ESPN announced its broadcast lineup for the 2026 Australian Open on Monday, with Malika Andrews and Katie George set to share hosting duties for the first Grand Slam of the year.
George will host during the tournament’s opening week, with Andrews taking over for the second week and championship weekend. The assignments add tennis to the portfolios of two ESPN rising stars already juggling multiple sports.
Andrews signed a multi-year extension with ESPN in September that expanded her basketball-heavy workload to include increased sideline reporting alongside her roles hosting NBA Countdown, NBA Today, WNBA Countdown, and the NBA Draft. The 30-year-old has been ESPN’s lead NBA studio host since replacing Mike Greenberg on Countdown ahead of the 2023-24 season.
The Australian Open marks her first foray into tennis coverage. Andrews joined ESPN as a reporter in 2018 and rose quickly through the ranks, making her national television debut during the 2020 NBA Bubble in Orlando before becoming the first woman to host the NBA Draft in 2022.
“We are especially thrilled to welcome longtime tennis fan and accomplished host, Malika Andrews,” ESPN Vice President of Production Linda Schulz said in a statement. “With the addition of Andrews and [analyst Chris] Eubanks, and the return of [Caroline] Wozniacki, our coverage will provide a vast perspective on the sport of tennis.”
George’s Australian Open assignment continues the versatility that’s defined her ESPN career since joining the network in 2019. The Louisville native has covered college football, basketball, Formula 1, volleyball, softball, and lacrosse across ESPN platforms. She currently works college football sidelines for the Joe Tessitore and Jesse Palmer booth and handles NBA sideline duties during the season.
“I think it’s important, especially in a role like mine, to show your versatility and to not just cover one sport because then I think you can become expendable,” George told Awful Announcing in October 2024.
Chris Fowler, Chris McKendry, Patrick McEnroe, Jason Goodall, and Mike Monaco will handle play-by-play duties across ESPN networks. Analysis will be provided by John McEnroe, Chris Evert, Wozniacki, Mary Joe Fernandez, James Blake, Sam Querrey, Chris Eubanks, and CoCo Vandeweghe. Kris Budden will report from Melbourne Park.
Notable absences from the lineup include Pam Shriver, Darren Cahill, Brad Gilbert, and Rennae Stubbs, all of whom were part of ESPN’s 2025 Australian Open coverage. Cahill currently coaches Jannik Sinner, the two-time defending champion.
The 2026 Australian Open begins with qualifiers Jan. 11-15. The main draw runs Jan. 17-28, with semifinals on January 29-30. The women’s singles championship is Jan. 31, followed by the men’s singles championship on Feb. 1.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.