Roger Federer will start as favourite to defend his title, having beaten Rafael Nadal in an epic five-set final 12 months ago.

But the Spaniard ended up with two of the other three Grand Slam titles in 2017 and finished the year as world No 1, giving him top seed billing at this year’s tournament.

His participation had been under threat after a knee injury forced him out of the first two tournaments of his season, but two exhibitions and a practice match win over Dominic Thiem prior to the tournament put fans at ease over his fitness.

So how can you make sure you don’t miss a minute of Australian Open action?

Australian Open 2018 TV channel

The live coverage of the tennis in the UK has been exclusively taken up by Eurosport UK.

The Discovery-owned channel will show live action across Eurosport 1 and 2 throughout the fortnight.

The BBC also usually show the final and may negotiate deals to show the semi-final if British No 1 Andy Murray is involved. However, with the Scot already out after hip surgery, it is likely only the final will make terrestrial TV.

Australian Open 2018 live stream

Sky Sports subscribers with Eurosport access on their TV used to be able to access the Discovery-owned channels via Sky Go.

However, that deal has expired and now viewers who want to watch the Australian Open online will have to buy a Eurosport Player pass.

Day passes cost £4.99 while an annual pass cost £29.99 and gives you access to both channels on a range of devices all year round.