The 2026 Australian Open has officially begun! The first major Grand Slam of the tennis calendar has kicked off its fortnight-long stint in Melbourne’s impressive Rod Laver Arena.

With the favourites set to return for the men’s – Alcaraz, Sinner and Djokovic – and the usual gang for the women’s too – Sabalenka, Gauff and Rybakina – there are a few notable absences. British No 1 Jack Draper will not be in attendance due to a long term injury leaving Emma Radacanu and Cameron Norrie to do the heavy lifting for the Brits.

How to watch Australian Open 2026 on 9Now for free

Free. HD. Commentary. Every Match of the tournament. Australia’s 9Now is undoubtedly the best pick for FREE Aussie Open coverage.

All you need to do as an Aussie resident to start watching the tennis action is create a 9Now account. It couldn’t be easier: you just need to provide an email address and a valid postcode (e.g. 2002)

What about if you’re based outside of Australia? There is a way you can watch 9Now’s coverage of the Aussie Open from anywhere in the world: with a VPN.

One such reliable and great picture quality VPN we’d recommend for all your tennis viewing is NordVPN. We’ll explain more below…

How to watch Australian Open 2026 from anywhere in the world

We’ve never lived in a better era to watch sports wherever you are in the world, and the Aussie Open is no exception. Despite being streaming for FREE down under, VPN is the best way to enjoy this elsewhere.

As we were saying, make sure you take advantage of that VPN cheat to access your usual streams and this Aussie Open 9Now gateway.

You’ve certainly got a lot of VPNs to choose from – and far be it from us to tell you which one is the best – but our money would go towards NordVPN. We’ll talk you through how to subscribe to this popular choice below and enjoy every minute of tennis down under…

We did our research and trust us when we say it’s one of the easiest ways to use a VPN and watch the Aussie Open when you’re away from home:

1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we’ve said, NordVPN is #1 ranked.

2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For example, if you’re travelling in the US but from Australia, select ‘Australia’ from the listed countries.

3. Sit back and enjoy the tennis. Head to your streaming site or app and watch the Aussie Open 2026 action.

Australian Open 2026 Q+A

What does 9Now’s Aussie Open coverage include?

You’ll never miss a moment of the AO action. Every single game is broadcast which means you’ve got to make choices when there’s multiple games on at the same time! Or surround yourself with multiple devices.

9Now also offers fans expert analysis when it comes to talking about all the tennis stars – from Raducanu to Rybakina, from Sinner to Sabalenka.

So, once again, if you’re travelling abroad don’t forget to use NordVPN to gain access to this world class coverage.

Apple iPhones and iPads. iOS 12+

Android phones and tablets. 5.0+

Web Browser – 9Now

Amazon Fire TV

Android TV

Apple TV

Chromecast

Fetch TV

Foxtel iQ

Freeview

Hisense TV

LG TV

Roku

Samsung TV

Is 9Now the best way to watch the Aussie Open for FREE?

We’ve tested 9Now and the service is user-friendly (you’ll need a VPN when travelling outside Australia) and dependable. Owned by Nine Network, a leading Australian broadcaster, it offers reliable streaming with excellent replays and full free streams of matches across the 2026 Aussie Open with English commentary.

Additionally, 9Now will cover other major sports events, providing more live sports coverage for free. Just make sure you have a strong internet connection for the best experience and you’re good to go.

For catching up, 9Now provides free highlight clips of select Aussie Open matches, lasting around 8 minutes.