Can you hear the crowds cheering, the thwack of tennis balls coming from Melbourne Park?

Hooray, the first grand slam of the season is set to get underway today with the start of the 2024 Australian Open.

If you're ready to spend two weeks glued to the TV watching from home (or work), or you're attending the tournament in person, here's everything you need to know about tuning into the action.

When does it start?

Today!

The two week tournament begins on Sunday, January 14 and closes with the men's final on Sunday, January 28.

This year, the Australian Open will begin on a Sunday — a day earlier than usual to become a 15-day event for the first time. 

The main reason for this is to reduce the pressure on players and fans from late-night finishes.

Just cast your mind back to last year's second round match against Andy Murray and Thanasi Kokkinakis — it lasted almost six hours and didn't finish until after 4am. 

What time do gates open?

For those of you lucky enough to watch the action live from Melbourne Park, gates will open at 10am AEDT for the morning session and 5pm AEDT for the evening session.

How can I watch the Australian Open?

For those watching from home, games will be shown on free to air on Channel 9, with every court being streamed online on 9Now and Stan Sport. 

If you're unable to watch it, ABC Grandstand will be calling the action via the Listen app and abc.net.au/sport, while ABC Sport digital will be blogging every minute of the action from Melbourne Park.

Who is playing at the Australian Open?

Some of the biggest stars will hit the courts this year, including world No.1 Novak Djokovic, world No.1 Iga Świątek, the 2023 Australian Open women's champion and world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, and 2023 Wimbledon champion and World No.2 Carlos Alcaraz.

This year's Australian Open also marks the return of four-time grand slam winner Naomi Osaka. 

Plus plenty of other top-ranked players who are vying for the grand slam champion title including Daniil Medvedev (#3), Jannik Sinner (#4), last year's runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas (#7), Coco Gauff (#4), and Ons Jabeur (#6).

After planning to play in this year's Australian grand slam, Rafael Nadal will be sitting out of the tournament after suffering an injury at the Brisbane International.

If you're eager to cheer on your fellow countrymen, here are the Aussie males in the main draw:

• Alex de Minaur (world number 10)
• Alexei Popyrin (43)
• Max Purcell (45)
• Jordan Thompson (47)
• Aleksandar Vukic (63)
• Thanasi Kokkinakis (68)
• Rinky Hijikata (70)
• Christopher O'Connell (71)
• James Duckworth (Wildcard)
• Marc Polmans (Wildcard)
• Adam Walton (Wildcard)
• Jason Kubler (Wildcard)
• James McCabe (Wildcard)
• Dane Sweeny (257)
• Omar Jasika (341)

And here are the Aussie women in the main draw:

• Kimberly Birrell (world number 117)
• Olivia Gadecki (121)
• Storm Hunter (179)
• Daria Saville (195)
• Taylah Preston (203)
• Ajla Tomljanovic (275 — but is using her protected ranking of 33 in the tournament)

Can you bring your own food to the Australian Open?

You sure can.

But just note that, eskies, hampers, and containers bigger than 1.5 litres are not permitted. Food and drinks in glass, cans, or ceramic containers are also not permitted.

You also can't bring in your own alcohol — so if you're wondering how much a beer costs at the AO, you can expect to pay a little over $13 (that was last year's cost).

Keep in mind the tournament is entirely cashless.