking as they will now be treated to two weeks of non-stop tennis action as one hundred and twenty eight superstars of the game go head-to-head in a quest to claim the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup and the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup.

Also up for grabs is a record prize pool of $80 million.

Will 2021 finally be the year that we see one of the rising stars of the game depose Djokovic, Nadal and Federer, who will be absent from this year’s event as he recovers from knee surgery.

Will this be the year that Ash Barty becomes Australia’s first women’s singles champion since Christine O’Neil in 1978?

Or could we possibly see Serena Williams, who turns 40 this year, claim her 24th Grand Slam singles title?

Powered by the unparalleled resources of Nine’s Wide World of Sports, our specialist team of expert hosts and commentators will guide viewers through every ball of one of the most hotly anticipated AOs in years.

On Nine, your hosts will be James Bracey, Rebecca Maddern and Tony Jones, while over on 9Gem, Alicia Loxley, Seb Costello and Sam McClure will host our broadcast.

Commentating throughout the tournament will be Jim Courier, Todd Woodbridge, Lleyton Hewitt, Jelena Dokic, Sam Smith, Alicia Molik, Dylan Alcott, Sam Groth, Casey Dellacqua and Tom Rehn.

Further off-court reporting will be provided by Clint Stanaway, Lauren Phillips, Madeline Slattery, Shane Crawford and Danika Mason.

And Andy Lee returns with another hilarious instalment of Guess Whom, where he takes on champions of the sport with a unique twist on a classic board game.

For further information, please contact:
Terry Stuart
Nine Communications Manager
tstuart@nine.com.au

Friday, February 05, 2021