The Australian Open is set to begin on Nine, with exclusive coverage of the first Grand Slam tournament of 2023 from Monday, January 16.
Broadcast on Channel Nine and 9Gem, the best matches and biggest moments will be available live and free across 276 hours of coverage.
Nine’s Wide World of Sports has assembled a team of hosts and expert commentators who will take viewers through every game, set and match.
This year, tennis star John McEnroe won’t be part of Channel Nine’s tennis commentary team. Additionally, the Nine team has also lost former Aussie tennis player Sam Groth who was voted in as the Member for Nepean at November’s state election.
Commentators
Jim Courier
In his 12-year career, Courier won four majors – two French Opens and two Australian Opens – all coming from 1991-93. He earned 23 ATP singles titles (was a finalist in nine others) and six playing doubles. He ascended to the No. 1 world ranking for 58 weeks in late 1992 and throughout 1993.
Todd Woodbridge
Overall, Woodbridge won 16 major men’s doubles titles (nine Wimbledons, three US Opens, three Australian Opens and one French Open) and had a 16-4 record with a major championship at stake. He added six major mixed doubles titles (three US Opens, one French Open, one Wimbledon, one Australian Open). He compiled a 782–260 career record in doubles. His doubles legacy had him ranked No. 1 for 204 weeks throughout his career.
Lleyton Hewitt
Famous for his fist pumps and screams of “Come on!”, Hewitt is the youngest male player to earn the No. 1 world ranking and the last Australian to win a men’s singles Grand Slam title. Hewitt was part of Australia’s winning Davis Cup teams in 1999 and 2003 and is Australia’s current ATP Cup and Davis Cup team captain. In 2021, he joined the commentary team for the Australian Open.
Jelena Dokic
At the age of 16, Dokic caused one of the biggest upsets in tennis history, beating world No. 1 Martina Hingis at Wimbledon and reaching the quarter-finals. Dokic penned the best-selling autobiography Unbreakable, which details her life and career. In the book she details the struggles of being a refugee, dealing with poverty, racism, bullying and discrimination, and talks about the physical and emotional abuse she suffered for over 20 years at the hands of her father, which started when she was six.
Dylan Alcott
Alcott returned to his first sport, wheelchair tennis, in 2014 and quickly established himself as a player to beat. He defeated the then-world number three, Andy Lapthorne, that July for his first ITF Wheelchair Tennis Tour Super Series title. He has gone on to dominate the quad tennis scene, winning 15 Grand Slam tournaments (nine singles, six doubles) as well as double Paralympic gold in Rio.
Casey Dellacqua
Debuting at the Australian Open at the age of 17 in 2003, Dellacqua went on to win seven WTA doubles titles, 23 ITF doubles titles, one Grand Slam mixed doubles title, and reached a career-high world singles ranking of No. 26 and a doubles ranking of No. 3. After retiring from professional tennis in 2018 this popular player, passionate about promoting the game through mentoring and coaching, has become part of the Channel Nine commentary team.
Sam Smith
Former British women’s No. 1 from 1996 to 1999, Sam Smith is one of the world’s leading tennis commentators, regarded for her knowledge and understanding of the sport. Smith won both the junior and senior UK National Championships and has carved out a career as a commentator on television and radio. She is currently engaged by media organisations throughout Europe, the UK, USA and Asia, covering the big tournaments.
Alicia Molik
Alicia Molik made the top 10 world rankings in 2005 following her first Grand Slam quarter-final singles appearance at the Australian Open. She competed at three Olympic Games, taking home a bronze medal for Australia from Athens in 2004. She also won two Grand Slam doubles titles, the 2005 Australian Open and 2007 French Open. Molik is the current captain of Australia’s Billie Jean King Cup team.
Mark Philippoussis
He has represented Australia in three Olympic games; in Atlanta, Sydney, and Athens and has helped Australia win Davis Cup twice. His other notable achievements at the peak of his career include reaching the finals of US Open and Wimbledon. In his career, he has won eleven singles titles and three doubles titles.
Darren Cahill
Darren Cahill is a highly regarded former tennis player and coach, and an international tennis commentator. Although he has a reputation as a mild and well-mannered man, he was nicknamed a “killer” during his playing days. After retiring from the professional ranks, Cahill was in demand as a coach, guiding Lleyton Hewitt to his first major title, the 2001 US Open. From 2002 to 2006 Cahill coached Andre Agassi, helping him to regain the world No. 1 ranking, and in 2017-18 he coached Simona Halep to become No.1 on the WTA Tour and win the 2018 French Open.
Peter Psaltis
Psaltis is a Channel 9 NRL commentator and host of WWOS Radio Show 6pm and weeknights 4BC on 882am, MC/host. Psaltis is also a former tennis coach, and Small Steps 4 Hannah Ambassador.
On Channel 9, the hosts are James Bracey, Roz Kelly and Tony Jones, while on 9Gem Nick McArdle, Emma Lawrence and Seb Costello will host the broadcast.
Additional off-court reporting will come from Alicia Loxley, Matthew Pavlich, Clint Stanaway, Danika Mason and Madeline Slattery.
Watch the Australian Open from Monday, January 16 on Channel Nine and 9Gem.