Australian Open 2023 TV Schedule: Day-by-Day Listings for Entire Tournament
Rafael Nadal's 22 Grand Slam titles are the most won by any men's singles tennis player. However, the 36-year-old Spaniard has captured only two of those at the Australian Open. He won the tournament in 2009, then was victorious again in 2022.
Now, Nadal will look for a repeat win at the 2023 Australian Open, which gets underway Monday (Sunday night in the United States) at Melbourne Park. But there's one obstacle standing in Nadal's way that wasn't there last year: Novak Djokovic.
Djokovic, whose nine Australian Open titles are the most won by any men's singles player, is returning to the event this year after his COVID-19 vaccination status prevented him from participating in 2022. If Djokovic wins the tournament (like he did every year from 2019 to '21), the 35-year-old Serb will tie Nadal with his 22nd Grand Slam championship.
The top contenders in the women's singles tournament may not be that experienced, but there are plenty of strong competitors in this year's field. Not among them are 2022 Australian Open champion Ashleigh Barty and Naomi Osaka, who won in 2019 and 2021. Barty retired last year, while Osaka recently announced that she is pregnant.
Here's everything else you need to know heading into the 2023 Australian Open, including a full day-by-day TV schedule for the event.
Full TV Schedule
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Sunday, Jan. 15
First round, 7 p.m.-7 a.m. ET, ESPN
First round, 11 p.m.-2 a.m. ET, ESPN2
Monday, Jan. 16
First round, 11:30 p.m.-3 a.m. ET, ESPN2
Tuesday, Jan. 17
Second round, 9 p.m.-2 a.m. ET, ESPN2
Wednesday, Jan. 18
Second round, 9 p.m.-2 a.m. ET, ESPN2
Thursday, Jan. 19
Third round, 9 p.m.-2 a.m. ET, ESPN2
Friday, Jan. 20
Third round, 9 p.m.-2 a.m. ET, ESPN2
Saturday, Jan. 21
Round of 16, 7 p.m.-7 a.m. ET, ESPN+
Sunday, Jan. 22
Round of 16, 7 p.m.-2 a.m. ET, ESPN2
Monday, Jan. 23
Quarterfinals, 9 p.m.-2 a.m. ET, ESPN2
Tuesday, Jan. 24
Quarterfinals, 9 p.m.-2 a.m. ET, ESPN2
Wednesday, Jan. 25
Women's semifinals, 3:30-7:30 a.m. ET, ESPN
Thursday, Jan. 26
Men's semifinals, 10:30 p.m.-1 a.m. ET, ESPN
Men's semifinals, 3:30-6 a.m. ET, ESPN
Friday, Jan. 27
Women's singles final, 3:30 a.m. ET, ESPN
Saturday, Jan. 28
Men's singles final, 3:30 a.m. ET, ESPN
Men's Preview
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Any time Nadal and Djokovic are in the field at a major tournament, they're among the favorites to win. And that will again be the case at the Australian Open.
Nadal is the No. 1 seed in the men's draw, while Djokovic is at No. 4. That means the two all-time greats could meet in the final—if they both make it to that point. But there are plenty of other strong competitors who will be looking to prevent that from happening.
On the bottom half of the bracket, Casper Ruud (No. 2) and Nick Kyrgios (No. 19) are among the players who could give Djokovic a challenge. Ruud has never won a Grand Slam title, but he reached the final at both the French Open and U.S. Open last year. Kyrgios' only appearance at the final of a major tournament came at last year's Wimbledon, where he lost to Djokovic.
However, Kyrgios won his two previous meetings with Djokovic, each of which was played on a hard court. So that could be a thrilling quarterfinal matchup at the Australian Open.
Nadal's toughest competition in the top half of the bracket includes No. 3-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas and No. 16 Frances Tiafoe. Tsitsipas has never won a Grand Slam title, but he's reached the semifinals of the Australian Open three times. Tiafoe had his best showing at a major tournament at last year's U.S. Open, where he made it to the semifinals.
Outside of Nadal and Djokovic, the only other former Australian Open champion in this year's field is Stan Wawrinka, who won the tournament in 2014. However, he hasn't reached the final of a Grand Slam event since 2017.
It's most likely that either Nadal or Djokovic will win the championship, though. After all, they've combined to win 11 of the past 15 Australian Open men's singles titles.
Women's Preview
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Of the past 10 Australian Open women's singles champions, the only two in this year's field are Victoria Azarenka (2012 and 2013) and Sofia Kenin (2020). So there's a great opportunity for a first-time winner to emerge this year.
That could end up being Iga Świątek, the No. 1 seed who had a successful 2022. The 21-year-old from Poland has won three Grand Slam titles, two of which came last year (the French Open and the U.S. Open).
But there are other strong competitors for Świątek to play against, including in the top half of the bracket. She'll need to get past players such as No. 13-seeded Danielle Collins, who lost to Barty in the final of last year's Australian Open.
It's also possible Swiatek could end up having to face No. 7 Coco Gauff in the quarterfinal. Gauff hasn't yet won a Grand Slam title, but she reached a final for the first time at last year's French Open.
Among the other top players to watch are No. 2 Ons Jabeur, No. 3 Jessica Pegula and No. 5 Aryna Sabalenka. Jabeur reached two Grand Slam finals last year (Wimbledon and U.S. Open), while Pegula and Sabalenka have each been improving at recent major tournaments.
However, if anybody hopes to win this year's Australian Open, there's a good chance they'll have to get past Świątek. Her recent play makes her the favorite to win the event for the first time.
It's possible that anything could happen, though, and it wouldn't be shocking if somebody knocked off Świątek and there ended up being a surprise winner.
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