Australian Open live stream 2021: How to watch the Grand Slam tennis tournament online

Australian Open live stream 2021: How to watch Australian Open
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Australian Open 2021 details

The 2021 Australian Open takes place Feb. 8 through Feb. 22. Television coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET and is airing on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3 and ESPN Plus. 

The Australian Open live stream 2021 is underway. The year's first Grand Slam tournament brings together the world's top tennis stars, including Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. 

For American viewers, the 16-hour time difference meant that the first matches of the 2021 Australian Open kicked off after the Super Bowl on Sunday night. Play continues for two weeks, until the women's final on Feb. 20 and the men's final on Feb. 22.

The 2021 Australian Open is adhering to health guidelines in light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Because Australia has mounted an effective response that has largely contained COVID-19, the event is welcoming spectators. Players quarantined for two weeks prior to the tournament. 

Some of tennis' biggest stars are competing, including Williams, who is once again attempting to win her 24th Grand Slam singles title. That would tie her with Margaret Court for the record. She'll have to get past last year's U.S. Open winner Naomi Osaka and the top seed Ashleigh Barty, who is returning to play after sitting out most of 2020 due to the pandemic.

On the men's side, top seed Novak Djokovic is going for his ninth Australian Open title. And if No. 2 Rafael Nadal nets his 21st Grand Slam, he'll move past Roger Federer in all-time wins (Federer is not playing as he's recovering from surgery).

Here's everything you need to know about how to watch the 2021 Australian Open live stream.

How to watch 2021 Australian Open live stream with a VPN

If you're away from home and can't watch the 2021 Australian Open live stream from where you are, you can still get watch with a virtual private network, or VPN. A VPN makes it so that you can appear to be surfing the web from your home town, so you can access the same streaming services you already paid for. 

Not sure which VPN is right for you? We've tested many different services and our pick for the best VPN overall is ExpressVPN. It offers superb speeds and excellent customer service. 

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How to watch the 2021 Australian Open live stream in the US

In the U.S., the 2021 Australian Open coverage airs daily through Feb. 8 through Feb. 21.

Early coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+ and ESPN3 on the app. Primary coverage starts at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2 with big matches scheduled for ESPN.

If you have cut the cord and don't have cable, you can still watch the 2021 Australian Open via two live TV services: Fubo TV and Sling TV.

Of these options, we recommend Fubo TV, which is $65 per month for more than 117 channels. Sports fans will find a number of niche sports channels among its lineup. Another great option is Sling TV, which is $35 per month and comes with more than 50 channels including ESPN.

Fubo.TV a 7-day free trial

Fubo.TV has all of the right network channels and cable networks to watch tennis and other sports. Who needs cable? Not Fubo subscribers. Get over 120 channels with the Family Plan ($65 per month). And Fubo has a 7-day free trial so you can check out the service without paying a dime.

Sling TV

Sling TV is currently offering a three-day free trial to see what this low-cost streaming service offers. The Sling Orange plan costs $35 per month and comes with 50-plus channels including ESPN.

Australian Open 2021 live stream in the UK

British tennis fans can watch the 2021 Australian Open on Eurosport, which is available with packages on Sky TV. Or they can sign up for the Eurosport Player pass (£9.99 per month or £39.99 per year).

Daytime matches start at midnight GMT, while evening match coverage begins at 8 a.m. GMT.

Australian Open 2021 live stream in Canada

In Canada, viewers can tune into the 2021 Australian Open on TSN or the French-language network RDS, if they come with their cable packages. They can sign up for streaming-only TSN for $4.99 CAD per month.

Coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET.

Australian Open 2021 live stream in Australia

Aussies are in luck — the tournament is airing in their own country for free, via Channel 9. Plus, they can watch the Australian Open live stream online with the 9Now streaming service by registering with an email and local ZIP code.

Day sessions begin at 11 a.m. AEDT, while evening sessions start at 7 p.m. AEDT.

Aussies who are out of the country can still access their 9Now subscription with ExpressVPN.

Australian Open 2021 draw

The full Australian Open draws for men and women's singles, doubles and mixed doubles can be found at the tournament's website. 

The top four seeds for men's singles are:
1. Novak Djokovic
2. Rafael Nadal
3. Dominic Thiem
4. Daniil Medvedev

The top four seeds for women's singles are:
1. Ashleigh Barty
2. Simona Halep
3. Naomi Osaka
4. Sofia Kenin

Australian Open 2021 schedule

The 2021 Australian Open takes place from Monday, Feb. 8 through Sunday, Feb. 21. 

Here is the schedule of rounds, with TV channels and start times:

Swipe to scroll horizontally
DateRoundTime (ET)TV channel
Sunday, Feb. 7First round7 p.m. - 7 a.m. ESPN, ESPN2
Monday, Feb. 8First round7 p.m. - 7 a.m. ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPN+
Tuesday, Feb. 9Second round7 p.m. - 7 a.m. ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPN+
Wednesday, Feb. 10Second round7 p.m. - 7 a.mESPN2, ESPN3, ESPN+
Thursday, Feb. 11Third Round7 p.m. - 7 a.mESPN2, ESPN3, ESPN+
Friday, Feb. 12Third Round7 p.m. - 7 a.mESPN2, ESPN3, ESPN+
Saturday, Feb. 13Round of 167 p.m. - 7 a.mESPN2, ESPN3, ESPN+
Sunday, Feb. 14Round of 167 p.m. - 7 a.mESPN2, ESPN3, ESPN+
Monday, Feb. 15Quarterfinals7 p.m. - 2 a.m.ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPN+
Tuesday, Feb. 16Quarterfinals7 p.m. - 2 a.m.ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPN+
Wednesday, Feb. 17Women's semifinals; Men's doubles final7 p.m. - 2 a.m.ESPN2
Thursday, Feb. 18Men's semifinals; Women's doubles final3:30 a.m. - 6 a.m.ESPN, ESPN+
Friday, Feb. 19Mixed doubles semis; Women's doubles final12 a.m. ESPN+
Row 13 - Cell 0 Men's semifinals3:30 a.m. - 6 a.m.ESPN
Saturday, Feb. 20Women's final3:30 a.m. - 7:30 a.mESPN
Row 15 - Cell 0 Men's doubles final11 p.m. - 12:30 a.m.ESPN+
Sunday, Feb. 21Men's final3:30 a.m. - 6:30 a.m.ESPN

Kelly Woo
Streaming Editor

Kelly is the streaming channel editor for Tom’s Guide, so basically, she watches TV for a living. Previously, she was a freelance entertainment writer for Yahoo, Vulture, TV Guide and other outlets. When she’s not watching TV and movies for work, she’s watching them for fun, seeing live music, writing songs, knitting and gardening.