Who's playing and how to watch the Australian Open 2023

With the 2023 Australian Open about to kick off, we've rounded up all the info you need to enjoy the grand slam from anywhere around the country.

Who are the big names and Aussie favourites to keep an eye on? How can you watch the knock out tournament on free-to-air or via streaming? And when can you tune into the finals?

As one of only four grand slam tournaments played around the world, the Australian Open always draws the tennis game's biggest names.

But with the men's world number one Carlos Alcarez missing the 2023 tournament, we could see a couple of iconic names battle out for the crown.

Crowd favourite Rafael Nadal is back at age 36 to defend his title as he tries to extend his record lead of 22 grand slam titles.

He'll come up against nine-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic, who returns to the tournament after being controversially deported before the 2022 event.

The Serbian player is 22-2 since last year's US Open and comes in as the heavy favourite.

But never count out Russia's Daniil Medvedev who went down to Nadal in an epic five-set final last year.

In the women's, world number one Iga Swiatek comes in as the favourite and is looking to add to a trophy case which already includes Roland Garros and US Open titles.

Big contenders to that chase include Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka, Tunisia's Ons Jabeur and 18-year-old American sensation Coco Gauff.

What about this year's Aussie contingent the country will be rooting for?

In the women's, the missing presence of previous winner Ash Barty will be sorely felt but our top seed Alja Tomljanovic has a real chance to make some noise.

The 29-year-old just missed out on a seeding with her world number 35 ranking but hopes to continue a stellar 2022 season where she reached the Wimbledon and US Open quarterfinals.

She faces Argentina's Nadia Podoroska in her first round clash.

In the men's, a couple of familiar faces come into the tournament seeded and representing Australia on home soil.

Nick Kyrgios enters at number 20 and faces Russia's Roman Safiullin in round one, with 23 seed Alex de Minaur taking on a yet unnamed qualifier.

Look out for other Aussies like Chris O'Connell, Olivia Gadecki, Jordan Thompson, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Alexei Popyrin and Jaimee Fourlis.

Men's top seeds:

Women's top seeds:

The two week tournament kicks off on Monday, January 16 with games from 11am, wrapping up on Sunday, January 29 with the men's singles final.

Those fortunate enough to attend the 2023 Australian Open will be heading straight to Melbourne Park in the heart of the Victorian capital.

The tournament's biggest matches take stage inside stadiums like Rod Laver Arena, John Cain Arena and Margaret Court Arena.

But if you're in Melbourne without a ticket, keep an eye out for giant screens showing day and night matches around Melbourne Park or at a dedicated area filled with deckchairs and grass at Federation Square.

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For those watching from home, there are plenty of options for full days of tennis coverage.

For free-to-air, tune into Channel 9 and to stream the Open, use Nine's streaming channel 9NOW.

While those options will give you the best matches available, subscription streamer Stan Sports is the place for on-demand coverage of every match being played across the fortnight.