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The Australian Open that started with relentless talk about Novak Djokovic’s visa saga will finally come to life with some tennis on January 17.

The draw has been made and soon the action on the pitch, not on the pitch, is what the fans will be waiting for.

In England, there is bound to be a lot of excitement surrounding Emma Raducanu, who got off to a rocky start to 2022 with a crushing loss to Elena Rybakina.

The US Open champion suffered a poor draw, facing Sloane Stephens in the first round. This marks the first time he has played against a fellow major winner in a slam.

Cam Norrie and Dan Evans will also draw interest from the UK, where coverage is produced by discovery+ and featured at Eurosport. Former England number 1 Tim Henman will be one of the pundits from week two and is expected to ask questions about The Cube, which is described as a “tremendous piece of technology” that moves athletes and pundits into the studio.

You’ve probably seen pictures of The Cube circulating on social media. It makes the athlete appear to be standing next to the interviewer, when in reality they are still on the field or from anywhere in the world.

“For me, the best thing about this is it’s a very powerful storytelling tool,” said Scott Young, Senior Vice President of Content and Production, Discovery sport. “We can move athletes and players anywhere in the world. We have green screens posted on the Melbourne side of the pitch or if you are Boris [Becker] in Germany, we can take you around The Cube as if you were standing there.

“It’s a very powerful tool: if you’re sitting at home, you’re just sitting there watching two people talk.”

There will be other familiar faces in the studio, including the recently retired Johanna Konta and Mischa Zverev, the man who charmed Andy Murray in Melbourne in 2017.

No.8 seed Casper Ruud will also be part of the press team, in addition to his playing duties, although how often he appears will depend on how far he progresses.

Coverage will be further enhanced with Hawkeye data, which allows match moments to be recreated and analyzed using visual aids.

Of course, all of this preparation has been affected by the pandemic, but not as much as last year, when parts of the Australian Open were played behind closed doors. Member of Invention Teams that have traveled from Europe will have to self-isolate for 14 days, which will not be a requirement this time around.

In fact, most of the people on the pitch, with a team of around 40, are already based in Australia.

How to watch Australian Open

• Date: Monday, January 17 – Sunday, January 30
• UK start time: The daytime session is scheduled to start at midnight (GMT), while the evening session starts at 8am and ends around 12pm.
• Television channels: Eurosport 1 (Sky canal 410, BT 435, Virgin 521), Eurosport 2 (Sky 411, BT 436, Virgin 522)
• Live broadcast: Special online sports subscription plans available for £6.99 per month

The point is, when the ball is first hit, the world may not forget the Djokovic affair but put him aside for the time being. It remains to be seen whether their participation, or their lack of participation, has an impact on view counts, for better or for worse.

“When we start each season, part of our marketing plan is to make sure everyone is aware that the tennis season is about to start,” Young added. “I think it’s fair to say that the box is ticked. Everyone knows very well that the Australian Open is on its way.

“Novak is the number one player in the world and we would love to see him play tennis whenever he can but what happens depends on the Australian government. The Tennis Grand Slam is one of the golden sporting events we host throughout our season. There’s always a passion for playing the best – that’s our approach as sports broadcasters. Whether this has attracted more attention, time will tell.

“The tennis crowd is just looking forward to the start of tennis. Once the competition starts, that’s the narrative.”

Watch the 2022 Australian Open live on discovery+, Eurosport and the Eurosport app.