Novak Djokovic is set to commence his pursuit of an unprecedented 11th Australian Open title and his 25th Grand Slam victory against a qualifier. Meanwhile, top-ranked Iga Swiatek will encounter a challenging match against 2020 champion Sofia Kenin. Despite facing a wrist issue during his recent United Cup defeat by Alex de Minaur, Djokovic, who experienced his first loss in Australia in six years, is determined to leave that setback behind and make a strong start at the major where he has enjoyed the most success.
Djokovic will have to beat a lucky loser in the first round of Melbourne Park and could face a familiar foe in Andy Murray in the third round, as the British No 1 is seeded sixth in his half of the draw. Djokovic could also meet fellow former Australian Open champion Gael Monfils in the second week, a player he hung up on in an entertaining US Open semifinal last summer.
The Serbian, who also won the French and US Open titles last season, will look to become the eighth player in history to claim all four Grand Slams in a calendar year. The 31-year-old has already passed Pete Sampras in the all-time list of men’s Grand Slam winners with 15 titles, just two short of Nadal and five short of Federer.
The winner of Djokovic’s opening match will face either qualifier Jannik Sinner or American Ben Shelton in the second round. The world No 73 Sinner has beaten former US Open finalist Caroline Garcia and 2022 Brisbane runner-up Shelby Rogers in his past two matches at Melbourne Park and should not be underestimated.
Djokovic’s section of the draw also contains 2022 Australian Open runner-up Danielle Collins, who will play 2016 US Open champion Angelique Kerber in her opener. Kerber has returned to the tour after a lengthy maternity break and is ranked No. 7 worldwide.
Swiatek is a different animal to the moody and unpredictable Romanian Halep, who Swiatek pushed in the fourth round of last year’s Australian Open. The world No 62 is unbeaten at Melbourne Park with three straight victories and can benefit from a more generous draw than the No 9 she enjoyed in 2018.
She will be drawn against 2020 champion Kenin, who has a similar game to Swiatek based around big groundstrokes and a deceptive drop shot. The Pole will also benefit from the conditions at Melbourne Park, where the ball has been traveling a little quicker than usual. Kenin has a strong forehand side and produced an impressive display against Petra Kvitova in her previous Australian Open fourth-round win over the Czech. Her best shot in the tiebreaker was a well-struck forehand down the line that reached 80mph. That side will need to be on show again against the high-octane Swiatek.