The yearly tennis calendar is absolutely packed with tournaments taking place all over the world, with the sport’s men and women striving to scale the heights of the international rankings. One of the most important (and most entertaining) tournaments on that schedule is, of course, the Australian Open - which takes place every January-February in Melbourne, Victoria.

Now is certainly the time of year to start thinking about booking tickets, flights, and accommodation if you really want a slice of the action, however! It’s fun watching tennis’s biggest names smash aces on TV, but nothing quite beats seeing it up close. And, thankfully, tennis fans have big games and championships spread out pretty evenly across the year. It all kicks off here, however!

When travelling down under, if you’re coming from afar, it’s a really good idea to make sure you’ve always got a way to contact your loved ones if you need to. Plus, you never know what else you might need mobile data for! So, it’s always worthwhile taking that stress off your plate with a fantastic, flexible eSIM from SIMOVO - and we’ll take you through more reasons why a little later on.

What is the Australian Open?

The Australian Open, in the tennis world, is an annual tournament that takes place every January-February time, and has done so since all the way back in 1905. Tennis buffs will likely know that the tournament takes place on two different types of court - hard and grass - and that it makes up just one of the four major Grand Slam tournaments in the yearly calendar.

In 2026, it’ll take place between 12th January and 1st February, meaning now really is the time to start buying and booking if you’re serious about being in the crowds.

It’s not to be confused with other sporting events and tournaments called the Australian Open that take place across the year! There are actually badminton, golf, squash, pro wrestling, surfing, and even bowls competitions that carry the same name!

The AO has the nickname of “The Happy Slam”, and as it takes place in the lower hemisphere at the very start of the year, it’s certainly never a chilly affair. 

It’s here at the AO, too, that you’ll find some of the biggest names in the sport have really made their mark over the years. When it comes to the Men’s tournament, Novak Djokovic is easily the most-decorated champion of them all, but Jannik Sinner will be heading the 2026’s tournament to try and make it three in a row. All-time greats Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have also dominated here. Spare a thought for Andy Murray, however, who made it to the final of the Australian Open five times, but never clinched the win.

The Women’s Australian Open is a little more diverse when it comes to the honour roll. Madison Keys, Aryna Sabalenka, and Naomi Osaka are just three of the household names who have dominated down under in the past decade, though Serena Williams has triumphed here more times than most in recent times. Heading back further, Martina Hingis managed an impressive three Opens in a row back in the late 1990s, a run that hasn’t been beaten since.

Who’s Going to Win the 2026 Australian Open?

Even this close to the tournament opening, odds are still split, though Jannik Sinner appears the most likely to claim the title for a third time in the Men’s, and Aryna Sabalenka appears to be the favourite in the Women’s, eyeing a shot at claiming back her title from Madison Keys.

However, in the Men’s, Sinner is up against stiff competition from Carlos Alcaraz, the ever-looming legend of Novak Djokovic, and Alexander Zverev.

In the Women’s, Sabalenka will likely need to fight against the likes of Iga Świątek, Elena Rybakina, and Coco Gauff for a shot at the singles title. Świątek, in particular, has won multiple Grand Slams and isn’t one to be underestimated. 

Time, of course, will tell as to who will take home the spoils at this year’s Australian Open. In the meantime, however, it’s worth getting yourself ready to jet off and see all the action unfold for yourself!

Grab an Australian eSIM and See All the Action for Yourself

While you’ll probably want to spend most of your time actually watching the tennis when you travel, it’s still worth making sure you have plenty of internet data coverage for your phone and any other devices just in case you need it. After all, you never know when you might want to share some of the action with friends and family, or when you might need to use GPS to find your way around Melbourne.

SIMOVO’s Australia eSIMs give you between 1GB and 50GB of data for between seven and 180 days respectively, meaning you’ve always got more than enough coverage to socialise from afar, stream music, and stay safely connected on the go. Once activated, as soon as you land in Australia, you’ll be connected to up to 5G speeds on the Optus network.

If you know you’ll need more data each day and prefer it to refresh every 24 hours, you’ll also want to check out our unlimited Australia eSIMs, which give you between 500MB and 3GB a day for up to 30 days. That’s more than enough time to stay covered for mobile data for the whole of the Australian Open!

One of the best reasons to invest in an eSIM before the Australian Open is the simple fact you pay for all the data you want upfront! There’s no risk of escalating bills or additional mobile usage charges you won’t be expecting.

That means you can take one extra worry off your plate while you sit back and enjoy the court action. The Australian Open is unfolding soon, so make sure to add an eSIM to your must-buy list before you head off.