Tournament dates and schedule, ticket tiers and pricing explained; ground passes, Opening Week and AO Live breakdown; list of stars

On Sunday, you could start at Kia Arena to see some Aussies in action, which always delivers a pumping atmosphere. Wildcard recipient Talia Gibson plays Anna Blinkova from 11am, followed Tristan Schoolkate up against the No.32 seed, Frenchman Corentin Moutet.

A fun option is court 6, also known as the party court. Before the double-decker bar gets too rowdy you can see a former top-tenner, Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia, play Yulia Putintseva, also from 11am, and sip a cocktail while you’re at it.

You sometimes have to queue to jag a seat on the show courts, but it will be worth it to watch the 20th women’s seed, Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk, who is second on court 3 (now known as ANZ Arena) against Elsa Jacquemot from France.

Kostyuk toppled three top-10 opponents en route to the Brisbane International final last week. She also refused to shake the hand of winner and world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka, who is from Belarus. Belarus supports Russia’s military aggression towards Ukraine.

For British fans, former world No.8 Cameron Norrie, second on 1573 Arena against Benjamin Bonzi, is worth a look.

If you’re going to the tennis with friends or family and manage to land seats on a show court, take turns for bathroom breaks and for food and drink runs. No one will take issue with you if you save a seat for a short period.

Wear plenty of sunscreen – some seats are in blazing sun at certain stages of the day – take a water bottle and use the water fountains around the park to refill. There are also misting fans to keep you call between matches.

Tickets for any individual session are purchased via Ticketmaster. Similarly, event “experiences” (which include hospitality with your seat ) are bought via the “AO Reserve” option.

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Australia has one man in the world’s top 10, Alex de Minaur, while the top-ranked local woman is Maya Joint. In the women’s draw, 2024 winner Aryna Sabalenka, Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek, two-time major winner Coco Gauff and the defending champion Madison Keys are the main attractions.

Denmark’s Holger Rune (Achilles) and Brit Jack Draper (arm) are the only top-ranked men missing through injury, while women’s stars Ons Jabeur (maternity leave) and last year’s pantomime villain, Danielle Collins, will also be absent.

However, Venus Williams has landed a wildcard at the age of 45.

Australian drawcard Nick Kyrgios will only play the doubles. He launched his latest tour comeback late last month and followed up at the Brisbane International but did not seek a wildcard for the singles draw. Thanasi Kokkinakis was also forced to withdraw from the singles because of injury.

AO events and activities

There will be music and entertainment (badged as AO Live) throughout the tournament.

Performing at John Cain Arena in the second week are The Kid Laroi (Wednesday, January 28), Spacey Jane (Thursday, January 29), The Veronicas and Sofi Tukker (Friday, January 30), Reneé Rapp (Saturday, January 31) and Peggy Gou (Sunday, February 1).

Admission to these shows is with a separate ticket, which includes ground pass access.

There’s also pre-match entertainment at Rod Laver Arena each night (included in the match ticket), including Cody Simpson, Leo Sayer, Casey Donovan, Olivia Coe-Fox with didgeridoo player Neenan, and Jude York. Sophie Ellis-Bextor will perform at the men’s final.

Click here for full AO Live details.

What’s this about an opening ceremony?

The opening ceremony is a new initiative in 2026, for which crowd favourite and six-time Australian Open champion Federer was set to grace his beloved Rod Laver Arena again on tournament eve (Saturday, January 17). Federer was invited for a “battle of the world No.1s” with Andre Agassi, Lleyton Hewitt and Pat Rafter. Crowded House are providing the entertainment. It’s not cheap, however. Adults tickets are on sale for $199 while a ticket for a “Roger Federer Q&A” goes for, gulp, $2500.

The Federer event signalled the end of “Opening Week”, which is Tennis Australia’s way to make the tournament last for three weeks instead of two. The usual qualifying and practice sessions were bolstered by exhibition matches, fan challenges and live music.

But “opening week”, which started on Monday January 12, faced some public criticism over its marketing tactics, with some fans who bought tickets expressing confusion about when the actual tournament started.

What are the food and drink options?

Popular Melbourne eateries on site will include AO debutants Hector’s Deli (sandwiches and house-made sodas), Layla (a Middle Eastern-inspired menu), Shake Shack, Season (Vietnamese fried chicken), Ho Jiak (Malaysian cuisine), JollyGood (Melbourne burgers), Stalactites x Taverna (a Greek dining collaboration) and Suupaa (Japanese).

Returning to Melbourne Park are Entrecôte, Vic’s Meat – The Chefs Butcher, DOC, Fishbowl and Wonder Pies.

For fine dining in the AO Reserve, the restaurants include L’Enclume and Umbel (Simon Rogan), Bennelong and Quay (Peter Gilmore), Tasmania’s Agrarian Kitchen, SK Steak and Oyster, Brisbane’s Sushi Room, Victoria and Farmer’s Daughters and cocktail bar Caretaker’s Cottage.

What else can I see and do?

Once the tournament swings into full gear, put the following dates in your calendar:

January 21 (Evonne Goolagong Cawley Day): First Nations art, music, language and storytelling.
January 27 (All Abilities Day): A celebration for the disability community.
January 29 (Women’s and Girls’ Day): The same day as the women’s singles semi-finals.
January 30 (Pride Day): The tournament’s “Glam Slam”, a LGBTQ+ tournament on the final weekend.

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Keep an eye out, too, for the AO Legends Cup in the final week, the tournament’s wheelchair championships (January 26-31), the AO Deaf Tennis Slam and the AO Intellectual Disability Tennis Slam.

How do I get there?

Melbourne Park is about a 20-25 minute walk from Melbourne’s CBD, along the Yarra River and through Birrarung Marr.

For those travelling by car, there is public parking at nearby Yarra Park. Designated ride-share zones along Olympic Boulevard are available.

The AO is easily accessible via public transport. Train travellers can exit at Flinders Street Station, Jolimont Station or Richmond Station. Pedestrian signs will guide you to one of the park’s three entrances.

From January 12 until February 1, AO ticket holders can ride free on route 70/70a trams.

There’s no need to tap your Myki, but ensure you have your AO ticket.

AO entrance tram stops:

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• Stop 7B – Rod Laver Arena / MCG Gates 1-3: Best for Garden Square access.
• Stop 7A – William Barak Bridge: Short walk to Birrarung Marr Entrance.
• Stop 7C – MCG Gates 4-7 / John Cain Arena: Cross the footbridge to Olympic Boulevard for Grand Slam Oval Entrance.
• Fans can also walk from the new Town Hall Station as they would from Flinders Street Station, with access to the Birrarung Marr entrance close by. To mark the opening of Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel, public transport users can benefit from free weekend travel until February 1.

How can I watch the tennis on TV?

Host broadcaster Nine (the owner of this masthead) has wall-to-wall coverage of the tournament.

Every court can be streamed online via 9Now and Stan Sport. You’ll also see plenty of the main matches through Nine’s free-to-air channels.

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Nine has assembled a highly credentialled team of hosts and expert commentators – including John McEnroe and a former Australian Open champion Jim Courier – to cover the event from start to finish.

Expert commentary will be provided by Courier, McEnroe, Todd Woodbridge, Jelena Dokic, Lleyton Hewitt, Sam Stosur, Dylan Alcott, John Millman, Casey Dellacqua, Sam Smith and Alicia Molik.

On Nine’s main channel, the hosts are James Bracey, Sylvia Jeffreys and Tony Jones, while on 9Gem you’ll see Georgie Parker, Nick McArdle and Brett Phillips in the chair.