The Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of 2024, will commence on Saturday night in the U.S. with the biggest tennis stars battling for the trophy in Melbourne, Australia.
A total of 128 players will participate in the Australian Open women’s and men’s single competition, and are divided into eight brackets of 16 players each. Out of these, 112 players have qualified based on their world rankings or through wild-card invitations. The remaining 16 players have earned their place in the tournament through qualifying matches that were held in the week leading up to the first round of the Australian Open.
The top world-ranked players are seeded based on the draw to ensure an even field. This way, the best players don’t meet each other until later rounds, if they make it that far.
Here is all you need to know and how to watch the 2024 Australian Open.
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When is the 2024 Australian Open?
Qualifying rounds begin the week before the first match in the first round of the Australian Open.
The Australian Open officially begins on Saturday, Jan. 13 at 6:00 p.m., ET, in the United States with men’s and women’s singles first round matches and runs through the women’s singles finals on Jan. 27 and the men’s singles finals on Jan. 28.
How to watch the 2024 Australian Open
Melbourne, Australia, is 16 hours ahead of the US East Coast time zone, so Australian Open matches played in the morning will take place in the evening or early mornings in the United States.
All Australian Open matches will be available on ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN Deportes. All games will also be available to stream on ESPN+.
ESPN will have Day 1 coverage starting at 7 p.m. ET on Sat. Jan. 13 on ESPN+ and at midnight ET on ESPN2. The network promises 110 hours of coverage through the tournament.
How to watch: Catch Australian Open action with an ESPN+ subscription
What does the winner of the 2024 Australian Open receive?
The prize pool for the Australian Open has increased to a historic high of $10 million, which is a 13% increase from the 2023 event. The winners of the men’s and women’s singles will each receive $3.15 million.