Defending champion Jannik Sinner and 10-time Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic have landed in opposite sides of the draw for the season’s first major, ruling out a replay of last year’s semifinal encounter.

Jannik Sinner begins his Australian Open title defence against Nicolas Jarry while women's champion Aryna Sabalenka takes on 2017 U.S. Open winner Sloane Stephens after the draw for the year's first Grand Slam was made at Melbourne Park on Thursday.

Seven of China’s 10 players in the year’s first grand slam, including Paris Olympic gold medallist Zheng Qinwen, face unseeded opponents.

World number one Jannik Sinner was drawn Thursday against big-hitting Nicolas Jarry to start his Australian Open defence while Novak Djokovic is on a collision course to meet Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals.

World number one Jannik Sinner said on Friday he is still in the dark about his hearing at sport's highest court over a doping controversy that continues to weigh on his mind ahead of his Australian Open title defence.

Third-seeded Coco Gauff is a potential semi-final rival for Sabalenka. Gauff has a challenging first-round match against former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin and is in the same section of the draw as four-time major winner Naomi Osaka and seventh-seeded Jessica Pegula.

Here are some of the top men at the Australian Open, which starts at Melbourne Park on Sunday morning local time (Saturday night EST), with money-line odds via BetMGM Sportsbook: Jannik Sinner Seeding: 1 Career-Best Ranking: 1 Country: Italy Age: 23 2024 Record: 73-6 2024 Titles: 8 Career Titles: 18 Grand Slam Titles: 2 — Australian Open (1: 2024),

Novak Djokovic has revealed his father is putting pressure on him to retire from tennis as the 2025 Australian Open rapidly approaches. The Serb, who failed to win a major in 2024, will be hoping to secure glory Down Under - having previously done so on 10 occasions over the years.