Discovery and Eurosport is set to deliver one of the most eagerly-awaited Australian Open’s in history as a new generation of superstars descend on Melbourne in a bid to stop the legends of the sport from becoming the Greatest Of All Time.

Can Rafael Nadal win his 21st career Grand Slam? Or will Daniil Medvedev make it back-to-back Grand Slams after his memorable victory in New York? Can Britain’s Emma Raducanu repeat her stunning success at September’s US Open? Or will home favourite Ash Barty win a third Grand Slam?

New season. New faces on the court. New faces that are part of Discovery’s coverage. New ways for fans to engage with their heroes.

New name to host from the Cube; legends re-sign with Discovery
With Barbara Schett and Mischa Zverev covering the action on-site in Melbourne between 17-30 January 2022, there will be a brand-new face fronting Discovery’s coverage from the brilliant immersive Cube studio. Alizé Lim, current professional tennis player and considered one of the brightest stars in broadcast media, will be based in London throughout the tournament where she will be joined by seven-time Grand Slam champion Mats Wilander, three-time Grand Slam semi-finalist Johanna Konta (week one) and former world number four Tim Henman (week two). Lim will interview the best male and female players in the world utilising the Cube’s ground-breaking teleportation capabilities.

Supplementing Discovery’s coverage will be two legends of the sport who have an astonishing 25 Grand Slams between them. Chris Evert and John McEnroe have agreed new deals with Discovery that will see the pair give their own inimitable views and thoughts during Discovery’s coverage of the Grand Slams throughout the year – starting with the Australian Open.

A ‘who’s who’ of tennis – boasting 13 Grand Slam titles - will grace Discovery and Eurosport screens during the tournament fortnight with a host of legends offering their unrivalled expertise for millions of fans across Europe. Boris Becker (Matchball Becker in Germany), Justine Henin (ESP Tennis Club in France), Alex Corretja (La Casa del Tenis in Spain) and Roberta Vinci (in Italy) will front local flagship linear and digital shows as well as joining Discovery Eurosport’s international coverage as the tournament progresses.

Tennis starlet Casper Ruud partners with Discovery
One of the players at the forefront of a new generation of tennis stars is Norwegian Casper Ruud. In 2022 and 2023, the current world number eight, who at the age of 23 already has six career titles to his name, will give access to Discovery via exclusive interviews, including a brand new Players’ Voice column for Eurosport.com, and content creation offering fans a unique chance to get up close and personal with one of the rising stars on the ATP Tour.

Casper Ruud, who reached the fourth round of the Australian Open last year, said: “It is a unique opportunity to partner with an organization such as Discovery who not only show the live action, but want to dig deeper into the stories behind the players and away from the court.

“Despite all the challenges that come with being a professional tennis player, I’m extremely fortunate to do something I love and this partnership will allow me to communicate with fans across Europe on a regular basis. I want to give them an insight into how I am thinking and share the highs and lows with them – though obviously let’s hope there are more highs than lows!”

Extensive live action and new formats to underpin Discovery’s coverage
Discovery will broadcast 250 hours of live coverage from the Australian Open across its platforms with Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2 dedicated to showing the very best matches on Rod Laver Arena, Margaret Court Arena and John Cain Arena. In addition, there will be local windows in Poland, Romania, Russia, Germany, Italy, Spain and France meaning fans will be able to follow their local heroes throughout the fortnight. All courts and all matches will be accessible via discovery+*, the Eurosport App and Eurosport.com.

After her exploits at the US Open, will the Australian Open qualifying tournament unveil the next Emma Raducanu? Tennis fans can find out on Discovery’s platforms with the best of the qualifying action available to watch live on the Eurosport App and Eurosport.com.

Discovery’s 360-degree approach to covering the Australian Open across the full breadth of its network will ensure every angle is covered on every platform. Eurosport.com will report on the tournament as-it-happens with previews, live blogs and match reports complemented by forthright opinions from Discovery’s cast of tennis experts.

For fans who remain hungry for more analysis once the linear coverage has ended, there will be bonus shows from the Cube screened exclusively on discovery+* and the Eurosport App. Other short-formats, such as My Social Network – where some of the best players in the world are quizzed about their social channels - and Legends Voice, featuring the thoughts of past legends of the game on topical issues in the game - will also debut for the Australian Open across Discovery platforms.

The 2022 Australian Open is the first of a new 10-year partnership between Discovery and Tennis Australia. Announced in September last year, the new agreement includes all linear and digital rights to the tournament and extends Eurosport’s association with the Australian Open that first began in 1995. As part of the new deal, Discovery will exclusively screen high-profile lead-up events to the Australian Open including the Adelaide International on a pan-Euro basis and the ATP Cup** - events that will give players vital match practice ahead of the first Grand Slam of the season.

Scott Young, Senior Vice President, Content and Production, said: “The first Grand Slam of any season is always exciting, but 2022 feels different with a clear changing of the guard at the top of the sport – new heroes to follow, new champions to be crowned - or can the current superstars of the sport retain their titles? Discovery will be there every step of the way: every point shown, every story told, every angle covered.

“We’re delighted to welcome Alizé Lim on to our presentation team for the Australian Open. I believe Alizé will bring a fresh, dynamic approach to our trusted coverage. We are equally thrilled that we were able to facilitate having an enhanced presence on-the-ground this year with Barbara Schett and Mischa Zverev on-site and amongst the fans that matter in Melbourne Park. With some of the greatest players to have graced the game offering their unrivaled expertise throughout the fortnight across our platforms, coupled with our unique approach to storytelling, we believe fans will be able to enjoy our extensive coverage of the Australian Open, - across our multiple platforms in 50 markets - like never before.”

Last year’s Australian Open saw record-breaking audiences reported for Eurosport’s streaming service, via the Eurosport App, with a 36% increase in video starts versus 2020 and an 84% uplift in minutes watched versus 2020. Sizeable increases in unique visitors for Eurosport’s digital platforms during the Australian Open (+61% vs 2020) were also reported with significant growth registered in the UK (+244% vs 2020), Italy (+90%), Germany (+53%) and Spain (+25%).

Discovery Eurosport tennis diary, January 2022:
• ATP Cup**, Sydney, Australia – 1-9 January 2022
• Adelaide International – 6-16 January 2022
• Australian Open qualifying tournament – 14-17 January 2022
• Australian Open, Melbourne, Australia – 17-30 January 2022

*discovery+ is available in Denmark, Finland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Spain and United Kingdom.

** The ATP Cup will be available to watch in Finland, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic and the Indian Subcontinent