Mumbai: Sony Sports Network will kickstart its 2023 Grand Slam calendar with the Australian Open, followed by Roland Garros and the US Open.
The Australian Open will start airing from 16 to 29 January 2023 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.
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.
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 by 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.
Sony Pictures Networks India chief revenue officer, distribution and head – sports business Rajesh Kaul said, "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 an associate sponsor, for the Australian Open 2023. This is a testament to our coverage of sports properties and positions us as the premier destination for tennis viewing In India.
Devvarman commented, "Djokovic’s return to Australian Open has got the tennis fans around the world excited, including here in India. I am looking forward to seeing what's in store because there's plenty of good storylines to follow. While the greats attract the attention they deserve, this year will mark the dawn of a new era with young players like Iga Świątek, Casper Ruud, Daniil Medvedev, Coco Gauff, and Nick Kyrgios coming into focus who will move on to be included in the greats of tennis in the coming years as Grand Slam champions."
