With the first Grand Slam of the year not far away (it may seem unbelievable and hard to think about before Christmas is behind us, but I’m afraid it’s true!), it’s time to gear up for the Aussie Open. To get yourself and your tech season-ready for 2017, have a look through our top three tennis apps, all available on the market to download in time for the players walking out onto Rod Laver Arena on 16th January.

“MCG and Rod Laver Arena” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by the evil monkey

Oddschecker App

For those wanting a little flutter on the tennis, be it actually at the Open (if you’re lucky enough to have tickets) or just as armchair fans, this is a good option for you. You can get in-depth recommendations and Australian Open betting tips from tennis betting experts, the best odds from a range of bookies for individual matches or the tournament as a whole, and you can even build an acca if that happens to be your thing. So, whether it’s Murray, Djokovic, or one of the lesser lights of men’s tennis that you’re putting your hard-earned cash behind, rest assured this app is easy to use and, perhaps best of all, super quick to download.

ATP/WTA Live 

If you want to have access to all the very latest stats (even down to break points saved and how many service games a particular player has won), then the ATP/WTA Live app is the in-depth tennis app that you need to have at your fingertips. Even disciplined tennis fans sometimes give in to the temptation to get carried away by the rallies, failing to keep an eye on the finer details which make up the landscape of the match. This is where this app keeps you focused, allowing you to see where pressure is building on players by keeping a keen eye on which player is getting first serves in, which is struggling to win points on that all important second serve, and so on, all in scintillating real time.

“IMG_3149” (CC BY 2.0) by n.hewson

Ace Tennis Online

We all know that watching tennis is rewarding but then you get those pesky breaks between sets and matches! Fortunately, the good people at Eurocentre have come up with Ace Tennis Online. With a 3D match engine, a simple to use match-up system that lets you play against people across the globe, this game provides a smooth platform for gamers to prove their credentials as the armchair champion of the tennis world. There’s the facility to show off your drop shots, mock your opponent by lobbing them, and get that satisfying feeling of smashing home a winner using the easy to use accelerator. This is an app that gives you the chance to get as close to playing tennis as is safe to do so in your living room (unless you happen to live in a mansion with a tennis court in the living room, obviously).

What’s more, the offline mode means that even when you’re running out of data you can still enjoy a good old fashioned battle of man vs computer, so you can let your kids have a go on it without fear of seeing them rack up a fortune on your next phone bill!