The 2022 Australian Open is here, friends. It sure hasn’t been without its share of controversy, but regardless, Australia’s largest tennis event has arrived, with athletes now taking to the courts.
If you’re hoping to follow along with the excitement of the 2022 Australian Open event, here’s everything you need to know.
Where can I watch Australian Open matches?
Channel Nine is your go-to venue for live Australian Open match broadcasting. The network will be airing matches across its platforms, with other major broadcasters reporting live on the events as they unfold.
Live tickets to Australian Open matches will be available for sale for those able to visit Melbourne for the event. COVID-safe restrictions will be put in place, and tickets will come with Booking Protection so folks don’t need to worry too much about being impacted by border closures and the like.
When is the Australian Open running?
The 2022 Australian Open is running from January 17 through to January 30, 2022.
You can find a full match schedule breakdown and list of the athletes competing at the Australian Open 2022 on the event website.
What kind of prize money does the event see?
One element of the Australian Open that gets a lot of interest is the discussion of prize money. This varies, but according to Sporting News, the winning athletes won a $2.31 million prize each in 2021. 7 News reports the prize pool totals $80 million for the entire competition.
Here’s a breakdown of the prize money allocation from the Australian Open in 2020.
What else should I know?
Novak Djokovic and Naomi Osaka are the reigning champs from the 2021 Australian Open.
As has been widely reported, however, there has been a lot of confusing back and forth over the rules regarding unvaccinated players, medical exemptions and access into Australia for athletes like Djokovic.
Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley confirmed on November 20, 2021, that unvaccinated players would not be able to attend the tournament.
“It’s been made very clear, when the Premier announced several weeks ago that in order to participate at the Australian Open, to come into Victoria, you’ll need to be fully vaccinated,” Tiley said on Channel Nine.
“Immediately we communicated that to the playing group, it is the one direction that you take that is going to ensure everyone’s safety.
“All the playing group understands it, our patrons will need to be vaccinated, all the staff working at the Australian Open will need to be vaccinated.”
There have since been a lot of developments in this space, including the denial of Novak Djokovic’s entry into Australia and his eventual departure.
One thing we do know is that Aussie champ Ash Barty is keen to get an Australian Open win under her belt. Barty confirmed she respects the vaccination requirement, but also has no judgement for those who will not attend as a result.
“It’s personal to me. I had my vaccine in April, I had no issues. I was fit and healthy and I was doing that for the people around me and to make sure my family was safe. There’s no judgment from me,” Barty is quoted saying by The Age.
Another blow for the Australian Open has been the loss of Serena Williams who will not play in the tournament due to medical advice from her team.
If you’d like to keep the sporting content going, you can find out how to watch the Super Bowl live in Australia through our little explainer here. And, here’s a useful recipe for Buffalo wings if you get hungry along the way.
This article has been updated to reflect the details of the 2022 Australian Open.