The first tennis Grand Slam of the year is approaching as Melbourne Park hosts the 2024 Australian Open.
Here's what you need to know about the tournament:
What are the key dates?
The Australian Open begins on Sunday, January 14 and runs through to the men's singles final on Sunday, January 28.
The women's individual final will be held the day before.
The 15-day event length is a first, as the tournament would normally begin on a Monday, but an extra day was added in hopes of avoiding night finishes.
Players qualify for the main draw by being ranked in the top 104, or by winning three qualifying matches (in the playoffs from January 8 to 11), or through wild cards.
How much is the prize money?
The tournament's total prize money has increased 13 percent this year to 86.5 million Australian dollars ($57.83 million).
The individual champions will earn 3.15 million Australian dollars ($2.11 million) each.
Who are the favorites?
Both reigning champions will line up in Melbourne to defend their crowns, with Serbia's Novak Djokovic defending his men's singles title and Belarus's Aryna Sabalenka vying to retain the women's trophy.
Djokovic, 36, has won the Australian Open 10 times and is the top seed. The Spanish Carlos Alcaraz, the Russian Daniil Medvedev and the Italian Jannik Sinner occupy the second, third and fourth places.
Alcaraz arrives at Melbourne Park without a competitive match under his belt this season.
Ready? PLAY 💥 pic.twitter.com/ccffFod5wr
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 11, 2024
Sabalenk lost the women's number one spot last year to Poland's Iga Swiatek.
American Coco Gauff is in third place behind the pair after winning the US Open in September. Elena Rybakina, who won Wimbledon in 2022 is in fourth place.
The biggest name to be missed is Spaniard Rafael Nadal as he continues his rehabilitation from a hip injury, but The British Emma Raducanu, who won the US Open 2021, returns after eight months out after surgery on both wrist and ankle. Japanese Naomi Osaka also returns after giving birth last July, hoping to add something more. four important titles.
Leading the charge 💪 pic.twitter.com/mLfAnQRwkJ
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 11, 2024
What happened in Thursday's Australian Open draw?
Djokovic begins his quest for an 11th Australian Open title and 25th Grand Slam crown overall against one of the qualifiers.
The Serbian needed treatment for a wrist problem during his United Cup defeat to Alex de Minaur last week, his first defeat in Australia in six years.
The 36-year-old has been given a relatively soft start but could play Greek seventh seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals in what would be a delicious rematch of last year's final.
King of Melbourne. Who will it be this year? 🏆 🤔 pic.twitter.com/oFqnvg8wrf
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 11, 2024
Meanwhile, Swiatek faces a tough test against 2020 champion Sofia Kenin.
Defending champion Sabalenka will also first face a qualifier, while 2023 runner-up Elena Rybakina, who Sabalenka beat in the final of the warm-up tournament in Brisbane, will face former world number one Karolina Pliskova.
Wimbledon champion Alcaraz faces French veteran Richard Gasquet.
The 20-year-old second seed is on course to face the rejuvenated Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals, who will take on fellow German Dominik Koepfer.
Tsitsipas will face Matteo Berrettini in another tantalizing opener, while two-time finalist Medvedev will start against a qualifier.
Young Italian Jannik Sinner, who is shaping up to go deep at Melbourne Park, will face Botic van de Zandschulp.
Coming for the Melbourne crown 👑
The CHAMPION will be… 👀 pic.twitter.com/sXrYsEsiqM
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 11, 2024
US Open champion Gauff faces Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, while Osaka, who won the title in 2019 and 2021, returns to Grand Slam tennis for the first time since 2022 and faces France's Caroline Garcia in a tough first match.
Angelique Kerber, who also returned to the tour after a long maternity break, will play 2022 runner-up Danielle Collins in her first match and could face top seed Swiatek in the next round.
Wild card Caroline Wozniacki, another former champion and returning mother, will play 20th seed Magda Linette.
Australian Alex de Minaur, who stunned Djokovic last week before beating Alcaraz in a charity match, will lead the local hopes and begin his campaign against former Canadian world number three Milos Raonic.
What time will the playoffs be played?
The show courts begin at 12:00 p.m. (01:00 GMT), while the daytime sessions begin an hour earlier on the outside courts.
The Rod Laver Arena, the Margaret Court Arena and the John Cain Arena will host the night sessions starting at 7:00 p.m. (08:00 GMT).
Both the women's and men's individual finals begin at 7:30 p.m. (08:30 GMT).
