When does Andy Murray play at the Australian Open 2023?

The Australian Open is underway and tennis fans want to know when does Andy Murray play in the tournament?

The first Grand Slam of 2023 is here and among the sports fans wondering when does the Australian Open start are those keen to know the schedule and when their favourite players will be taking to the court.

Former world number one Andy Murray has drawn much interest among tennis fans, both in his personal and professional life. While his fans asked how many children does Andy Murray have, after he and wife Kim Sears welcomed another child following a secretive pregnancy, now all the focus is on his tennis career, with many asking when does Andy Murray play in the Australian Open, who is his opponent and could he win?

When does Andy Murray play at the Australian Open 2023?

Andy Murray's first match of the Australian Open takes place on Tuesday 17 January. He is playing in the day session at the Rod Laver arena, in one of three matches scheduled to take place during the daytime session at that arena.

The match comes after Murray's win against world number 24 Alex de Minaur from Australia in the lead up event that takes place before the Australian Open, the Kooyong Classic.

Speaking after the match, Murray said: "I like the conditions here, I'm hitting the ball well and moving well. When I do that my tennis tends to be good.

"I'll focus the next couple of days on maintaining and hopefully having a good run [at the Open].

"Since the US Open I've put in a lot of work. If I can get through a few rounds I don't see why I can't do well."

What time does Andy Murray play?

No exact time has been set for Andy Murray's first match of the Australian Open. However, we do know that the day session begins at 12am GMT, and Murray's match is the last of the three matches in this session.

This means that Andy Murray is likely to be playing in the early hours of the morning on Tuesday 17 January. This is due to the time difference between the UK and Melbourne, which is 11 hours ahead.

Who is Andy Murray playing at the Australian Open?

Andy Murray's first match of the Australian Open will be against Italy's Matteo Berrettini. Berrettini is currently ranked world number 14 and is 13th seed in the tournament, so it's likely to be a tough match for Murray.

The Italian beat Murray in the third round of the US Open back in September, and last year reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open. He also made it to the Wimbledon final in 2021, but was defeated by Novak Djokovic.

Despite the Berrettini's three consecutive wins over Murray, the Scottish tennis star has said: "[It's] Obviously a tough draw. But I also feel like I'm in a much better place than where I was during any of the Slams last year coming into it.

"I know how I feel today in comparison to where I felt going into the US Open and I'm playing better, physically I'm in a better place. 

"I think certainly from four or five years ago I didn't expect that I would still be playing at this level and maybe still feeling like I can improve from where I'm at when I was 35, 36 years old."

He added: "I feel well prepared, I feel ready to play a top player early in the event."

Whoever wins the match on Tuesday will go on to play either Australia's Thanasi Kokkinakis or Italy's Fabio Fognini in the second round on Thursday 19 January.

What channel is the Andy Murray match on?

In the UK, the Australian Open is available to watch live on Eurosport, but you need a subscription to Discovery+ to be able to watch.

The subscription costs £6.99 per month or £59.99 per year and can be bought on the Discovery+ website.

Sky TV customers already enjoying the 12-months’ Discovery+ Entertainment pass will now be able to access the Discovery+ Entertainment and Sport service on an ongoing basis as part of their Sky TV package.

However, the BBC will also be providing some coverage of the Australian Open, on the BBC Sport website and app, as well as radio coverage on BBC Radio 5.

Which other British tennis players are at the Australian Open in 2023?

Cameron Norrie is the highest ranking British player at the Australian Open 2023, and is seeded eleventh. On Monday 16 January, Norrie made it through to the second round after beating France's Luca Van Assche. He won the match 7-6 (7-3) 6-0 6-3.

Also competing for Britain in the Australian Open is Emma Raducanu in the women's singles, along with Dan Evans in the men's tournament.

Raducanu is through to the second round after defeating Germany's Tamara Korpatsch and will next play against seventh seed Coco Gauff from the US on Wednesday 18 January. 

Evans will play his first match on Tuesday 17 January, where he will face world number 90 Facundo Bagnis, from Greece.

Harriet Dart left the tournament after a first round loss to Switzerland's Jil Teichmann, as did Jack Draper after losing to top seed Rafael Nadal. Kyle Edmund is also out after round one, having lost his match against Italy's Jannik Sinner.

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