Two of tennis' biggest names could be set for an early showdown at the upcoming Australian Open, as reigning men's singles champion, Novak Djokovic, may face Britain's Sir Andy Murray in the third round of the tournament.
The main draw for the year's inaugural Grand Slam was revealed on Thursday, ahead of the competition starting this coming Sunday in Melbourne.
Murray, who is unseeded for the 2024 Australian Open, will begin his tournament against Argentina's Tomas Martin Etcheverry, the 30th seed. Top seed Djokovic will begin his defence of the tournament with a first-round matchup against a qualifier.
If both Murray and Djokovic successfully navigate their way through the opening two rounds, they will come head-to-head in the third round in Melbourne. The pair have met before at the Australian Open, including in four finals between 2011-2016, with all going in favour of Djokovic.
Recent years have seen Murray struggle to replicate his previous performance levels as injuries have worn him down and meant he has failed to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam since 2017. The Scotsman is very much in the twilight of his career with his best days behind him, but he will still be determined to make a run at the Australian Open.
For Djokovic, he will be hoping to add to his 10 Australian Open titles and 24 Grand Slam victories. The Serbian superstar came out on top against Stefanos Tsitsipas in last year's tournament after missing the 2022 competition altogether as he was denied entry into Australia due to not being vaccinated.
Tsitsipas will play Matteo Berrettini in the opening match and 2022 runner-up and number three seed, Daniil Medvedev, will face a qualifier in his first-round match.
Elsewhere in the men's singles draw, number two seed and current Wimbledon champion, Carlos Alcaraz, will start his tournament against France's Richard Gasquet. The rising Spaniard missed last year's Australian Open due to picking up a hamstring injury and will now be hoping to progress past the third round in Melbourne for the first time in his career.
British number one and 19th seed, Cameron Norrie, will begin his tournament against Peru's Juan Pablo Varillas.
The women's singles draw includes Britain's Emma Raducanu beginning her campaign against America's Shelby Rogers. Raducanu's US Open victory in 2021 saw her defeat Rogers along the way, as she beat her in straight sets in the fourth round.
This will be Raducanu's first Grand Slam appearance since last year's Australian Open as she missed the remaining three in the 2023 season due to undergoing surgery for wrist and ankle injuries. There is the possibility of the 21-year-old facing off against British number one, Katie Boulter, in the third round, provided they both win their first two matches.
Boulter herself will begin the tournament with a match against China's Yue Yuan.
Four-time Grand Slam winner and number-one seed, Iga Swiatek, will play the 2020 winner, Sofia Kenin, in the opening round. Despite Swiatek having not yet reached the final of the Australian Open in her career, the Polish star will still be considered one of the title's favourites this year due to being one of the elite players in the women's game.
Last year's champion and number two seed, Aryna Sabalenka, will begin her defence of the Australian Open with a match against a qualifier. Last year's victory was a career first for the Belarusian and it is the sole major championship title to her name.
2023 runner-up and number three seed, Elena Rybakina, starts her tournament against former world number one, Karolina Pliskova. The Kazakh will ultimately be hoping she can go one better than last year and add to her one Grand Slam title, which came at Wimbledon in 2022.
2019 and 2021 champion, Naomi Osaka, will face France's Caroline Garcia, the 16th seed, in her first Grand Slam match since 2022, as the Japanese star was away on maternity leave during the 2023 season.
Fourth seed and American star, Coco Gauff, will take on Anna Karolina Schmiedlova from Slovakia in the first round. Gauff won the 2023 US Open as she triumphed over Sabalenka to collect her first-ever Grand Slam title.
