MUMBAI: Sony Sports Network will kickstart the Grand Slam calendar of 2023 with the Australian Open, which will feature the top and rising tennis stars gunning for the coveted title.
The Australian Open is the first of three Grand Slams, followed by Roland Garros and the US Open, that will be live telecast on Sony Sports Network in 2023.
The network said it has roped in Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Samsonite as co-presenting sponsors and Panasonic as an associate sponsor for the upcoming Grand Slam.
The Australian Open will be live telecast from 16th to 29th January on Sony Sports Ten 5 & Sony Sports Ten 2 channels with English commentary, and on Sony Sports Ten 3 channels with Hindi commentary. The Grand Slam will also be available to livestream on SonyLIV.
The tournament will mark the return of Sony Sports Network’s flagship live tennis studio show, ‘Extraaa Serve’. Hosted by Arpit Sharma, Extraaa Serve will feature Olympian, Commonwealth Games Gold medalist and former No. 1 India tennis player Somdev Devvarman, former tennis player Gaurav Natekar and Davis Cup player Purav Raja. In addition to this the Hindi commentary for the tournament will be provided Gaurav Natekar, Manish Batavia & Atish Thukral.
Top-seeded players, including the returning Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Daniil Medvedev, and Stefanos Tsitsipas will all be part of the men’s singles draw. In the women’s singles, World No 1 Iga Świątek will enter the tournament as a favourite but will face stiff competition from the likes of Ons Jabeur, Jessica Pegula and Caroline Garcia who will be strong contenders. Young players like Casper Ruud, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Holger Rune, among others, will also look to make their mark on the court. However, the cynosure of all eyes will be India’s very own Sania Mirza, who will team up with Anna Danilina in her final appearance at the Australian Open before retiring.
Leading up to the tournament, Sony Sports Network launched the ‘#SlamOfTheGreats’ campaign, which pays homage to the ‘Greats of Tennis in this Era’, such as Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, Ashleigh Barty and other tennis legends while also highlighting the rise of a new young crop of tennis stars vying to leave their mark on the tournament in their path for greatness themselves. With the retirement of Federer and Barty, Australian Open 2023 will mark the dawn of a new era and witness the rise of players like Daniil Medvedev, Iga Świątek, Nick Kyrgios, and more.
Rajesh Kaul, chief revenue officer, Distribution and head – Sports Business, Sony Pictures Networks India, commented: “Sony Sports Network is the home of tennis in India and the Australian Open is the first of three Grand Slams along with Roland Garros and US Open that will be live telecast through the year on Sony Sports Network. Over the years the Australian Open has consistently been the most watched tennis Grand Slam in India with almost 23 million viewers tuning in to watch our TV coverage of the tournament in 2022. Roland Garros and US Open have also experienced dramatic growth in viewership after moving to Sony Sports Network. We have roped in Hyundai Ionic 5. and Samsonite as co-presenting sponsors and Panasonic as associate sponsor for Australian Open 2023. This is a testament to our coverage of sports properties and positions us the premier destination for tennis viewing In India.”
Watch the LIVE coverage of the Australian Open 2023 on Sony Sports Ten 5 (English), Sony Sports Ten 2 (English) & Sony Sports Ten 3 (Hindi) channels.
