Australian Open begins January 12 in Melbourne, and the draws for the men’s and women’s singles are intriguing — and have thrown up some blockbuster first-round matches. The Athletic’s tennis writers,

Italy's Jannik Sinner returns the ball to Netherlands' Tallon Griekspoor during the Davis Cup final tennis match between Netherlands and Italy at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. Credit: AP/Manu Fernandez

Taylor Fritz, seeded number 4, was drawn in his half of the draw. On the opposite side of the draw, therefore opponents that the Italian tennis player could only face in the final, Novak Djokovic, seeded number 7, Carlos Alcaraz, seeded number 3 and Alexander Zverev, seeded number 2, ended up.

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.

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, with Carlos Alcaraz in the same quarter as Djokovic.

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz could meet in a blockbuster Australian Open quarterfinal, while defending champion Jannik Sinner looms on the opposite side of the draw.

Novak Djokovic now knows who he will face in his Australian Open first-round clash – and the tennis great certainly faces an intriguing test. Nishesh Basavareddy may not be a name that is yet familiar to all,