How to stream tennis live online in Australia
The big serves and classic rallies of the Australian Open, French Open, US Open and Wimbledon return in 2019, and here is where you can watch them and plenty more.
What an intriguing year we have ahead of us in the world of tennis. With four grand slams, the Davis Cup, Fed Cup and a host of ATP and WTA 250 events to dive into, there will be no shortage of action. Ball boys and girls will be ducking and weaving for their lives on your TV set all year. Or your mobile, tablet, browser and set-top box. There are now multiple ways to indulge your tennis fandom in 2019.
How to stream the Australian Open of Tennis
There has been a big change in the Australian broadcasting rights for the Australian Open of Tennis. For the first time since 1973, it is not Channel 7 that will be your destination, but Channel 9. Channel 9 has exclusive free-to-air and streaming rights for the Australian Open, which means the 9Now app is your destination to stream every game. It's free, although you need to sign-up to Channel 9 to gain access to the live sports stream.
How to stream the French Open of Tennis
The Australian broadcasting rights for the French Open are jointly held by Foxtel and SBS. This includes digital streaming online rights. This means you can watch some of the tennis through the SBS on Demand app. More comprehensive coverage is available through Fox Sports coverage, which is available to stream via the Foxtel Go app (for Foxtel IQ subscribers), Foxtel Now or Kayo Sports.
See the table below for a feature comparison.
How to stream the Wimbledon Tennis Championships
While it lost the Australian Open, Channel 7 still holds the rights for Wimbledon until the end of 2019. This means you will be able to watch tennis' most prestigious Grand Slam not only on Channel 7 but also through the 7Plus and 7Sport apps. While Channel 7 gets to pick two matches from each session to air exclusively, and also an exclusive run on the semi-finals and finals, Foxtel picks up the slack. You can stream some matches lives, and all of the matches on replay, of Wimbledon via the Foxtel Go app (for Foxtel IQ subscribers), Foxtel Now or Kayo Sports.
See the table below for a feature comparison.
How to Stream the US Open of Tennis
The rights to the US Open tennis broadcast are owned by American giant ESPN. The two places you can watch ESPN broadcast into Australia are through Foxtel and via Fetch. For the latter, ESPN is part of the Vibe Pack, while for the former, you have streaming options via the Foxtel Go app (for Foxtel IQ subscribers), Foxtel Now or Kayo Sports.
See the table below for a feature comparison.
How to stream Davis Cup, Hopman Cup and Fed Cup Tennis
If you want to stream the major tennis cup competitions, Channel 9 and the 9Now app have you covered for the Davis Cup, Hopman Cup and Fed Cup, but only for the matches that occur in Australia. For those matches that occur overseas, the rights are owned by beIN Sports.
This network is available in Australia via Fetch as one of its Special Interests additions. Or you can get it through Foxtel, with your streaming options being the Foxtel Go app (for Foxtel IQ subscribers), Foxtel Now or Kayo Sports. You can also subscribe directly to beIN Sports Connect.
See the table below for a feature comparison.
How to stream other ATP and WTA tournaments
There's plenty of non-cup, non-Open tennis to enjoy every year that impacts the ranking of the best players. The top 250 players can compete in these events, ensuring the quality of tennis is always good. The big ATP/WTA tournaments that occur in Australia, such as the Brisbane International, Hobart International and Sydney International, are all available through Channel 9 and the 9Now app. The Hobart International is also on ESPN.
Overseas tournaments are generally broadcast through ESPN, Fox Sports, Eurosport and/or beIN Sports. All three of these channels are available through the Foxtel family of streaming options – Foxtel Go, Foxtel Now and Kayo Sports. So that is your best bet. However, some games can also be enjoyed via Fetch, through which you can add-on ESPN and beIN Sports to your base package. You can also subscribe direct to beIN Sports Connect.
Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) contenders
The ATP tour could go anywhere this year. The big four are set to become the big three, and possibly even the big two. Andy Murray is definitely retiring on the back of prolonged injury requiring major hip surgery, while Roger Federer has hinted for the first time he may soon be put out to pasture. Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal and The Joker (Novak Djokovic) are back on form, the latter experiencing a huge reversal in fortunes through the end of 2018.
But previous grand slam winners like Juan Martín del Potro, Marin Čilić and Stan Wawrinka are still in the draw. And there is some young blood looking likely to break through in Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem, and even Aussies Alex De Minaur and Nick Kyrgios.
Women's Tennis Association (WTA) contenders
Over on the WTA tour, it's all about the comeback girls. Serena Williams has had a blistering return to the court following the birth of her first child. You'd have to think she is a good chance of adding to her astounding 23 slams in 2019, her last being the Australian Open in 2017. Meanwhile, Maria Sharapova has cracked back into the Top 32 following her doping ban, which means she is seeded once again. Can she get a sixth slam?
The competition will be stiff. No woman has claimed two of the eight slams since the start of the 2017 season. And of the winners, only Serena Williams, Garbiñe Muguruza and Angelique Kerber had a previous trophy in their cabinet. Jeļena Ostapenko, Sloane Stephens, Caroline Wozniacki, Simona Halep and Naomi Osaka are all fresh winners looking for a second taste of glory. At 22, Aussie Ashleigh Barty is definitely on the up as well, and could very well push for a title.
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COMPARISON TABLE GOES HERE
ATP Men's Tennis Rankings
* As of the start of the 2019 season
| Rank | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | England | 126 |
| 2 | India | 119 |
| 3 | New Zealand | 113 |
| 4 | South Africa | 111 |
| 5 | Pakistan | 102 |
| 6 | Australia | 101 |
| 7 | Bangladesh | 93 |
| 8 | Sri Lanka | 78 |
| 9 | West Indies | 72 |
| 10 | Afghanistan | 67 |
| 11 | Zimbabwe | 52 |
| 12 | Ireland | 39 |
| 13 | Scotland | 33 |
| 14 | United Arab Emirates | 21 |
WTA Women's Tennis Rankings
* As of the start of the 2019 season
| Rank | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | England | 126 |
| 2 | India | 119 |
| 3 | New Zealand | 113 |
| 4 | South Africa | 111 |
| 5 | Pakistan | 102 |
| 6 | Australia | 101 |
| 7 | Bangladesh | 93 |
| 8 | Sri Lanka | 78 |
| 9 | West Indies | 72 |
| 10 | Afghanistan | 67 |
| 11 | Zimbabwe | 52 |
| 12 | Ireland | 39 |
| 13 | Scotland | 33 |
| 14 | United Arab Emirates | 21 |
