Sony Sports signs Hyundai Ioniq 5, Samsonite as sponsors for Australian Open

3 min read . Updated: 12 Jan 2023, 02:26 PM IST Varuni Khosla

This will mark the return of the network's live tennis studio show, ‘Extraaa Serve’,

Sony Sports Network has signed Panasonic as an associate sponsor for the upcoming event

Broadcaster Sony Sports Network, which will air the Australian Open this month across its channels and OTT app SonyLiv, said it has roped in sponsors like Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Samsonite as co-presenting sponsors and Panasonic as an associate sponsor for the upcoming open.

This will mark the return of the network's live tennis studio show, ‘Extraaa Serve’, hosted by Arpit Sharma, Extraaa Serve will feature Olympian, Commonwealth Games Gold Medalist and Indian tennis player, Somdev Devvarman, former tennis player Gaurav Natekar and Davis Cup player Purav Raja. In addition to this the Hindi commentary for the tournament will be provided by Natekar, Manish Batavia & Atish Thukral.

Top-seeded players, including the returning Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Daniil Medvedev, and Stefanos Tsitsipas will all be part of the men’s singles draw.

In the women’s singles, World No 1 Iga Świątek will enter the tournament as a favourite but will face stiff competition from the likes of Ons Jabeur, Jessica Pegula and Caroline Garcia who will be strong contenders. Players like Casper Ruud, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Holger Rune, among others, will also look to make their mark on the court. However, the cynosure of all eyes will be India’s very own Sania Mirza, who will team up with Anna Danilina in her final appearance at the Australian Open before retiring.

The broadcaster launched its 'Slam Of The Greats' campaign, which pays homage to the ‘Greats of Tennis in this Era’, such as Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, Ashleigh Barty and other tennis legends while also highlighting the rise of a new young crop of tennis stars vying to leave their mark on the tournament in their path for greatness themselves.

With the retirement of Federer and Barty, Australian Open 2023 will mark the dawn of a new era and witness the rise of players like Daniil Medvedev, Iga Świątek, Nick Kyrgios, and more.

Rajesh Kaul, chief revenue officer, distribution and head of sports business, for the network here said: “We are the home of tennis in India and the Australian Open is the first of three Grand Slams along with Roland Garros and US Open that will be live telecast throughout the year on Sony Sports Network. Over the years the Open has consistently been the most watched tennis Grand Slam in India with almost 23 million viewers tuning in to watch our television coverage of the tournament in 2022. Roland Garros and US Open have also experienced dramatic growth in viewership after moving to Sony Sports Network."

Devvarman added: “Djokovic's return to the Open has got the tennis fans around the world excited, including here in India. I am looking forward to seeing what's in store because there's plenty of good storylines to follow. While the greats attract the attention they deserve, this year will mark the dawn of a new era with young players like Iga Świątek, Casper Ruud, Daniil Medvedev, Coco Gauff, and Nick Kyrgios coming into focus who will move on to be included in the greats of tennis in the coming years as Grand Slam champions. "

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Varuni Khosla

Varuni Khosla is a journalist with close to 14 years of experience in writing business news stories for mainstream newspaper companies like Mint and The Economic Times. She reports and writes on luxury and lifestyle brands, hospitality and tourism news, the business of sports, the business of advertising and marketing and alcohol brands.