Australian Open 2013

Live Stream, Schedule, Tickets, Seedings

Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Park, Melbourne, VIC, 14-27 January

The Australian Open is one of those events that will always hold special meaning for me personally as it is one I have attended personally in the past. Way back in 1997 I was in Melbourne during January as part of my gap year living and working in Australia so was fortunate to be in town for both the tennis and the Australian Grand Prix, 2 massive sporting events ticked off the bucket list in quick succession.

My main memory of the event is the sheer heat - the whole of southern Australia was sweltering through a heatwave the year I was there, with temperatures frequently exceeding 40 degrees celsius, a fact I was especially aware of due to the fact I was sleeping with 2 other lads in a small tent, which sadly lacked any efficient air conditioning. That discomfort must have been slight next to the poor tennis players though, having to slog through 5 set matches in what was quite frankly ridiculous heat and humidity.

Such extremes aren't in evidence every year, but it is the middle of summer over there at this time, so the sun will be shining and the temperatures will be high. Because of this you will often find matches played later in the day and into the evening, when the climate becomes a little more bearable.

Aside from actually watching the tennis, the atmosphere in and around Melbourne Park is fabulous during the tennis. You have a spectacular setting right on the banks of the picturesque Yarra River, and plenty of greenery in the surrounding area to take a stroll, enjoy a picnic (or more likely a barbecue if you're fully embracing the local culture!). Even inside the stadium complex there's plenty of space to wander around between courts and take in different matches throughout the day, along with plenty of refreshment options at prices that aren't too unreasonable for such a major sporting event.

The tournament lasts from the 14th until the 27th January. You can see the full order of play here. The defending champions are Novak Djokovic in the men's singles and Victoria Azarenka for the women.

Top Seeds Men's Singles:

1. Novak Djokovic
2 .Roger Federer
3. Andy Murray
5. David Ferrer
6. Tomáš Berdych
7. Juan Martín del Potro
8. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
9. Janko Tipsarević
10. Richard Gasquet
11. Nicolás Almagro
12. Juan Mónaco
13. John Isner
14. Marin Čilić
15. Milos Raonic
16. Gilles Simon
17. Stanislas Wawrinka
18. Kei Nishikori
19. Philipp Kohlschreiber
20. Alexandr Dolgopolov
21. Tommy Haas

Top Seeds Women's Singles:

1. Victoria Azarenka
2. Maria Sharapova
3. Serena Williams
4. Agnieszka Radwańska
5. Angelique Kerber
6. Li Na
7. Sara Errani
8. Petra Kvitová
9. Samantha Stosur
10. Caroline Wozniacki
11. Marion Bartoli
12. Nadia Petrova
13. Ana Ivanović
14. Maria Kirilenko
15. Dominika Cibulková
16. Roberta Vinci
17. Lucie Šafářová
18. Julia Görges
19. Ekaterina Makarova
20. Yanina Wickmayer

The Australian Open has been one of the first top sporting events to fully embrace live online streaming and offers an extensive range of both live and delayed coverage via their official website:

Australian Open live stream

There are however broadcast rights issues, so whether this will work for you will depend on your location. They do also maintain an excellent Youtube page, with loads of streaming video regularly uploaded, and some live coverage:

Australian Open Official Youtube

In the US, you can also watch online via ESPN, who are offering over 100 live hours on ESPN2 and a massive 600 hours via ESPN3. Their full coverage schedule is here. To watch ESPN online, visit:

ESPN Australian Open Online

If you're planning on some time in Melbourne and Victoria during the Australian Open and looking for somewhere to stay then you can check out availability and make online reservations for local hotels here.

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For details of all the most sports events, including the other Grand Slam tennis events of Wimbledon, the US Open and the French Open, see our Sports page.