UNRIVALLED COVERAGE OF AUSTRALIAN OPEN ON EUROSPORT KICKS OFF 2018 IN STYLE

With a host of new innovations, the very best experts and analysts in the game as well as over 300 hours of live coverage, the broadcaster holds exclusive pan-European rights to the Australian Open, meaning Eurosport and Eurosport Player will be the only place for tennis fans to watch all courts and all matches during the first Grand Slam of the new 2018 season across the continent.

Mats Wilander, Eurosport tennis expert and anchor and seven-time Grand Slam-winner said: “The Australian Open is arguably the event the players love the most. Its relaxed nature gives them the tools to play their best tennis which can only benefit fans watching across Europe. I firmly believe that we at Eurosport give fans a service that is unrivalled in the game.

“We are always looking to push the boundaries with our coverage which has been so well-received by tennis fans. We have the best names in tennis, we offer the best analysis and we give fans to watch every one of their heroes. We know what fans want, because we are fans ourselves.”

The very best experts

Tennis royalty will once again grace Eurosport’s screens in the lead up to – and during – the Australian Open, not only telling the viewer what is happening in front of their eyes, but why it is happening. A team that reads like a who’s who of tennis legends will include the likes of John McEnroe, Boris Becker and Mats Wilander, each of whom will provide their own unique analysis while Wilander and Barbara Schett will anchor Eurosport’s flagship show Game, Schett and Mats.

Henri Leconte, Nicolas Escude and Marion Bartoli – who last month announced she will make a sensational return to women’s professional tennis this coming spring - will form part of Eurosport’s coverage in France and Pat Cash and Jo Durie will be expert commentators for coverage on Eurosport in the United Kingdom.

When The Commissioner of Tennis talks, the world listens. John McEnroe returns once again, this time for a re-vamped series of The Commissioner, in a shorter format in 2018 than previously giving the outspoken American legend the chance to give his forthright views as the big news breaks as it happens in Melbourne.

Continuing to innovate

Popular with fans and players alike, The Coach, a programming combining analysis and technology through a mixed-reality studio fronted by Patrick Mouratoglou, coach of Serena Williams, which will take on a brand-new look in 2018 that will not only freshen its look but give viewers a greater understanding into the latest on-court tennis trends. Whether it be a loss in form of a certain player, why a player is having more success with a certain shot over another or simply an analysis of a player’s all-round game – Mouratoglou will ensure the viewer is fully informed.

Giving fans a unique insight into the mechanics of sport, Eurosport’s latest episode in its stunning Sports Explainer series explores the evolution of Roger Federer’s game following an incredible 2017 that saw him win his 18th and 19th career Grand Slam titles. Having already featured Rafael Nadal’s forehand and Stan Wawrinka’s background, the Sports Explainer series has delved into the strokes associated with some of the modern greats of the game like never before.

The lead up to the Australian Open will celebrate the career of the iconic Roger Federer, with shows on his best moments and matches played at the first Grand Slam of the year including highlights of the incredible five-set duel against Rafael Nadal in last year’s final in Melbourne. Eurosport’s coverage during the tournament will be complemented by short-form content on digital and social platforms that will keep fans up-to-date with the best of the action from Australia as they wake up across Europe via its new Aussie Breakfast format.

More than a two-week tournament

Eurosport will have a bigger build-up to the main tournament than ever before with coverage from ATP events in Doha, Brisbane and Sydney in the first half of January, as well as the annual Hopman Cup, giving fans the opportunity to see how their favourite players are shaping up ahead of the Grand Slam starting later in the month.

Furthermore, Eurosport will double the amount of courts viewers can watch throughout the Australian Open qualification tournament compared to 2017, with the main draw also broadcast live on Eurosport and Eurosport Player on Thursday 11 January from 9.30am CET.

Eurosport’s coverage of last year’s Australian Open proved a winner with fans across Europe, with 20.7 million viewers* – the second highest for a single programme in the history of the channel – tuning in to watch the colossal men’s singles final battle between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

The biggest year yet

The Australian Open kick-starts one of the biggest years in Eurosport’s history, with the broadcaster screening some of the best events on the sporting calendar, including unrivalled coverage of the Olympic Winter Games from PyeongChang in February, Roland Garros from Paris in May, the Le Mans 24 hours race in June and the Tour de France throughout July as well as the US Open from Flushing Meadow in New York in late summer.

Eurosport tennis diary, January 2018:

30 December 2017 - 6 January 2018 - Hopman Cup, Perth

1-8 January 2018 - ATP Doha

1-8 January - ATP Brisbane

7-13 January 2018 - ATP Sydney

10-13 January – 2018 Australian Open Qualifying Tournament

15-28 January - 2018 Australian Open

 ENDS.

* Including Eurosport and Discovery-owned free-to-air channel, DMAX, in Spain.