It was the 2014 Australian Open that ushered in some changes at the top of the men’s and women’s tennis world.

When Ana Ivanovic upset Serena Williams in the round of 16, 2014 began an uneven year for the world No. 1, who also suffered early exits at the French Open and Wimbledon, before she regained her form and captured the U.S. Open. In between, former Slam champions Maria Sharapova  (French) and Petra Kvitova (Wimbledon) added majors, while Simona Halep and Eugenie Bouchard burst onto the scene.

Ivanovic’s victory in Melbourne Park opened the door for Li Na to take home the title. With the Chinese player retiring from the sport, a new woman will be crowned Aussie queen.

Stan Wawrinka beat three-time defending champion Novak Djovokic in the quarterfinals, returning the favor for a marathon loss against the Serb Down Under in 2013. The long-time No. 2 Swiss player then surprised Rafael Nadal to win the championship.

Bookending the year of upsets, Martin Cilic, who will miss the Happy Slam with ani njury, beat the rising Japanese player Kei Nishikora  in the final of the U.S. Open. Wawrinka and Cilic thus joined 2009 U.S. Open king, Juan Martin Del Potro, who also had to withdraw on the eve of the tourney with his lingering left wrist problem, as the only men to interrupt the decade-long Grand Slam domination of the "Big 4": Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Andy Murray.

This year, world No. 1 Djoker and No. 4 Wawrinka could meet in a semfinal rubber match, while a recovering-from-multiple injuries Nadal might see old foe Roger Federer in the bottom half.

How happy would executives at the worldwide leader be if that form held at the Happy Slam. Starting on Sunday, Jan. 18 at 7 p.m., ESPN 2 and ESPN will combine to present more than 100 live hours on television, while ESPN3 will serve up to 800 more digitally, as fans will be able to choose from action on up to 13 courts.  ESPN’s 31st consecutive Australian Open will culminate with the women’s and men’s championships live on ESPN at 3 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 31, and Sunday, Feb. 1, with an encore presentation Super Bowl morning at 9 a.m.

As part of its Grand Slam alliance with ESPN, Tennis Channel is in the game Down Under for an eighth consecutive year. Tennis Channel will have 11 consecutive days and 40 hours of live coverage. Adding encore replays, highlights, a special preview and the new daily preview show Live at the Australian Open, the network will devote close to 200 hours over the fortnight.

Under their alliance, ESPN produces the Australian Open for both networks, with each utilizing its own commentators and cross-promoting their combined television offerings. Conversely, Tennis handles production when the networks play as a doubles team at Roland Garros.

Unlike many Grand Slams, the 2015 Australian features several intriguing opening-round battles. Nishikora will battle former top 10 player Nicolas Almagro, while Nadal meets the veteran Mikhail Youzny.

Distaff interest will center on the former two-time champion Victoria Azarenka’s encounter with Sloane Stephens, a rematch of their controversial and contentious 2013 semifinal that followed the American's elimination of her idol Williams. By the by, Azarenka, Stephens former world No. 2 Vera Zvonareva, Williams' 2014 French and Wimbledon conquerors Garbine Muguruz and Alize Cornet, plus Jelena Jankovic and Dominica Hantuchova are all in Serena’s part of the draw.

Williams, should she survive her perilous path, could meet friend Caroline Wozniacki -- seeded eighth but suffering from a wrist injury -- in the quarters. A Williams' title would be her 19th singles Slam, surpassing the 18 trophies also held by Chris Evert and Martina Navritilova. Fourth-seeded Kvitova is slated to meet No. 6 Aga Radwanska in the other quarter in the top half of the draw.

The bottom half features the possible confrontation between Halep and Ivanovic, this year’s third and fifth seeds. The last quarter could showcase the telegenic twosome of No. 2 Sharapova and  Bouchard, the comely Canadian, who succumbed to Na in last year’s semis.

On the men’s side, if the seeds hold up, Djokovic would meet No.8  Milos Raonic, the hard-serving Canadian, and Wawrinka would engage his U.S. Open vanquisher, No. 5 Nishikori.

In the bottom half, No. 3 Nadal’s path would take him into No. 7 Tomas Berdych, while the second-seeded Federer might match with No. 6 Murray, who lost to the Swiss in last year’s quarters and the 2010 final and to Djokovic in the 2011 and 2013 championship matches.

Shoule Nole or Fed win they would set the Open era record with five men's Down Under diadems.

ESPN2 tosses the first ball into TV play on Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. (ET) and will present daily, marathon, overnight telecasts from Melbourne, primarily starting at 9 p.m. through the women’s semifinals. At the money end of the tourney, coverage switches to ESPN (see schedule below). WatchESPN, now available to some 75 million homes, will stream all of the action on the two networks to authenticated viewers.

The worldwide leader is bringing its veteran tennis team Down Under: Australians Cliff Drysdale and Darren Cahill; the McEnroe brothers, Patrick and John, and three named Chris: Fowler, Evert and McKendry. Additionally, former players and coaches Pam Shriver, Mary Jo Fernandez, Brad Gilbert and Jason Goodall are scheduled to appear, as will essayist Tom Rinaldi.

As it does with the other majors, Tennis Channel will introduce a review/preview show with this year’s Aussie tourney.

Hosted by Emmy Award winner Brett Haber, Hall of Famers Jim Courier and Navratilova, and Sports Illustrated’s Jon Wertheim  Live at the Australian Open will air most nights from 6 p.m.-7 p.m. immediately preceding the start of the day’s play Down Under. 

The network’s on-air team also includes Bill Macatte, Justin Gimelstob and Lindsey Davenport.

Tennis' schedule calls for 11 consecutive days spanning 40 hours of live coverage at this year’s Australian Open (see schedule). With encore replays, highlights, a special preview and the new Live at the Australian Open, the network plans to present some 200 hours linear hours.

Hybrid digital service, Tennis Channel Plus, combining TVE accessibility and bonus match coverage, will home in on one court during the tournament's second week, streaming the action to its subscriber base.

ESPN AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2015 (all time ET)

Tennis Channel’s Live Australian Open Coverage (all times ET)

Date                                                    Time                           Event                                                 

Sunday, Jan. 18                                   6 p.m.-7 p.m.              Pre-Tournament Welcome

Monday, Jan. 19                                 6 p.m.-9 p.m.              FirstRound

Tuesday, Jan. 20                                 6 p.m.-9 p.m.              SecondRound

Wednesday, Jan. 21                            6p.m.-9 p.m.              Second Round

Thursday, Jan. 22                               6 p.m.-11 p.m.              ThirdRound

Friday, Jan. 23                                    6 p.m.-9 p.m.              ThirdRound

Saturday, Jan. 24                                6 p.m.-9 p.m.              Round of 16

Sunday, Jan. 25                                   6 p.m.-9 p.m.              Round of 16

Monday, Jan. 26                                 6 p.m.-9 p.m.              Men’s and Women’s Quarterfinals

Tuesday, Jan. 27                                 6 p.m.-9 p.m.              Men’s and Women’s Quarterfinals

Wednesday, Jan. 28                            6p.m.-9:30 p.m.         TBA

Thursday, Jan. 29                               10 p.m.-3:30 a.m.       Mixed Doubles Semifinal, Women’s Doubles Final

Saturday, Jan. 31                                5:30 a.m.-8 a.m.         Men’sDoubles Final

Sunday, Feb. 1                                    12 a.m.-2 a.m.            Mixed Doubles Final

The ATP World Tour Finals title and year-end, No. 1 ranking are on the line in London this week, with Tennis Channel and ESPN 2 covering all the action from the 02 Arena from Nov. 9-16.

Current leader Novak Djokovic is looking for his third straight ATP World Tour Finals crown, while No. 2 Roger Federer is eyeing a record seventh title in this event that could propel him to reclaim the No. 1 ranking.

It’s a long shot for the 33-year-old Federer, who not only has to win the event, but see Djokovic not make it out of the group stage in the eight-man round-robin tournament. Thereafter, Federer and fellow Swiss Stan Wawrinka have to go to France and secure the Davis Cup later this month.

Whether things play out that way on the courts is why tennis fans watch, but the action at 02 culminates a transitional year in the men’s game that saw Wawrinka and Marin Cilic break The Big Four’s stranglehold on the Grand Slams by winning the Australian and U.S. Open, respectively. Djokovic won at Wimbledon, while Rafa Nadal, who is missing the ATP World Tour Finals as he recovers from an appendectomy, affirmed his stature as King of Clay with his ninth title at Roland Garros.

With Nadal and Juan Martin Del Potro injured and David Ferrer slowing, the 2014 ATP World Tour Finals features newcomers in Cilic, the man he topped at the U.S. Open, Kei Nishikori, and hard-serving Canadian Milos Raonic.

In London, the competitors are divided into a pair of fours. Group A features Djokovic (1), Wawrinka (4), Czech Tomas Berdych (7) and Cilic (9).

Federer (2) is joined in Group B by Nishikori (5), Raonic (8) and Andy Murray (6), the Scot and 2013 Wimbledon champion who calls London home.

There is also doubles doings, with the top-seeded Bryan brothers looking to punctuate their 2014 with their 103 title overall and fourth ATP World Tour Finals title, which would be their first since 2009. Mike and Bob will compete against Alexander Peya-Bruno Soares (3), Jean-Julien Rojer-Horia Tecau (5) and Lukasz Kubot-Roberto Lindstedt (9) in Group A.

The No. 2 team of Daniel Nestor, Nenad Zimonjic leads Group B, where they will battle Julien Benneteau-Edouard Roger-Vasselin (4), Marcel Granollers-Marc Lopez (6) and Ivan Dodig-Marcelo Melo (7).

Tennis begins its 120 hours of coverage, including 50 live hours with the Nov. 9 doubles match between Benneteau-Roger-Vasselin and Granollers-Lopez , followed by Nishikori and Murray. The night session from London showcases Nestor-Zimonjic versus Dodig-Melo and Raonic-Federer.  Brett Haber, Tracey Austin, Jimmy Arias and Justin Gimelstob will call the action for Tennis (see schedule below).

ESPN2 gets in the game on Nov. 13, picking up the ball from ESPN3 (see schedule below). The McEnroe Brothers, Patrick and John, will be aided by Darren Cahil from courtside.

Tennis Channel's 2014 ATP World Tour Finals Schedule: (All matches are live unless otherwise indicated.)

ESPN and the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, London

* - Tape delayed from Saturday, live on ESPN3.

If it’s Paris in the spring, then it’s Rafa’s time, right? Perhaps not in 2014.

Rafael Nadal, the eight-time titlist, including the holder of the 2010-13 crowns, enters this year’s French Open maybe not on feet of clay, but looking somewhat vulnerable on his favorite surface. Nadal has only one won clay court tournament this spring, the Madrid Open, and that came as the ascendant Kei Nikishori was forced to retire in the third set with a back injury.

On the ladies’ side, the key question, as always, remains: Can anyone stop Serena Williams if she’s healthy and in form? The younger Williams – big sis Venus is the 29th seed – is looking to defend her 2013 title in which she dominated the 2012 queen Maria Sharapova.

The denouement of these and other storylines – most notably can Novak Djokovic end Rafa’s reign and earn his own career Grand Slam, after narrowly faltering in 2013, when he touched the net and lost a key point in the ninth game of the decisive fifth set --  will be answered over the next fortnight.

For those not fortunate enough to be at Stade Roland Garros, Tennis Channel, ESPN2 and NBC will have just about all the angles covered, as the tournament gets underway on Sunday, May 25, and concludes on the broadcaster’s air on June 8.

All three networks will be in play on opening day with ESPN2 serving first at 5 a.m. (ET), before giving way to Tennis Channel at 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. NBC joins the Parisian party with a three-hour run from noon to 3 p.m.

Together, the networks are scheduled to serve up a collective 127 hours of live and same-day first run action. And when Tennis Channel adds in its encores and French Open Tonight highlights/analysis show from the Musketeer Plaza, fans of the Grand Slam event, who are so inclined, can check in on some action virtually around the clock over the next two weeks.

In addition to the aforementioned clay tales, there are intriguing gender stories on both sides of the net, heading into Roland Garros.

World No. 2 Li Na, this year’s winner in Melbourne and the 2011 French Open titlist, may have the best chance to unseat Williams. She's followed by such other notables as No. 3 Aga Radwanska; fourth-ranked Simona Halep, who has climbed the rankings over the past year; and the diminutive 10th seed Dominka Cibulkova, who lost to Na in the finals of this year’s Australian Open.

The field, which excludes the injured Victoria Azarenka, does include three other French Open winners aside from Williams and Sharapova: Francesca Schiavone (2010), Svetlana Kuznetsova (2009), and Ana Ivanovic (2008). The latter has rounded back into form over the past year.   

Three others to watch: American Sloane Stephens, the No. 16 seed has had a disappointing campaign, but generally puts on a good show at the Slams; the telegenic 20-year-old Canadian Eugenie Bouchard, who reached the semis at the Australian; and Jelena Jankovic, a three-time French semifinalist. The former world No. 1 is on the upswing again.

As for the guys, Switzerland is well-represented with No. 3 Stan Wawrinka looking to add Roland Garros to his major collection: He beat an injured Rafa to claim the 2014 Slam Down Under. Countryman and current world No. 4 Roger Federer, despite going out in his opening match in Rome, has enjoyed a much better 2014, than 2013, campaign. The all-time men’s Slam king is looking to bestow a repeat Parisian present on his wife Mirka: Federer won the 2009 French Open after she had just given birth to twin girls, and the couple recently welcomed twin boys into their family.

Elsewhere, it’s hard to assess where Wimbledon champion Andy Murray stands, as he still is trying to return to consistent former following back surgery late last year. David Ferrer, who made his first Slam final last year, is always a threat to roll deep at Roland Garros and could meet Rafa in the quarters this time around. Nishikori, the first Japanese player to make the ATP top 10, and No. 8 seed Milos Raonic, the 23-year-old Canadian with the booming serve, may also prove interesting on the terra baute.  Seeded 11th, John Isner is the highest-ranked American male.

Herewith is what the networks have in store for viewers from the French over the next couple of weeks:

NBC

Now in its 32nd consecutive year of coverage, the Peacock has reason to strut with the tourney’s marquee matches:  men’s and women’s semifinal action, as well as its “café and croissant” presentations of the business end of the tournament. Ted Robinson, in his 15th French Open, anchors the broadcaster's booth with Mary Carillo and John McEnroe, the Parisian mixed doubles winners from 1977. The trio will make the finals calls on June 7 and June 8, when the winners lift the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen and Coupe des Mousquetaires, respectively.

NBC Sports Live Extra — NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets — will stream the network's French Open coverage. The vast majority of the content will be streamed live via “TV Everywhere,” the media industry’s effort to make quality content available to authenticated customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms.

FRENCH OPEN ON NBC

ESPN

ESPN2 will deliver more and 50 hours of coverage, while broadband service ESPN3 will showcase some 330 hours of action from up to seven courts on the days when the TV network is on the air. ESPN2 and ESPN3 will begin at 5 a.m. most days on weekdays through Thursday, June 5, culminating with the women’s semifinals.

After the opening day, ESPN2’s schedule will continue with an all-live telecast starting at 5 a.m. each day through Friday, May 30, and then again on Monday, June 2.  The network will air live and same-day quarterfinal action Tuesday, June 4, at 1 p.m. and Wednesday, June 5, at 8 a.m.  ESPN2 will air both women’s semifinals live Thursday, June 6, beginning at 9 a.m.

ESPN is bringing most of its veteran tennis on-air team to Paris: Darren Cahill, Chris Evert, Brad Gilbert, Patrick McEnroe, Mary Joe Fernandez, Chris Fowler and Pam Shriver.

TV Everywhere service WatchESPN will live-stream ESPN2’s live coverage of the French Open online at WatchESPN.com, as well as on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app. It also accessible to Xbox LIVE to Gold members, and on Apple TV, Roku and Amazon Fire TV. All told, WatchESPN reaches more than 92 million households nationwide via affiliated video or Internet providers.

2014 French Open on ESPN2 & ESPN2 HD

2014 French Open on ESPN3

Tennis Channel

As the primary rights-holder, the dedicated racquet sports network, which is increasing its reach from 35 million to 50 million homes via freeviews from Dish Network and DirecTV, serves up by far the most French Open coverage.

Now in its seventh year of an alliance in which it exchanges rights to Roland Garros and the Australian Open with ESPN, Tennis is providing the production from the cable side in Paris and benefits from cross-channel promotion with the worldwide leader.

Starting with the opening Sunday through the men's semifinal round Friday, June 6, Tennis will proffer 12 days of live coverage, followed by same-day encore matches during championship weekend. All told, Tennis Channel will air more than 250 round-the-clock hours from this year's Roland Garros –70 of live or first-run matches, almost 60 dedicated to replays and 120 to three-hour nightly show French Open Tonight (37.5 first-run), hosted by Bill Macatee.

For the most part,  Tennis’ daily schedule consists of nine-hour match blocks that start at 10 a.m. and run to 3:30 p.m. on most days. The live coverage is followed by three-and-a-half hours of encore replays, which serve as a bridge to French Open Tonight. The program, premiering from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., before encoring two more times until 4 a.m., offers a nightly digest of that day's play via interviews, highlights, features and full game or set replays when appropriate. Guests include players, coaches, Hall of Famers, tennis officials, occasional celebrities, reporters, Tennis Channel analysts and others associated with Roland Garros.

In addition to Macatee, Tennis’ French Open on-air squad encompasses Hall of Famer Martina Navratilova, Lindsay Davenport, Ian Eagle, Justin Gimelstob, Brett Haber, Katrina Adams, Rennae Stubbs, Leif Shiras and John Wertheim, as well as Carillo and Robinson.

Paul Annacone, the noted coach (currently with Stephens, he previously worked with Federer and Pete Sampras) and former player, is making his first French appearance for the network, as is two-time titlist Jim Courier, the current U.S. Davis Cup captain, who is continuing to expand his workload with Tennis.

The network’s app, Tennis Channel Everywhere, is free to all Apple or Android users whether or not they currently subscribe to the linead service, and they can check out daily updates, online video highlights, “Court Report” news updates and player “Bag Check” clips.

Authenticated Dish, DirecTV, Verizon FiOS, National Cable Television Cooperative and now Cox subscribers can live stream Tennis’ French Open match coverage.

Tennis Channel's Live 2014 French Open Match Schedule (Men's/Women's Singles Unless Otherwise Specified)

Date                                        Time (ET)                  Event                                     

Sunday, May 25                      10 a.m.-3:30 p.m.        First-Round Action

Monday, May 26                    10 a.m.-3:30 p.m.        First-Round Action

Tuesday, May 27                    10 a.m.-3:30 p.m.        First-Round Action

Wednesday, May 28               10 a.m.-3:30 p.m.        Second-Round Action

Thursday, May 29                   10 a.m.-3:30 p.m.        Second-Round Action

Friday, May 30                       10 a.m.-3:30 p.m.        Third-Round Action

Saturday, May 31                   5 a.m.-Noon                Third-Round Action

Sunday, June 1                        5 a.m.-1 p.m.               Round-of-16 Action

Monday, June 2                      10 a.m.-3:30 p.m.        Round-of-16 Action

Tuesday, June 3                      8 a.m.-1 p.m.               Quarterfinals

Thursday, June 5                     6 a.m.-9 a.m.               Mixed-Doubles Final

Friday, June 6                         7 a.m.-11 a.m.             Men's Semifinal

Tennis Channel Encore Match Coverage

Wednesday, June 4 - 1 p.m.-7 p.m.: men's and women's singles quarterfinals

Thursday, June 5 - 2 p.m.-7 p.m.: women's semifinals

Friday, June 6 - 5 p.m.-midnight: men's semifinals

Saturday, June 7 - 12 a.m.-7 a.m.: men's semifinals; 9 p.m.-11 p.m. women's final

Sunday, June 8 - 7 a.m.-9 a.m. and 7 p.m.-9 p.m.: women's final; 9 p.m.-midnight: men's final

(Additional encores will air after the tournament during the week of June 8)