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Tom’s Guide
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Aatif Sulleyman

How to watch Djokovic vs Ruud live stream — French Open final tennis start time, TV channel

Novak Djokovic pumped at the French Open

Novak Djokovic stands on the verge of making fresh history as he faces Casper Ruud in the 2023 French Open final. Lifting a 23rd grand slam title would make the Serb the outright most successful male tennis player the game has ever seen, and you can bet that doing so at Rafael Nadal’s favorite event and against one of the Spaniard's trainees would make the achievement all the sweeter for a guy who fans have never really taken their hearts.

Read on and we'll show you how to watch from anywhere with a VPN, and potentially for FREE.

Djokovic vs Ruud live streams: TV schedule, dates

Djokovic vs Ruud is scheduled today (Sunday, June 11) not before 9 a.m. EDT / 6 a.m. PDT / 2 p.m. BST.
► U.S. — NBC and Peacock
► U.K. — Discovery Plus
► Watch anywhere — Try ExpressVPN 100% risk free

After a pair of semi-finals that were spoiled by injury, we're all hoping that the best has been saved till last. The final two sets of Djokovic's victory over Alcaraz were a formality after the world No.1 was crippled by cramps, while a thigh strain severely hampered Alexander Zverev against Ruud, who cruised to a straight sets victory.

Both matches said very little about how the French Open final could pan out but, on the plus side, both players should be very fresh when they set foot on Court Philippe-Chatrier today.

Djokovic and Ruud have met four times previously, twice on clay, and it doesn't make for pretty reading for fans of the Norwegian No.3 seed. He lost all four of the matches in straight sets and, with Djokovic's tendency to raise his game still further on the biggest occasions, Ruud will be under no illusion that this is a coming of age test. Anything less than exceptional and he could be wiped off the court in the manner that he was by Nadal on this same stage a year ago.

Can the 24-year-old produce the shock of all shocks to deny the veteran, or will Djokovic lay his hands on the Coupe des Mousquetaires for a third time? Here's how to tune into Djokovic vs Ruud online and watch today's French Open final from anywhere.

FREE Djokovic vs Ruud live streams

How to watch Djokovic vs Ruud live streams for FREE in 2023

If you're lucky enough to live in Australia, France or Austria then you can look forward to a FREE Djokovic vs Ruud live stream from Roland-Garros in 2023.

That's because the free-to-air Channel 9 and its 9Now streaming service in Australia, France.TV in France and ServusTV in Austria all have rights to the action. 

But what if you're based in one of those countries but aren't at home to catch that Djokovic vs Ruud live stream? Maybe you're on holiday and don't want to spend money on pay TV in another country, when you'd usually be able to watch for free at home?

Don't worry — you can watch it via a VPN instead. We'll show you how to do that below.

Djokovic vs Ruud live streams around the world

How to watch Djokovic vs Ruud live streams from anywhere with a VPN

It's natural that you might want to watch a Djokovic vs Ruud live stream from your home country, but what if you're not there when the match is on?

Look no further than a VPN, or virtual private network. A VPN makes it look as if you're surfing the web from your home country, rather than the one you're in. That means you can access the streaming services you already pay for, from anywhere on Earth. Or anywhere that has an internet connection, at least.

For instance, an Australian who's currently in the U.S. could watch Djokovic vs Ruud live streams on 9Now, even though they're not in Australia.

They're totally legal, inexpensive and easy to use. We've tested lots of the best VPN services and our favorite right now is ExpressVPN. It's fast, works on loads of devices and even offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Using a VPN is incredibly simple.

1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, ExpressVPN is our favorite.

2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance if you're in the U.S. and want to view an Australian service, you'd select Australia from the list.

3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to 9Now or another website and watch the French Open final.

How to watch Djokovic vs Ruud live streams in the US

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

If you're in the U.S. you have a couple of options to watch a Djokovic vs Ruud live stream at the French Open. Viewers can tune in on NBC, as well as Peacock

The French Open final will start no earlier than 9 a.m. EDT / 6 a.m. PDT on Sunday morning, so don't forget to set an alarm.

NBC can be accessed with one of the best TV antennas

If you've cut the cord and don't have cable, you can watch Djokovic vs Ruud via several live TV services, including NBC's own Peacock, plus Sling TV and Fubo.

Of these options, we recommend Peacock: It costs just $4.99/month with ads, or $9.99 without, and includes lots more great content in addition to French Open final live streams from Roland-Garros.

If you go the Sling TV route, you'll want Sling Blue, which is $40 per month and comes with more than 40 channels, including NBC (in select regions). Right now Sling is offering $20 off the first month

Fubo, meanwhile, costs $75 per month for 121 channels. Sports fans will find a number of niche sports channels among its lineup.

If you already use those services but aren't in the U.S. right now, you can watch Djokovic vs Ruud live streams by using a VPN such as ExpressVPN. And if, for whatever reason, you can't get it working, do remember that you have the comfort of a 30-day money back guarantee with ExpressVPN.

How to watch Djokovic vs Ruud live streams in the UK

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

British tennis lovers can watch Djokovic vs Ruud live streams from Roland-Garros with Discovery Plus and EurosportAs Eurosport is part of Discovery Plus, it doesn't matter one which you subscribe to.

Djokovic vs Ruud will start no earlier than 2 p.m. BST on Sunday afternoon.

Discovery Plus is available for £6.99/month or £59.99/year. You can sign up for Discovery Plus here, or access the service via Amazon Prime Video — and here you can get a seven-day free trial of the service. Plus, if you don't already have Amazon Prime itself, you can get a 30-day free trial of that too. 

On holiday this week? Sign up to ExpressVPN or another VPN service and you'll be able to use the services you already subscribe to.

How to watch Djokovic vs Ruud live streams in Canada

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Tennis fans in Canada can watch Djokovic vs Ruud on TSN (in English) or RSN (in French), as part of a cable TV package. 

Just note that the French Open final will start at approximately 9 a.m. EDT / 6 a.m. PDT first thing on Sunday morning, so be prepared to miss out on some sleep.

If you've cut the cord, you can sign up for TSN or RDS streaming accounts for $19.99 (CAD) a month or $199.90 per year.

Not at home right now? Use ExpressVPN or another VPN service to trick your device into thinking you're still in Canada.

How to watch Djokovic vs Ruud live streams in Australia

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

As explained above, Aussies can watch a Djokovic vs Ruud live stream for free on 9Now.

Djokovic vs Ruud will start no earlier than 11 p.m. AEST late on Sunday evening.

The big match will air on the free-to-view 9Gem channel and via the on-demand service 9Now. It's also being shown ad-free and in up to 4K on Stan Sport.

Stan can be accessed via a wide variety of devices including many smart TVs, iOS and Android phones, Chromecast, Apple TV and more — plus it costs a very reasonable $20 AUD per month ($10 for a standard subscription and $10 for the Sport add-on). A 30-day FREE trial gives you a taste of the platform — and the good news is that the Sport add-on also has a 7-day FREE trial.

You'll need to pay extra to access HD or 4K streams and to increase the number of devices you watch on, but even if you go for the full-fat Premium sub with the Sport add-on, you'd still only be looking at $29/month.

Not in Australia right now? You can simply use a VPN, such as ExpressVPN, to watch Djokovic vs Ruud on your Stan account, as if you were back home.

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