The ongoing 2025 Australian Open has taken a unique approach to its live broadcasts on the official YouTube channel. Rather than traditional footage from Melbourne Park, viewers are treated to animated versions of tennis stars like Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Coco Gauff.

Tennis Australia has transformed the world's best players into animated versions of themselves to bypass broadcast restrictions at the Australian Open.

The Australian Open is re-creating tennis matches with players looking like something out of a Wii game. Here's why these graphics are being used.

Tennis fans are hailing this year’s Australian Open broadcast, just not on the television. The season-opening tournament introduced its new Sunday start for the first time in 2025, and fans inside Melbourne Park have already been treated to a series of blockbusters across the first round.

In a unique workaround to address geographical streaming constraints and copyrights issues, the Australian Open 2025 organizers have modified players to animation, enabling viewers to free access to all games albeit at a cost.

Maybe attending sports events in person is too been-there, done-that in the modern age. So, apparently, is watching the actual action on a TV, laptop or phone. The Australian Open is getting in on the newest trend in the sports world by re-creating tennis matches in video-game form.