Australian Open 2024 draw LIVE: Andy Murray, Emma Raducanu, Novak Djokovic and more learn fate

Not long until the draw now… here’s a reminder of the seeds

17. Ekaterina Alexandrova

Australian Open makes major schedule change

This year’s Australian Open will start on a Sunday, becoming a 15-day event for the first time, tournament organisers have announced.

There had been growing concerns over late finishes with so many matches scheduled on the opening Monday.

Last year, the second-round match between Andy Murray and Thanasi Kokkinakis, which lasted five sets, did not finish until 4:05am – which the British former world number one described as “ridiculously late”.

The new Sunday start will see an increase in the number of sessions across the three arenas from 47 to 52.

The day session at Rod Laver Arena and Margaret Court Arena will feature a minimum of two matches, which is down from three, to limit the potential of late finishes.

Night sessions, meanwhile, will continue to feature a minimum of two matches and the John Cain Arena schedule also remains unchanged.

Aryna Sabalenka reveals key areas of improvement ahead of Australian Open defence

Aryna Sabalenka is not one to rest on her laurels and has been hard at work in the off-season as she looks to improve even on her stellar 2023, starting with her first defence of a grand slam title at the Australian Open.

The 25-year-old Belarussian took a knock at the weekend when Elena Rybakina, her opponent in last year’s Melbourne Park final, snapped her 15-match winning streak in Australia with a crushing 6-0 6-3 victory in the Brisbane International final.

Although there was much scowling and head-shaking during the all-too-brief contest, Sabalenka was soon laughing off her bad day at the office and focussing on her next assignment at the year’s first grand slam.

That reaction was a significant improvement on the Sabalenka of only a couple of years ago, a player with all the weapons to compete for the game’s major prizes but who crumbled into a tearful mess at the first sign of a setback.

Revitalised Daniil Medvedev ready to overcome final hurdle at Australian Open

If there is one player who simply thrives on hardcourts, it is Daniil Medvedev and 2024 promises to be an eventful year for the world number three, who will hope he can overcome the final hurdle at the Australian Open at long last.

Medvedev reached the final at Melbourne Park in 2021 and 2022 but fell to two of the ‘Big Three’, first losing in straight sets to Novak Djokovic before Rafael Nadal overcame overwhelming odds and triumphed from two sets down.

The Russian took a long time to recover from the body blow of Nadal’s stunning comeback, losing his way in a topsy-turvy 2022 season while a third round loss in Melbourne last year saw him drop out of the top 10.

While such a decline would have knocked down most seasoned pros, it was all the motivation Medvedev needed to spring back to his feet and return to his best.

Ons Jabeur out to fulfil ‘life mission’ at Australian Open: ‘I have to do this’

Ons Jabeur has already established herself as a trailblazer in the sport, but ahead of the season-opening Australian Open the Tunisian is determined to finally claim an elusive grand slam title and shrug off her heartbreaking Wimbledon failures.

The 29-year-old, nicknamed the “Minister of Happiness”, stormed up the rankings in 2022 after runs to the final at Wimbledon and the US Open and set multiple milestones as an African and Arab woman.

She had to contend with a stop-start 2023 season in which she underwent minor surgery early in the year after struggling with breathing issues during a second-round exit at the Australian Open and also dealt with a string of injuries.

Despite those issues, the world number six claimed a WTA 500 title in Charleston and reached the final at Wimbledon, her third grand slam final in 13 months, where she was handed a 6-4 6-4 loss by unseeded Czech Marketa Vondrousova.

Is in-form Jannik Sinner poised for a grand slam breakthrough at Australian Open?

Italian Jannik Sinner’s climb towards the top of men’s tennis could hardly be described as sluggish – unless of course a direct comparison is made with Spanish phenomenon Carlos Alcaraz.

While 20-year-old Alcaraz has exploded on to the scene in astonishing fashion and already has two grand slam titles under his belt, Sinner’s progress has been less spectacular.

In the 16 grand slams the 22-year-old Sinner has contested, his best run was at last year’s Wimbledon when he reached the semi-finals and was defeated by Novak Djokovic.

Alcaraz then defeated Djokovic in the final – a result that offered further proof that the Spaniard could reign supreme over the next generation for years.

Sinner is now making people question that logic.

Naomi Osaka relishing return to court ahead of Australian Open

Naomi Osaka says she has returned to tennis from maternity leave with a more positive outlook and all the signs are that she will soon be back at a level where she can take on and beat the best in the world.

It might be too early for a tilt at a fifth grand slam title at the Australian Open this month but, with a good draw, a run deep into the second week at Melbourne Park cannot be counted out.

The 26-year-old, who pulled out of last year’s Australian Open with the announcement that she was pregnant with her daughter Shai, showed in Brisbane last week that she still has the weapons to overpower many players in the women’s game.

Carlos Alcaraz targets Australian Open to hit back in epic Novak Djokovic rivalry

Carlos Alcaraz is raring to go at the Australian Open where he will seek to dethrone holder Novak Djokovic and secure a third grand slam triumph that would see him reclaim the world number one spot.

The 20-year-old Spaniard will hope to bury memories of an injury-plagued start to last year when he missed the Australian Open, which Djokovic won to climb back to the rankings summit.

The bull-like Alcaraz, who has taken the tennis world by storm since becoming the youngest men’s world number one after his US Open triumph in 2022, hit back by capturing his second grand slam title at Wimbledon following an epic five-set final victory over Djokovic.

However, after winning the 2023 US Open in September, the 36-year-old Serb beat his young rival at the ATP Finals and claimed a record-extending eighth year-end number one spot.

Their rivalry could be set for another epic showdown and once again the world number one spot is within reach for Alcaraz.

Coco Gauff perfectly placed to build on US Open triumph at Australian Open

Coco Gauff is poised to build on last year’s breakout season after the American teenager defended her crown at an Australian Open tune-up event in Auckland last weekend.

After claiming her first Grand Slam title at the US Open last September, Gauff opted to work on her game on the practice courts in a hot and humid Florida rather than going on vacation to recharge her body and mind.

It paid dividends as she cruised through her first four matches in New Zealand without dropping a set before being forced to dig deep against dangerous veteran Elina Svitolina in the final.

Novak Djokovic stands on the brink of more grand slam history at the Australian Open

Novak Djokovic resumes his quest for grand slam supremacy at the Australian Open, where the seemingly invincible Serb will be the firm favourite to claim his 25th major singles title and eclipse a record that has stood for half a century.

The 36-year-old enjoyed one of the most dominant seasons of his career in 2023, winning a record-extending 10th crown at the Melbourne major before triumphs at the French and US Opens to go level with Margaret Court on 24 grand slam singles titles.

Australian Court won the last of those trophies in 1973 and Djokovic is poised to go past her on his happiest hunting ground, where 12 months ago he braved a political row involving his father and battled through a torn hamstring to prevail.

Barring a blip in a thrilling Wimbledon final against Carlos Alcaraz and a couple of late-season defeats by another youngster in Jannik Sinner, the world number one was virtually unbeatable last year with little to suggest he will slow down in 2024.