Okay, U.S. fans, here's the skinny on ESPN's Australian Open coverage. Feel free to use this post to start a new thread on the action Down Under. I'm going to try to wrap up my Gloria Connors meditation this evening and have it posted by 10 PM:
ESPN’S EXCLUSIVE AUSTRALIAN OPEN COVERAGE STARTS SUNDAY
ESPN360 TO ADD LIVE COVERAGE ON BROADBAND
The Australian Open, tennis’ first Grand Slam of the year, will begin Sunday on ESPN2, with daily, exclusive coverage totaling at least 120 hours (79 live) and continuing through the women’s and men’s finals. The schedule includes 12 live telecasts at 3:30 a.m. ET on ESPN, including the men’s semifinals. ESPN2 will televise live the women’s final (Friday, Jan. 26 at 9:30 p.m.) and men’s final (Sunday, Jan. 28 at 3:30 a.m.).
In addition, under the terms of a new agreement between ESPN and the Australian Open which takes effect this year, tennis fans in the U.S. and overseas will be able to enjoy even more of the Australian Open and in more ways. ESPN’s SportsCenter and ESPNEWS will feature live look-ins to the action; ESPN.com and broadband ESPN360 will offer more content, including extensive live match coverage; ESPN Deportes has a greatly increased Spanish-language schedule; and ESPN International has expanded rights. ESPN has televised the Australian Open exclusively since 1984.
TELEVISION COVERAGE
On ESPN and ESPN2, Cliff Drysdale, Dick Enberg and on-site host Chris Fowler will call matches, accompanied by analysts Mary Carillo, Mary Joe Fernandez, Patrick McEnroe and Pam Shriver. Luke Jensen will serve as a roving reporter and studio analyst. For the first week, former Australian star player-turned coach Darren Cahill will appear as an analyst in the studio and as a third voice on select matches.
The Australian Open programming will generally consist of three shows each day: live coverage in the evening starting Sunday, Jan. 14 at 7 p.m., a live segment at 3:30 a.m., and at least three hours of same-day action the next afternoon at 3 p.m. The total of 121 hours does not include afternoon reairs of live overnight coverage of the men’s semis and the men’s final.
Throughout the tournament, ESPN’s*SportsCenter* and ESPNEWS* – the 24-hour all-sports news network – will have the ability to show live “look-ins” to play in progress, as storylines dictate. Also, two otherSportsCenters* will have reporters on site –*SportsCenter Argentina, seen on ESPN+, will cover the tournament, as will SportsCenter Australia*, which debuts next week on ESPN Australia. The show – the 11th regional edition worldwide – is produced from ESPN’s worldwide headquarters in Bristol, Conn.
ESPN Deportes – the fulltime Spanish-language U.S. network – has expanded its coverage, with 52 hours, January 14 through the finals. The commentators will be Luis Alfredo Alvarez, Eduardo Varelaandformer players Jose Luis Clerc and Javier Frana.
Beyond U.S. shores, ESPN International will provide two weeks of extensive coverage throughout Latin America on three networks. The same foursome of announcers will provide Spanish commentary on all three while Sam Gore and former American star Jimmy Arias will be heard on the English feed. The pan-regional ESPN (seen throughout South and Central America) will provide two weeks of coverage, totaling 70 hours. In the Southern Cone, ESPN + (pronounced "mas") will air 40 hours of play in prime time for the early rounds, with the quarterfinals, semis and finals on tape delay. Northern Cone’s ESPN 2 (pronounced "dos") will carry 20 hours from Australia through the quarterfinals, primarily in the morning.
NEW MEDIA CONTENT
ESPN.com’s coverage will feature daily ESPN Motion video highlights and features, original podcasts from the ESPN PodCenter (http://espnradio.espn.go.com/espnradio/podcast/index), and the collaborative news and analysis from ESPN.com and Tennis.com. The coverage will also include contributions from Patrick McEnroe, Pam Shriver, Peter Bodo of Tennis.com and the daily video report “Advantage Luke Jensen.”
ESPN360 will expand its broadband coverage to include extensive live action, in addition to the features, highlights, news reports and press conferences available in recent years. ESPN360 will offer live coverage at 7 p.m. (11 a.m. in Melbourne, when play begins each day) the first eight days (Sunday, Jan. 14 – Sunday, Jan. 21). Fans will see all the action from one court from start to finish, until the end of that day’s play. The court to be featured will be selected with consideration to ESPN2’s plans, so as to minimize duplication. The “world feed” from the host broadcaster will be utilized, with graphics and natural sound (no commentary).
McENROE & FERNANDEZ SURVEY THE FIELD
Last year, Roger Federer won his second Australian Open, defeating Marcos Baghdatis for the first of his three Grand Slam titles of 2006. On the women’s side, Amelie Mauresmo won her first Grand Slam title in Melbourne, beating Justine Henin-Hardenne. Six months later at Wimbledon, Mauresmo would top Henin-Hardenne again.
According to Patrick McEnroe, men’s tennis consists of Roger Federer, then everyone else:
“The top question entering the 2007 season is whether Roger Federer can continue at this unbelievable level. To me, he has just finished the best three-year run in the Open Era. Since 2004, he’s won eight majors, with 34 titles and only 15 losses. That’s better than any three years of Sampras, Borg, Connors, Lendl or my brother John. By far. (see box below)
“After Roger, I want to see if Rafael Nadal can close the gap, or if anyone can challenge at majors. Roger went an amazing 92-5 in 2006, and four of the five losses were to Nadal, but Rafael needs to beat him in Melbourne, Wimbledon or New York to truly be viewed on Roger’s level.
“I like what Jimmy Connors has done as Andy Roddick’s coach since July. He has Andy playing more aggressively, serving and volleying, and generally has given Andy his swagger back. It took someone of Jimmy’s stature to make Andy listen.”
According to Mary Joe Fernandez, there’s room at the top of women’s tennis:
“This could be the year with big changes at the top of women’s tennis. Davenport is gone, probably for good, Henin-Hardenne has withdrawn from the Australian Open, and the biggest question in the sport remains the Williams sisters. Are they healthy? Will they be a factor? They hardly played last year and now Venus has pulled out of the Australian Open. Beyond that, was Amelie Mauresmo’s breakthrough year in 2005 her one year, or can she continue playing so well? Will Maria Sharapova’s US Open title translate to winning all the time?
“I’m interested to see which young players can step up and fill this void. I really like Nicole Vaidisova, who finished the year ranked #10, and Ana Ivanovic at
14. Based on the success of Henin-Hardenne’s and Mauresmo’s all-around game
last year, we may see a trend away from simply hitting big to more variety in shot making, and I want to see who will step up in Melbourne, the other majors and throughout the year.”
TOP THREE-YEAR SPANS IN OPEN ERA (men)
Player Years Record Titles Majors
Roger Federer 2004-06 247-15 (.943) 34 8
Ivan Lendl 1985-87 232-20 (.921) 28 5
Bjorn Borg 1978-80 207-18 (.920) 31 6
John McEnroe 1982-84 216-23 (.904) 25 3
Jimmy Connors 1976-78 226-24 (.904) 30 2
Pete Sampras 1993-95 234-44 (.845) 23 6
In 2006, Roger Federer became the first player in the Open Era to win 10 or more ATP titles three years in a row and more than 80 matches in back-to-back seasons since Ivan Lendl in 1981-82. His 92 match wins (92-5) was the most since Lendl's 106 in 1982 and his 12 titles was the most since Thomas Muster (12) in 1995.
Source: ATP Media Information
* ESPN Broadcast Schedule*
Date Time (ET) Event Network
Sun., Jan. 14 7 p.m. – MID Early round play ESPN2 LIVE
Mon., Jan. 15 3:30 – 6 a.m. “ ESPN LIVE
3 – 7 p.m. “ ESPN2 Same-day
9 p.m. – 1 a.m. “ ESPN2 LIVE
Tue., Jan. 16 3:30 – 6 a.m. “ ESPN LIVE
3 – 7 p.m. “ ESPN2 Same-day
11 p.m. – 2:30 a.m. “ ESPN2 LIVE
Wed., Jan. 17 3:30 – 6 a.m. “ ESPN LIVE
3 – 7 p.m. “ ESPN2 Same-day
9 p.m. – 1 a.m. “ ESPN2 LIVE
Thur., Jan. 18 3:30 – 6 a.m. “ ESPN LIVE
3 – 7 p.m. “ ESPN2 Same-day
9 p.m. – 1:30 a.m. “ ESPN2 LIVE
Fri., Jan. 19 3:30 – 6 a.m. “ ESPN LIVE
3 – 7 p.m. “ ESPN2 Same-day
10 p.m. – 1:30 a.m. “ ESPN2 LIVE
Sat., Jan. 20 3:30 – 6 a.m. “ ESPN LIVE
Noon – 4:50 p.m. “ ESPN2 Same-day
10 p.m. – 1 a.m. “ ESPN2 LIVE
Sun., Jan. 21 3:30 – 6:30 a.m. “ ESPN LIVE
10 a.m. – 2 p.m. “ ESPN2 Same-day
7 – 11 p.m. Round of 16 ESPN2 LIVE
Mon., Jan. 22 3:30 – 6 a.m. “ ESPN LIVE
3 – 7 p.m. “ ESPN2 Same-day
9 p.m. – 1 a.m. Quarterfinals ESPN2 LIVE
Tue., Jan. 23 3:30 – 6 a.m. “ ESPN LIVE
3 – 7 p.m. “ ESPN2 Same-day
10 p.m. – 2 a.m. “ ESPN2 LIVE
Wed., Jan. 24 3:30 – 6 a.m. “ ESPN LIVE
3 – 7 p.m. “ ESPN2 Same-day
9:30 p.m. – 12:30 a.m. Women’s Semifinals ESPN2 LIVE
Thurs., Jan. 25 3:30 – 6 a.m. Men’s Semifinal #1 ESPN LIVE
3 – 6 p.m. Men’s Semifinal #1 ESPN2 reair
MID – 1 a.m. Semifinals Highlights ESPN2 Same-day
Fri., Jan. 26 3:30 – 6 a.m. Men’s Semifinal #2 ESPN LIVE
3 – 6 p.m. Men’s Semifinal #2 ESPN2 reair
9:30 – 11:30 p.m. Women’s Final ESPN2 LIVE
Sun. Jan. 28 3:30 – 6:30 a.m. Men’s Final ESPN2 LIVE
Noon – 3 p.m. Men’s Final ESPN2 reair