How to watch Australian Open 2024 | UK TV channel, schedule & more

The first Grand Slam tournament of the tennis season is upon us, with the players residing in Melbourne for the Australian Open. 

With the first major contest of the year up for grabs, find out how you can watch the 2024 Australian Open on TV in the UK, plus more information on the tournament including the schedule, when the final is and more.

How to watch the Australian Open 2024

The 2024 Australian Open will be available to watch live in the UK on the Eurosport channels on TV and Discovery+ on other devices such as mobile, tablet and computer.

BT TV holds the rights to Eurosport. If you have a TV subscription that includes TNT Sports, you will have access to the Eurosport channels and a Discovery+ Premium account, which will allow you to watch the games.

All games during the competition can be streamed live on Discovery+.

Australian Open schedule

For the first time, the Australian Open will begin and end on a Sunday (not the same Sunday), allowing for a 15-day event.

The first round for both the men’s and women’s singles contests began on Sunday 14th January, with the second round scheduled to take place for both on Wednesday 17th January.

Here is the schedule for each round:

Men’s singles

• Round 1: Sunday 14th – Tuesday 16th January
• Round 2: Wednesday 17th & Thursday 18th January
• Round 3: Friday 19th & Saturday 20th January
• Round 4: Sunday 21st &  Monday 22nd January
• Quarter-finals: Tuesday 23rd & Wednesday 24th January  
• Semi-finals: Friday 26th January
• Final: Sunday 28th January

Women’s singles

• Round 1: Sunday 14th – Tuesday 16th January
• Round 2: Wednesday 17th & Thursday 18th January
• Round 3: Friday 19th & Saturday 20th January
• Round 4: Sunday 21st &  Monday 22nd January
• Quarter-finals: Tuesday 23rd & Wednesday 24th January  
• Semi-finals: Thursday 25th January
• Final: Saturday 27th January

Matches will be shown very early in the morning in the UK, with the first set of matches beginning at 12am UK time.

The Australian Open is prone to having matches run late into the night or being suspended for going on too late to be resumed the following day. 

However, this doesn’t change the overall order of play much but means the winner of those longer games has less time to recover before their next round match. 

That is the reason for the early start, allowing for one extra day so games aren’t scheduled too close together and allowing for fewer late finishes.

When & where is the Australian Open 2024 final?

The 2024 Australian Open finals for the men’s and women’s singles competition will both take place at the Rod Laver Arena, with the women’s final on Saturday 27th January and the men’s on Sunday 28th January.

As for the time of the finals, they are currently scheduled for an 8:30am GMT start on both days.

Where is the Australian Open 2024?

Credit: CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED

The 2024 Australian Open is [unsurprisingly] played in Melbourne, Australia - specifically at Melbourne Park.

Melbourne Park is a sports venue with multiple tennis courts and three arenas, the biggest of which is the Rod Laver Arena, which has a capacity of 15,000 and plays host to the Australian Open finals.

The other two arenas are the John Cain Arena (10,500 capacity) and the Margaret Court Arena (7,500 capacity).

What surface is the Australian Open?

The Australian Open is played on outdoor hard courts, although the three arenas feature retractable roofs to allow for play indoors or outdoors in case the weather isn’t ideal (which is unlikely for Australia in January).

Australian Open 2023 results

The 2023 Australian Open saw a familiar face in Novak Djokovic crowned champion again after he beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets.

It was his 22nd career Grand Slam title, which was then equal for the most of all time with Rafael Nadal. He has since gone on to break the record, currently boasting 24 titles.

It was also his 10th Australian Open title, which is the most all-time for the major in both the Amateur and Open Era - in fact, he has held the record since he won his seventh Australian Open title in 2019. He has also won it in three consecutive years twice (2011-2013, 2019-2021).

Over on the women’s singles side, it was a first Grand Slam title victory for Aryna Sabalenka as she began what would go on to be her most successful year to date in 2023, beating Elena Rybakina two sets to one.

The 25-year-old’s previous best result in Melbourne was a fourth-round exit, which she had achieved in her previous two visits.

Australian Open winners

The Australian Open has a long history, first being played in 1905 known then as the Australasian Championships.

Before 1969, the championship was played in the Amateur era. Ever since, it has been labelled the Open era. 

The most successful player of all time in the history of the Australian Open across men's and women’s singles competition is Australia’s very own Margaret Smith Court, who won 11 titles - seven in the Amateur era and four in the Open era, including a record seven straight.

Novak Djokovic is the most successful men’s singles player of all time, winning 10 titles starting in 2008 and with the latest coming in 2023.

Roy Emerson, another native to the country and another all-time great tennis player boasts the distinction of being the greatest player during the Amateur era, winning six titles, including five straight from 1963 - 1967.

The great Serena Williams is the most successful female in the Open era, winning seven titles in total.

Last 5 Australian Open winners

Most Australian Open wins

Key

OE = Open era

AE = Amateur era

SRB = Serbia

AUS = Australia

SUI = Switzerland

Australian Open 2024 prize money

The prize money for men’s and women’s singles competitions is equal, which has been the case since 1984 but consistently since 2001.

Here is how much a player will earn at each round of the competition proper (not including qualifying rounds):

• First round: £64,000 (AU $120,000)
• Second round: £96,000 (AU $180,000)
• Third round: £137,000 (AU $255,000)
• Fourth round: £201,000 (AU $375,000)
• Quarter-finals: £321,000 (AU $600,000)
• Semi-Finals: £530,000 (AU $990,000)
• Runner-up: £925,000 (AU $1,725,000)
• Winner: £1,674,000 (AU $3,150,000)