Australian Open 2025: When does it start? How to watch? Everything to know about the season's first Major

Australian Open 2025 will be the first Grand Slam of the new year and it will take place from January 6-26. The qualifiers for the Melbourne Major start on the 6th and end on the 9th, while the main draw will commence on January 12.

Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka will be the defending champions at the tournament, with the former winning his maiden Grand Slam title after beating Daniil Medvedev in the final despite being two sets down. Sabalenka successfully defended her title at the Melbourne Major without dropping a single set, beating Zheng Qinwen in the final.

This year's tournament will be the second time in a row that the main draw will kick off on a Sunday. The men's singles final will take place on January 15 while the women's singles final will take place the day before.

Like in past editions, Australian Open 2025 will have three showcourts, namely, the Rod Laver Arena, the Margaret Court Arena and the John Cain Arena.

Recently, the qualifying entry lists for the Melbourne Major were revealed, with former World No. 1 and 2018 runner-up Simona Halep receiving a wildcard, among others. One notable wildcard entry in the men's singles qualifiers is Cruz Hewitt, the son of former Word No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt.

This will be the first Grand Slam that will take place since Rafael Nadal's retirement. Among top players, Novak Djokovic will be vying to win an 11th title at the Melbourne Major, which would tie him with Margaret Court for the most number of singles wins in the tournament's history.

How to watch Australian Open 2025

US fans can watch live action at this year's Melbourne Major on ESPN and Tennis Channel, which are also the broadcasters for Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands and American Samoa. Viewers in the UK can watch the tournament live on Eurosport, which is also the official broadcaster for the whole of Europe. Additionally, Swiss viewers can also catch the proceedings Down Under on SRG SSR.

Fans in Australia who will not be attending the matches in Melbourne can watch the live action of the Australian Open on Channel Nine and Stan Sport. Among Asian countries, Indian fans can watch the tournament live on the Sony Sports Network while those in China can follow it on CCTV, Qiyi and Guangdong Television.

Supersport is the official broadcaster of the Australian Open in most African countries except for those in North Africa, Djibouti and Mauritania, where fans can watch the tournament on beIN Sports. Both channels are broadcasters for the Melbourne Major in Chad.