The men’s draw features defending champ Roger Federer, 2017 runner-up Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka. The women’s draw features 2017 runner-up Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova, Simona Halep, Petra Kvitova, and Karolina Pliskova.
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However, the women’s defending champion Serena Williams will not participate in the Aussie Open this year after announcing her decision to withdraw as she prepares for her return to tennis after giving birth to her daughter. Meanwhile, Andy Murray is out with a lingering hip injury.
In the 2017 Australian Open, it was a case of the old heads going the distance as both Federer and Nadal — two of tennis’ greatest ever — overpowered younger, hungry competitors to compete in the tournament final.
In the end, it was a five-set thriller between the two giants that lasted an incredible 3 hours and 38 minutes, with technology deciding the game as Federer hit a forehand winner down the line that resulted in a Nadal challenge. Upon hawk-eye review, the call was upheld and Federer won.
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In the women’s draw, the Williams sisters (Serena and Venus) faced off in the final with Serena, who was pregnant at the time , prevailing in straight sets to win her seventh Australian Open and her 23rd career grand slam.
Here is all the information you need to watch the 2018 Australian Open, including TV schedule and important dates.
When is the Australian Open?
The 2018 Australian Open will started on Monday, Jan. 15, and runs for 14 days with the women’s final played on Jan. 27 and the men’s final on the Jan. 28.
How to watch on TV, live stream online
ESPN has full coverage of each day of the Australian Open. The men’s and women’s finals will be shown on ESPN, but every other day of the tournament is shown on ESPN2.
The Australian Open website also offers live feeds of the matches via AO TV Live , the tournament’s own streaming service with features, highlights and post-game interviews.
2018 Australian Open schedule
Here’s the complete Australian Open schedule , including dates, times and TV channels.
All times Eastern.
Odds to win 2018 Australian Open
Here are the pre-tournament odds to win the 2018 Australian Open, according to VegasInsider.com as of Jan. 8. Federer, the 2017 Aussie Open champ, is the favorite to win the men’s singles title again in 2018. With reigning champ Serena Williams out, Karolina Pliskova is the favorite to win the women’s singles title. Pliskova lost to Mirjana Lučić-Baroni in the quarterfinals at Melbourne last year.
