Summer of Tennis: 5 minutes with Senior Producer Nick Dalton-Bocquet

Name: Nick Dalton-Bocquet

Role: Senior Producer – Wide World of Sport

Location: GTV, Nine Melbourne

Year you started at Nine: 2014

If you could sum up the Australian Open in one word, what would it be? 

Summer.

How does your role make a difference for our audiences/listeners/readers/customers and other stakeholders?

I make sure all our on air talent are where they need to be, for whatever broadcast, online or print commitment they are required for on any given day of the tournament. This includes hosts on set, commentators courtside, reporters shooting stories around the grounds, and experts doing live crosses throughout the precinct.

What is your favourite part about working on the Australian Open?

My favourite part about working on the Australian Open is the fact that my role requires me to be onsite and moving throughout the precinct each day. It is such a fantastic event that I think really encapsulates Summer in Melbourne. Obviously there is a lot of amazing tennis happening everywhere around Melbourne Park, but the AO is more than that. There’s music, entertainment, incredible food, bars overlooking courts and activities for young and old. Everyone is having a great time. And working in that environment, you absorb the energy from the crowd. You feel like you’re truly part of bringing the event to life.

How does working on a high-profile event like this help you grow professionally? Have you developed any new skills from working on the AO?

Working on the AO has been incredibly valuable for my career progression and skill set. Experiencing a high pressure live environment, with so many moving parts, often requiring my attention in multiple locations at once, and dealing with unpredictable elements like crowd and weather, has forged a confidence and calm in me that I can call upon in high stakes moments. It is my experience at the AO that has helped me in so many other areas of my role at Nine, including other sporting events I have worked on, like the 2024 Paris Olympics.   

Can you describe a memorable or challenging moment in your role during the Australian Open?

My most memorable moment working on our coverage of the Australian Open would be the 2022 Women’s Final when Ash Barty defeated Daniel Collins. Coordinating our full suite of talent across an hour preshow, to crosses and segments after her win, and finally seeing her lift the trophy on our famed Court 9 set, was an incredible experience. And to top it all off the Special K’s, Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis, proceeded to win the Men’s Doubles Final that same night. It was a truly historic night for Australian Tennis.

Tell us something the audience may not know about the coverage/preparation for the AO?

The amount of people involved and organisation required to make an event like the AO possible is simply staggering. From Nine’s perspective alone, preparations begin months in advance, and involve hundreds of people by the time we’re on site. Tennis Australia have thousands of workers across the entire event. And if you include other roles, like hospitality, security and volunteers, that number becomes tens of thousands. The AO is a symphony of organisation and collaboration.