Get ready for the start of another Grand Slam season as the Australian Open kicks off in Melbourne on January 17 continuing through to the men's final on January 30, 2012.

Watch as defending women's champ Kim Clijsters, along with men's champ, Novak Djokovic, return to do heated battle at Margaret Court Arena at Melbourne Park. It all happens during a hot Australian summer in January — making the 'Open Down Under' a true test of speed, strength and professional cool.

Live TV airings of major matches are traditionally covered by ESPN in the U.S., on BBC in the UK, and in Australia on FOX.

2012 Australian Open ticket information

Tickets for this year's open go on sale in October 2011, with single session as well as special ticket passes offering admission to the 'After Five' night games and 'Any 5 Day' discounts for multiple ticket holders.

If purchased early, ticket prices will hold to last year's $29 Ground Pass, and both the $49.90  singles ticket and $149.90 family ticket to Hisense Arena for the first eight days of the tournament. 

Later, watch for ticket prices to climb in cost as the final games draw near with early game single tickets hovering around the $70 mark, climbing to $300 or more as the 2012 Australian Open heads into the finish in late January.

More about the Australian Open around the Web:

Around the Web, watch all the hot action in news reports & pictures, video clips, history, player profiles and assorted Australian Open history and trivia...

Australia Open Tennis Championships - The official site, jam-packed with news, photos and video clips of the premier tennis event including daily summary of scores, complete schedule, player profiles and interviews, history & trivia.

Tennis Australia - The latest headlines plus an inside look at Australian tennis with player profiles, blogs, results and standings, wallpapers, screensavers and more.

BBC Sport | Tennis - Great coverage including the latest news, feature stories, video and audo clips, TV and radio schedule, player profiles and rankings.

FOX SPORTS - Tennis - Australian television coverage schedules along with scoreboard & fixtures, the latest news & feature stories, picture galleries, archived reports.

Yahoo! News - Tennis - Breaking headlines, photos, slideshows and news features from AP, Reuters and other top sources around the Web reporting in on the Australian Open.

Slam! Sports Tennis - Australian Open - All the news that fits. Keep up to date with the latest headlines and daily feature stories on who's in and who's out.

Australian Open - Wikipedia - The online encyclopedia with historical color commentary and info on the men's and women's singles championship, Margaret Court Arena photos and information.

also see -> Monte Carlo Masters | French Open

U.S. Open | Wimbledon