INSIDER: PATRICK MOURATOGLOU DOCUMENTARY TO KICK OFF EUROSPORT’S AUSTRALIAN OPEN COVERAGE ACROSS EUROPE

He is the coach of arguably the greatest female player to have graced the game and the face of one of the most famed academies in the sport.

And now a new and exclusive documentary giving millions of tennis fans across Europe the first behind-the-scenes access into the workings of super-coach Patrick Mouratoglou will kick-off Eurosport’s coverage of the 2020 Australian Open.

INSIDER: PATRICK MOURATOGLOU
During the documentary, Mouratoglou, coach of 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams and the founder of the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy that has spawned future superstars such as Stefanos Tsitsipas and Coco Gauff, gives Eurosport cameras an exclusive inside look into his professional life throughout the 2019 season in Insider: Patrick Mouratoglou.

Patrick Mouratoglou said: “I was keen to give fans a rare insight into what it is like to work in a high performance environment and I am delighted to be able to share my story with millions of sports fans across Europe on Eurosport.

“I am fortunate enough to work in an industry I love, working alongside some of the biggest names in tennis. I hope this documentary gives fans an idea of what goes on behind-the-scenes in my life, whether that be working with some the top players in the world right through to my academy.”

The 30-minute documentary premieres on Wednesday, 15 January at 11:30am CET and will be available on-demand via the Eurosport Player, kick-starting Eurosport’s exclusive coverage of the Australian Open throughout Europe*, featuring a host of new and returning formats as well as a host of respected names offering unrivalled expertise to tennis fans across Europe on Eurosport and Eurosport Player, cementing Discovery’s position as the home of real-life entertainment.

NEW WORLD-CLASS EXPERTS
Viewers will hear from two fresh faces at the tournament, with seven-time Grand Slam champion Justine Henin contributing to Eurosport’s coverage in France as well as its  international coverage while Eurosport viewers in Italy will be able to hear the insights and opinions from former world number one Roberta Vinci, who only retired from the game in May 2018.

Barbara Schett will once again anchor Eurosport’s flagship tennis show Game, Schett & Mats alongside Mats Wilander each day, looking back on the best of the matches and previewing the upcoming clashes in Melbourne using touch-screen analysis. Boris Becker (Eurosport Germany), Alex Corretja (Eurosport International and Eurosport Spain), Patrick Mouratoglou (Eurosport International and Eurosport France) and Henri Leconte (Eurosport France) will also offer their own unique views during Eurosport’s coverage.

POPULAR FEATURES RETURN
Seven-time Grand Slam John McEnroe will also make regular appearances on Eurosport’s international coverage as well as returning in his alter-ego as The Commissioner of Tennis, giving his own offbeat take from the issues in the world of tennis. McEnroe, along with some of his great rivals from his playing days Boris Becker and Mats Wilander, will also star in the brilliant Tennis Legends vodcast – with three episodes to be produced on-site at this year’s Australian Open.

New formats will give tennis fans a closer look at the players themselves. New Kids On The Block will enable viewers to get to know some of the most exciting players coming through the ranks, while Entourage will allow fans to get to know some of the best players in the world through the eyes of the team that follows them 12 months of the year. Other new features for fans to enjoy include My Grand Slam Journey and Show the Master.

UNMATCHED HERITAGE IN TENNIS
Eurosport, which has aired every Australian Open since 1995, will screen the tournament exclusively across Europe* on Eurosport. The Eurosport Player, available via the Eurosport app and online, will be the only destination to watch every shot, every point and every match from the first ball hit on Monday 20 January right through to the men’s final on Sunday 2 February – amounting to 300 hours of LIVE coverage from all 16 courts.

As excitement towards the first Grand Slam of the year builds, Eurosport will be the only place to watch the Australian Open qualifying tournament, with all 13 courts produced available via the Eurosport Player.

Andrew Georgiou, President Eurosport & Global Sport Rights, said: “As the tennis season ramps up on Eurosport, we’re excited to bring fans the first Grand Slam of the year in the most comprehensive way possible. Every moment, every player, every court and every match will be available live and on demand on the Eurosport Player, all supported by our in-depth analysis from the greatest experts in the game.

“It was a blockbuster year for tennis at Eurosport in 2019 as fan viewing and engagement on Eurosport platforms grew exponentially, particularly on digital where we enjoyed double-digit streaming growth during Roland-Garros and the US Open. For 2020, we continue to invest in the sport and extend our tennis offering, including expanding Eurosport’s year-round coverage of the ATP Tour to multiple countries in Europe. It promises to be another historic and record-breaking year for tennis and we can’t wait to take fans on every step of the journey.”

In September, Eurosport announced its ambition to serve and engage the widest possible audiences across multiple platforms during its coverage of the US Open was reaping rewards with significant year-on-year growth on linear in Germany (+30%), France (+136%), Spain (+22%) and Romania (+122%) and additional increases on Eurosport Player and Eurosport.com.

Eurosport also confirmed yesterday that it will screen Tennis Australia’s Rally for Relief exhibition event live across Europe, in aid of the Australian bushfire relief efforts. The event takes place on Wednesday 15 January on the iconic Rod Laver Court set to feature some of the best players in the world with all proceeds from the event going to the Victorian Bushfire Appeal.

Rally for Relief is part of the broader Aces for Bushfire Relief program launched by Tennis Australia last week in response to the devastating bushfire crisis across the country. As a proud partner of the Australian Open, Eurosport will support the #Aces4BushFireRelief activity by both pledging money for every ace hit during the tournament as well as providing European wide promotion of Tennis Australia’s effort to raise money for the Bush Fire Relief with its partner, Australian Red Cross.

*Non-exclusive in Austria, Switzerland and Slovakia. Live coverage and full match on-demand catch up is exclusive in the U.K.