Twitter serves up top seeds for 2016 @AustralianOpen

The first tennis Grand Slam of 2016 kicks off today with the start of the @AustralianOpen. Fans across the world can get up close and personal on Twitter with some of their favourite tennis players, as the game’s elite compete in the #AusOpen over the next two weeks (January 18-31, 2016).

To catch all the action on and off the tennis court, follow @AustralianOpen and #AusOpen hashtag for the latest tournament scores, commentary, and exclusive behind-the-scenes snippets.

The players are certainly excited for the first Slam of the season, and many of them Tweeted their arrival in Australia.

If Twitter mentions determined rankings, these would be the top five players in the singles tournament for the men’s and women’s championships:

Ace the #AusOpen on Twitter
As they do every year, @AustralianOpen will serve up amazing Tweets, videos, and photos throughout the tournament, and give you access to your favorite players with daily Periscope Q&As and Twitter Mirror selfies. Here’s a closer look at some of the Twitter integrations you can expect:

Periscope racket
For the first time ever, there will be a Periscope racket for players to broadcast live Q&As, take fans behind the scenes, and show them snippets from the tournament in real time. Periscope hearts will be changed to tennis balls in #AusOpen broadcasts so make sure you tune in and show your favorite players some Periscope love.

Source: Twitter

#AusOpen Twitter emojis
To celebrate this year’s Australian Open, we’ve launched five custom Twitter emojis, led by the #AusOpen one that features a cute little tennis ball sporting the iconic Aussie cork hat!

You can add the new @AustralianOpen emojis to your Tweets using one of the following hashtags: 

For fans across the world, Tweeting a selfie of you enjoying tennis — and using the hashtag #AOSelfie — will give you the chance to be transported to Melbourne and have your Tweet included on the #AOSelfie mural, displayed in the on-site Social Shack.

If you can’t make it to Melbourne, local and international fans watching matches throughout the night can Tweet their dedication with the #SleepIsForTheWeak emoji, while Australian viewers can use #7Tennis for a chance to see their Tweets broadcast live on Channel Seven.

Lastly, the #HewBeauty emoji celebrates @lleytonhewitt, one of the greats of Australian tennis who’s competing in his 20th and final Australian Open. Lleyton Hewitt is the first Aussie sports person to have a Twitter emoji made especially for him.

For those lucky enough to enjoy the action live at Melbourne Park, there are also some great on-site Twitter activations to check out:

#AOSocialSuite
Each day, eight lucky tennis fans at Melbourne Park will get their seats upgraded to sit in the #AOSocialSuite. Each fan will receive an Australia Open Twitter Swag Pack (cap, phone charger, seat cushion, and satchel) and can Tweet their #AusOpen experience from some of the best seats in the arena. Follow @AustralianOpen during the tournament on details of how you can get involved.

Social Shack
The Australian Open Social Shack will be bigger and better than ever this year and will include: a giant hashtag (great for pictures), a mural displaying photos using #AOSelfie, and screens with live tournament data and player Tweets.

Source: @AustralianOpen

Screens around the Australian Open venues and inside Melbourne Park will be displaying fan Tweets throughout the tournament.

Twitter billboards
In Australia, the latest Twitter @AustralianOpen content will also be displayed on more than 40 digital billboards across the country, so no matter where you are around Australia you can catch all the action and real-time score updates.

Game, set, and Tweet
We’ve curated the very best #AusOpen accounts to follow, so make sure you check out and follow our Australian Open Twitter list and keep an eye on #AusOpen to catch every serve, break, volley, and match point from the 104th edition of the @AustralianOpen.