Having a ball! Karl Stefanovic and Allison Langdon host the Today show courtside at the Australian Open
Hosting breakfast TV is considered one of the hardest jobs in the business.
But Karl Stefanovic and Allison Langdon appeared to be having a ball on Monday as they broadcast the Today show live from the Australian Open in Melbourne.
Allison even challenged Karl to a friendly game to see who was the better player after telling tennis champion Jelena Dokic her co-host ‘talks himself up’.
Having a ball: Today Show hosts Karl Stefanovic and Allison Langdon appeared to be having a ball as the hosted their show from Melbourne Park on the first day of the Australian Open
Karl and Allison had the best seats in the house at Melbourne Park as they hosted Today on Day 1 of the grand slam tournament.
Allison looked stylish in a white pantsuit featuring a sleeveless vest top, while Karl opted for a white shirt, beige jacket and jeans.
Former World No. 4 Jelena joined them for an interview and Allison asked her for her predictions regarding this year’s champions.
‘Ash Barty or Serena Williams,’ Jelena said.
Best seats in the house: Karl and Allison had court side seats as they hosted the Today Show from Melbourne Park
Stylish: Allison looked stylish dressed in a white pant and sleeveless vest suit while Karl wore a white shirt, beige jacket and jeans
Early start: The 5:30am start didn’t deter fans who were hoping to score one of 50 free tickets Channel 9 were giving away
Karl then asked her what made Ash such a successful player, given her small size compared to other professional players.
‘She’s unique, no one plays like her,’ Jelena replied. ‘She’s got a lot of variety and there’s not a shot out there she can’t hit.’
‘She’s got the best slice in the game,’ she concluded.
‘He talks himself up’ Allison challenged Karl to a friendly duel to see who was the better player after he boasted about his tennis-playing ability
Allison then pulled out two tennis rackets and some balls from under her chair and told Karl: ‘I don’t even know how these got here!’
With cheeky smile, she then challenged him to a duel and asked Jelena to judge which of them had the better serve.
Allison served first, showing off her impressive skills.
Fan love: Karl and Allison happily mingled with Today Show fans and took photos with them
‘Wow you’ve done this before, you’ve lied to me!’ Karl shouted.
Karl then served his ball off the court, before blaming his lack of talent on his jacket being a tight fit.
Elsewhere in the broadcast, Allison ribbed her colleague for his recent weight gain and hair transplant.
Friendly banter: The duel came after Allison had joked about Karl needing Weight Watchers and having hair plugs
Audiences have been loving the friendly banter between the hosts after the new-look Today Show was unveiled on January 3.
Coverage of the Australian Open continues on Channel Nine for the next two weeks.
The Today show airs weekdays from 5:30am on Nine
He’s back! Audiences have been loving the warm friendly banter between the hosts after the new-look Today Show was unveiled on January 3 (pictured Karl with a fan)