How to watch Australian Open tennis live and for free

The 2022 tennis season is here and, like so many sports, it still has a different look due to the ongoing pandemic. That was never more evident than the speculation that raged around Novak Djokovic's Australian Open participation.

Initially handed a highly controversial exemption to play, he was ultimately denied a visa and sent home from Melbourne. That meant Djokovic joined Roger Federer on the sideline. But Rafael Nadal, reigning US Open champion Daniil Medvedev and world No.4 Stefanos Tsitsipas are part of a strong field in the men's draw.

Australia's Ash Barty will again be under immense pressure. The top-ranked women's player would love nothing more than to add her home title to her French Open and Wimbledon crowns.

But enough talking, let's get to the watching and all the details you need for the 2022 Australian Open.

When is the Australian Open?

This year's tournament is being held from 17-30 January at Melbourne Park in Victoria.

How to watch the Australian Open

Channel 9 is again the host broadcaster of the Australian Open. The network will show the Australian Open not just on free-to-air TV, but also online via 9Now. You can also watch it on Stan Sport.

Watch Australian Open on TV

When it comes to watching on free-to-air, Channel 9 will be utilising both the Nine and Gem channels to show Australian Open matches. It's worth noting that only having 2 channels available to broadcast the tennis means not every match will be shown on traditional TV.

Keen to buy Australian Open tickets? Check out our buying guide here

Stream Australian Open on 9Now

9Now is the real home of the Australian Open, as it will have access to every single court. So if your favourite tennis player isn't one of the big names, chances are they will be bumped to a smaller court. That makes it highly unlikely to be shown on TV, meaning you'll have to watch via 9Now.

You need to sign up to 9Now in order to stream live tennis, but that process is free. And 9Now offers all 4 of Channel 9's broadcasts in one spot. So that's Nine, Nine Gem, Nine Go and Nine Life. It's available on just about every format, too.

You can get it through mobiles and tablets (so iOS and Android) and through your PC or Mac via any browser. You can also stream it to your TV via Apple TV, Chromecast, Telstra TV, Fetch TV, Freeview Plus or a PS4 video game console. A native app can also be found on recent model Sony, LG, Samsung and Android TVs.

The only problem with 9Now is that it isn't a specialist sports broadcaster. So unlike Kayo Sports, which has special features like SplitView allowing you to watch 4 sports at once, with the Nine Network you'll be limited to a single match at at time.

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Name	Product	Details	Service type	Simultaneous streams	Free trial?	Price	Price	What's next?
9NOW		9NOW Service type Catch-up Free trial? No Price Free View details	Catch-up	1	No	Free	Free	View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...

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Watch Australian Open on Stan Sport

Streaming platform Stan Sport will also have access to every single match at the tennis. A Stan Sport subscription costs $10 per month. However, you can only subscribe to Stan Sport as an add-on to an existing Stan subscription.

Regular Stan memberships are between $10 and $19 per month. So the true cost of Stan Sport is from $20 per month to $29 per month. If you want to watch in HD then the real cost is at least $24 per month.

On top of the tennis it has the year's other 3 grand slam tournaments plus loads of rugby union.

Where to stream more tennis in 2022

Once the Australian Open has crowned its champions, tennis fans can begin looking forward to other events. Unfortunately, the broadcast landscape for all the other tennis tournaments through the year isn't as clear-cut.

We have a detailed article breaking down how to watch all the year's tennis, but long story short, your most comprehensive option is Kayo Sports which has over 50 sports. It also offers a 14-day free trial for new users.

Kayo Sports offers the best bang for buck in general, including the Fox Sports, ESPN and beIN SPORTS channels. They're all streamed alongside some sports-specific special features to pretty much every major device. As these channels between them cover the majority of the year's tennis, you're unlikely to miss much with this option.

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Name	Product	Simultaneous streams	Max video quality	Free trial period	Monthly price	Monthly price
Kayo Sports Basic		2	HD	14 days	$27.50	$27.50	Sign up View details		loading Fetching your data...
Kayo Sports Premium		3	HD	14 days	$35	$35	Sign up View details		loading Fetching your data...
7PLUS		1	HD	Free	$0	$0	View details		loading Fetching your data...
Foxtel Now - Sport Pack		2	HD	10 days	$54	$54	Sign up View details		loading Fetching your data...

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Main image: ATP Tour