The first Grand Slam of the year is upon us, and tennis' biggest stars have congregated at Melbourne Park for the 2026 Australian Open.
Jannik Sinner will be aiming to win his third consecutive singles title, after defeating Alexander Zverev in the final at the Rod Laver Arena last year.
Madison Keys heads Down Under as defending women's champion, but world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka plans to reclaim the title, which she won in 2023 and 2024 -- losing in last year's final to Keys.
Carlos Alcaraz has won two of each Grand Slam except the Australian Open, where he has not yet surpassed the quarterfinals.
Here's everything you need to know about the tournament and how you can watch it from the UK.
Key details and how to watch
Dates: Sunday, Jan. 18 to Sunday, Feb. 1
Venue: Melbourne Park
Draw: Occurred on Thursday, Jan. 15
How to watch: The Australian Open will be broadcast live on TNT Sports and Discovery+. You can also follow live updates on ESPN. While a trip to Australia means unsociable hours for UK fans, both the men's and women's singles (Jan. 31, Feb. 1) take place at 8.30 a.m. GMT.
Match schedule
Men's singles bracket | Women's singles bracket
Schedule for matches
Jan. 18-20: First round
Jan. 21-22: Second round
Jan. 23-24: Third round
Jan. 25-26: Fourth round
Jan. 27-28: Quarterfinals
Jan. 29: Women's semifinals
Jan. 30: Men's semifinals
Jan. 31: Women's final (8.30 a.m. GMT)
Feb. 1: Men's final (8.30 a.m. GMT)
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Brit watch
Seven British athletes are in the main draw this year, including Emma Raducanu. The other national No. 1, Jack Draper, had to pull out due to injury.
Raducanu heads to Australia after ending her 2025 season early with illness -- as she chose to turn her focus on ensuring she is as fit as possible for Melbourne. Raducanu, however, has struggled with injuries and form at the United Cup, pulling out of her first match and losing her second.
Sonny Kortal, Francesca Jones and Katie Boulter are the other female tennis stars in the main draw.
Cam Norrie, meanwhile, will be aiming to go further than his best performance in Melbourne, a fourth-round exit in 2024. The first open of the year comes after a strong season for Norrie, which saw him reach the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and the third round at the US Open.
Jacob Fearnley has Australian Open form -- having beaten Nick Kyrgios this time last year. The last British entrant is Arthur Fery, who sealed his place in qualifying.
Top global stars
Melbourne Park will see tennis' elite juke it out.
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are set to renew their rivalry on the men's side, with Novak Djokovic -- heading into Melbourne as the fourth seeds -- eager to shine in what could be his last tournament in Melbourne. Last year, Djokovic retired hurt after the first set of his semifinal, which he lost 6-7 to Alexander Zverev.
Aryna Sabalenka is a two-time winner in Australian Open but a title in Melbourne was her only Grand Slam blemish in 2025, having reigned supreme in Paris, Wimbledon and New York.
Iga Swiatek, having never even reached a final Down Under, is one to watch as are Americans Madison Keys, Coco Gauff and the one and only Venus Williams.
Keys is looking to defend her crown, Gauff is aiming for a first Slam while Williams has been awarded a wildcard spot to compete in her first Australian Open since 2021.
Prize money
Winner: $4.15 million (£2.07m)
Runner-up: $2.15M (£1.07m)
Semifinals: $1.25M (£620,000)
Quarterfinals: $750,000 (£373,450)
Fourth round: $480,000 (£239.000)
Third round: $327,750 (£163,200)
Second round: $225K (£112,000)
First Round: $150,000 (£74,700)
Qualifying third round: $83,500 (£41,600)
Qualifying second round: $57,000 (£28,400)
Qualifying first round: $40,500 (£20,160)
Values in AUD. Exchange rates correct as of Jan. 9.
Previous winners
2015: Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams
2016: Novak Djokovic, Angelique Kerber
2017: Roger Federer, Serena Williams
2018: Roger Federer, Caroline Wozniaki
2019: Novak Djokovic, Naomi Osaka
2020: Novak Djokovic, Sofia Kenin
2021: Novak Djokovic, Naomi Osaka
2022: Rafael Nadal, Ashleigh Barty
2023: Novak Djokovic, Aryna Sabalenka
2024: Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka
2025: Jannik Sinner, Madison Keys
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