Australian Open 2020 - Roger Federer vs Steve Johnson, First Round, TV Schedule, Live Stream details and more 

The spotlight will inevitably fall on 20-time Grand Slam Champion Roger Federer when he makes a return to the hallowed grounds of the Rod Laver Arena in the quest of a record-equalling seventh Australian Open title and his 21st Slam, overall. The 38-year-old Swiss will take to the courts against American Steve Johnson, in his first-round match and will be in no mood to make any mistakes.

For Roger, who last played competitive tennis in November 2019 at the season-concluding ATP World Tour Finals, the start of 2020 has been rather quiet and slow. Albeit, quiet and slow are the two things that his body would demand once the new season begins full throttle with the first Slam of the year already knocking on our doors. Being 38 and still playing at the level that he is, is no small task and the World No. 3 Roger Federer, in every match outing, busts the myth of age being a vital constraint in the path of claiming success on the court.

Consciously choosing to skip the star-studded milieu that gathered during the inaugural edition of the 10-day ATP Cup, Federer allowed his body to rest to be able to arrive at Melbourne in fresh form. So in a way, Federer's faculties have not been competitively challenged this year yet save for the RallyForRelief exhibition match against Nick Kyrgios, which Roger calmly dominated.

Steve Johnson

However, his opponent for the opening round, the former World No. 21 Steve Johnson is enjoying quite the spell of success in the circuit of late as he will be coming into Melbourne riding on the success of his Bendigo Challenger win which was preceded by a quarter-final finish at the Canberra Challenger. But do we really have much to worry about? Federer has faced the lanky American on two previous occasions and the results have been in the favour of the Swiss who dominates 2-0.

Roger Federer

The 38-year old while speaking to the media said,"I'm excited to play Steve. He's a good guy. I think with his old-school playing – big forehand, slice backhand, good serve – I think it's going to be a nice match for me, as well," although he confessed to not having high expectations this early in the tournament precisely because he hasn't tested his form this season yet.

Federer went on to analyse his prospects and said, "He's (Johnson) match-ready and I'm not. I got to make sure I get out of the gates quickly. The practice has been going well; I had plenty of time to pace myself and do all the things I had to do to get ready. I hope it's enough. I know it's a super long road to victory; that's why I got to take it one match at a time," he stressed.

It remains to be seen if Federer gets off on the right footing in the quest of a third Australian Open title in a span of four years. Johnson, given his successful form might be able to cause some damage to a Federer who is just coming back after a two-month hiatus from competitive tennis, but it should not be something of a magnitude that the 20-time Grand Slam Champion cannot tackle as he begins his campaign for the 21st Grand Slam.

Here is all you need to know about the Australian Open 2020 Schedule:

Tournament Name: Australian Open 2020

Date: January 20- February 2, 2020

Category: Grand Slam

Location: Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia

Surface: Hard Court

Prize Money: A$ 71,000,000

Time: [3] Roger Federer vs Steve Johnson on Rod Laver Arena at approx 8:00 a.m IST on January 20, 2020

Where to watch Australian Open 2020?

USA - ESPN and ESPN2

UK and Europe - Eurosport 1, Eurosport 2, Eurosport 1 HD and Eurosport 2 HD

India - Sony Six, Sony Ten 2, Sony Six HD and Sony Ten 2 HD, Sony Ten 3 (matches with Hindi commentary)

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Live Stream details for Australian Open 2020

Australian Open 2020 live stream is available on Tennis TV (a subscription is needed for the service).

The matches can be streamed live on SonyLiv also.

For regular updates and match highlights, stay tuned to the Australian Open TV.