The most watched and attended tennis event on Earth. Asia Pacific's only Grand Slam, the AO is a homegrown Melbourne story loved by fans and players alike.
This is tennis like you’ve never seen it – where fans are invited to make some noise to celebrate their nation and team of choice. It’s a festival of international tennis that’s turned up in all the right ways. A platform where brands are invited to play as hard as the champions on court.
Brisbane, Adelaide, and Hobart host major tournaments featuring the world’s top players. These international events are chances for fans to get up close and personal with players, and act as iconic calendar moments for their host cities.
ANIMATED
FEEDS
We saw true cultural cut-through from our innovative mixed-reality experience. Overlaying skeletal data with animations, this new format was livestreamed globally on the year-round AO YouTube channel.
ENTER THE
BLUE ZONE
AO Bluezone is a groundbreaking medium that reinvents AO fan engagement. Featuring 6 hours of influencer-driven, behind-the-scenes access per day, plus interactive features, and updates from around the grounds, this is tennis coverage like never before.
THE FUTURE
IS FAST
Fans now demand access to content on their terms – anywhere and anytime. AO25 saw the launch of Tennis+, our new FAST channel that provides 24/7 streaming tennis content within the TV ecosystem.
PLAYER
DIARY ROOM
United Cup fans are as interested in the off-court stories and dramas as the on-court action. United Cup features the Player Diary Room – where tea is spilled and fans get a new view of the personalities behind the performance.
player
cams
For the first time, United Cup featured live cams that let fans experience the tournament through players’ eyes.
MOST-WATCHED EVENT
IN JANUARY
AO reigned supreme in January broadcast, with more viewers than any other event to start the year.
MORE CAMERAS
THAN EVER BEFORE
UNITING FANS
EVERYWHERE
As an event that harnesses the national pride of fans around the world, United Cup 2025 saw strong performance in global broadcast. With more viewers than ever, the tournament’s reach was strengthened with 13 powerful new broadcast partnerships.
CHINA
COVERAGE
For the first time in history, United Cup 2025 was broadcast live on CCTV in China – harnessing the explosion of tennis fans in the region.
AO ADVENTURE
ON ROBLOX
This year, our metaverse experience was the #2 branded sports experience on the platform. Updates for 2025 included the Ralph Lauren Ball Kids’ Uniform and Emirates Flight School.
AO
startups
Our pioneering program enables startup companies to pilot cutting-edge technology during the Summer of Tennis – and within Tennis Australia’s business. 2025 saw our strongest pipeline yet.
AO VENTURES
AO Ventures is our first venture capital fund, established to provide early backing to high-growth, technology-led startups that are innovating in the worlds of sport, entertainment, media and health.
TEAM
ZONE
Our innovative on-court zone allows captains and players to cheer each other on, with players supporting the on-court action. The Team Zone also provides captains with real-time statistics, data and insights to inform their strategy.
STRATEGIC
TIMEOUTS
New for 2025, United Cup teams can call for one 60-second mid-match break to discuss tactics and confer strategy – adding excitement and drama to mixed doubles matches.
Our precinct came alive with music like never before in 2025. AO Live featured a full-scale music festival with a new focus on showstopping headliners, plus stages and spaces for music from DJs to unplugged acts. We elevated the music experience for fans across every demographic.
GARDEN SQUARE
AO LIVE featured a stage for Melbourne’s up-and-coming artists space to play.
TOPCOURT
centre stage
A high energy programme of mic-drop moments at TOPCOURT, AO’s new Gen Z zone.
AO live
presents
AO LIVE Presents saw three days of sold-out shows, with headliners including Benson Boone, Kaytranada and Kesha.
GRAND SLAM OVAL
Melbourne's top DJs provided the soundtrack to Grand Slam Oval – the ‘summer days, summer nights’ inspired festival zone at the AO.
Our innovative new format gave fans the chance to go up against pros. One point. One moment to win it all.
EMIRATES
BALLPARK
Back for 2025, Emirates Ballpark took the family experience to new heights with a blend of kids’ entertainment and tennis.
red bull
bassline
What happens when tennis meets music? Red Bull Bassline brought pros head-to-head with a soundtrack of DJ beats – and no umpire.
AO Reserve is a reinvention of our Premium Experience offering. For 2025 we used data to create tiered access for a wider range of fan segments, from attainable luxury up to highly exclusive experiences. From curated spaces, menus and experiences to exclusive court-side access and premium seating, this is the very best the AO has to offer.
club
1905
Our most prestigious hospitality experience – the name paying homage to the AO’s illustrious history.
turning work
into play
AO Reserve is the ultimate B2B hosting platform – designed for unforgettable networking moments.
Fan-first
design
Using detailed segmentation data, we designed every AO precinct zone for specific fan groups – and finding the most relevant places to integrate our partners. The result is a collection of self-contained worlds that connect more meaningfully with every audience demographic.
BEST-IN-CLASS
ACTIVATIONS
AO25 was a festival of creativity. Branded experiences for every fan segment heightened the AO experience and showcased the cutting edge of experiential design.
OPENING
WEEK
The AO is now a true three-week event, giving the 116k fans who came through the gates in Opening Week a chance to get closer to the action and witness the very start of the AO story.
Every day throughout AO main draw, TOPCOURT buzzed with a packed schedule of gaming, beauty, live entertainment, exclusive food and drink offerings – with pop-ups from the brands of the moment.
Designed specifically for Gen Z, TOPCOURT is a high-energy site where sport, digital media, and pop culture collide.
game
Game On: powered by Fortress was a digital gaming wonderland for the future sports fan.
slay
Centre Stage saw local icons Louis Hanson and Lavender Baj hosting performances and entertainment daily.
glow
MECCA Summer Club was the ultimate beauty oasis where fans could reset, refresh and try the most-hyped beauty of the season.
BUILT TO
TURN TENNIS UP
Set across Sydney and Perth, the United Cup has two precincts that are designed with one purpose: encourage fans to turn up, get behind players, and make more noise at a tennis match than they ever have before.
This is tennis turned up to 11 – with zones for fans to show their support and soak up the atmosphere in equal quantity.
live
site
Tourism WA created a live entertainment site outside the arena featuring installations, media moments, photo opportunities, kids’ games, and food trucks.
For fans who want to take it easy, United Cup Terrace is the perfect spot to unwind with an Aperol Spritz.
IN-HOUSE PRODUCT
INNOVATION
Each year the AO welcomes audiences with ever-more-diverse interests, passions, and needs. Our in-house product design team uses data to guide the development of new food and beverage items, exclusively available on AO channels – combining user-centric design with ambitious commercial goals.
BUILT TO
COLLABORATE
The AO brand is designed to be a truly open space for co-branded retail and merchandise products. AO25 featured new collaborations ranging from expanded apparel lines with Ralph Lauren and New Balance, to purpose-built luggage with July.
retail range
growth
Fan-favourite AO merchandise was back, bigger and better. The expanded collection included new lines in athleisure, collectibles, homeware, and even an AO-first pet accessories collection. 2025 saw more than 94k headwear items, 45k tennis balls, 20k drink bottles and 9k match day items being purchased by enthusiastic fans.
AO
BASELINE
Athleisure collection for the court and beyond.
JULY x AO
One-of-a-kind luggage designed for life off-court.
Hits Different isn’t just a marketing tagline. It’s a crystallisation of everything that makes the AO the most-loved Grand Slam. 2025 saw a revamped version of our Hits Different creative campaign, further extending its connection to culture.
HOSTING THE
A-LIST
AO25 attracted celebrities from all walks of life. From Liam Hemsworth to Jackie Chan, Tyra Banks to Mark Lee, the precinct was a who’s who of personalities creating and amplifying stories for our partners.
For 2025, we revamped and extended United Cup’s ‘Tennis Turned Up’ campaign with messaging that encouraged players and fans to ‘turn up the rivalry’.
INTERNATIONAL
colour
United Cup took a full community-minded approach to marketing, engaging with CALD groups to create genuine connections across Australia. The tournaments were living proof of our efforts, with Polish and Chinese ticket holders coming in full national dress, Croatians in water polo hats, and Jasmine Paolini entering the arena to a sea of Italian flags.
SPEAKING THE
LANGUAGE OF TENNIS
For the first time, we ran local-language translations of our main campaign – inspiring pride across countries and communities.
GLOBAL
pr
United Cup 2025 created stories across social media – with Coco Gauff’s debut at the tournament making the most noise.
The Internationals are a celebration of fan passion across Australia’s cities. The events are amplified by a campaign that is all about tapping into the sights and sounds of Australia’s cities as the tournaments touch down.
AN UNLIKELY
DUO
Nick Kyrgios and Novak Djokovic made global headlines as they teamed up as a doubles partnership at the Brisbane International.
PLAYERS
ON TOUR
More than just tennis tournaments, the Adelaide, Hobart and Brisbane Internationals are opportunities for players to act as ambassadors for host cities, using their social feeds to tell local stories.
CIRCULAR
THINKING
As an event that creates record crowd numbers each year, the AO is working hard to reduce the intensity of our impact on resources. This has involved rethinking how we use materials from the ground up – with a shift from linear to circular design in which everything that can be reused is, and waste is minimised.
CDS
VICTORIA
Our innovative partnership with the Victorian Container Deposit Scheme aims to reduce waste, promote recycling and support grassroot tennis communities across the state.
REDUCING
THE CLUTTER
Supported by our partners, we have removed 100,000 giveaways from circulation across the precinct. We also collect and separate the ‘hard to recycle’ materials that cannot be substituted.
KIA EV
FLEET
During the AO, 50 fully electric KIA EVs transport players and guests around Melbourne. Kia EVs are charged via our renewable energy.
Hot Shots kick-starts kids’ tennis journey. The AO is a powerful platform to bring Hot Shots to a global audience – with moments appearing across broadcast and social.
AO25 hosted the inaugural Pickleball Slam, transforming Court 3 into the centre of one of the world’s fastest-growing sports. The event featured a $100,000 prize pool.
red bull
rally pro
With Red Bull, we brought the world's best Padel players to this adrenaline-charged tournament at TOPCOURT, with exhibition matches, surprises, and more.
HOT SHOTS AT
UNITED CUP
1.75M kids aged 5-12 in Australia are interested to start playing tennis – but have yet to pick up a racquet. United Cup 2025 helped to inspire the next generation to start their tennis journey with Hot Shots activations that let them learn life skills, make new friends and improve their health along the way.
POWERED
BY PASSION
Our International events are made possible by the dedication and passion of volunteers from the local community – from the Ballkids at each match, to the hosts around our grounds.
the most inclusive
sports event in the world
The AO is a reflection of Australia’s tennis culture – the most inclusive, welcome, and accessible sport on Earth. With inclusivity-boosting initiatives and events, the message at AO25 was clear: this event is for everyone.
With origins in Victoria’s tennis club network, Glam Slam is Australia’s largest LGBTQI+ tournament. The event aims to shift the discrimination this community faces in sport.
30 YEARS OF
INCLUSIVITY
Hobart International celebrates 30 years with its first ever Inspirational Series, presented by three female global leaders.
first nations
trophies
The Adelaide International honours First Nations people with trophies made from red gum and mulga hardwood, by Master Carver Patrick Ikaringanyi Ferguson.
ALL ABILITIES
DAYS
A safe and welcome tennis experience for people with vision, hearing, mobility, sensory, or intellectual disabilities.
SOCIAL
UPLIFT
The AO is a true Melbourne success story. And the economic impact of the event can be felt across the city – with communities and businesses seeing significant uplift generated by visitors to the event.
ATF
BRIGHTER DAYS
The Australian Tennis Foundation inspires disadvantaged children and young people through tennis. Now in its third consecutive year, the Brighter Days program offers families a unique opportunity to experience the excitement of the Australian Open and other lead-in events in their local cities.
AO CHARITY
MATCHES
In the build-up to the AO, players seek all the match practice they can get. There’s no better way to prepare than with blockbuster charity matches that pit the stars of the game against each other – and see all proceeds going to charity via the ATF.
