Australian Open begins Jan. 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, Matthew Futterman and Charlie Eccleshare,

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

Sabalenka will be attempting to win a third consecutive women's singles title at Melbourne Park, something last accomplished by Martina Hingis from 1997 to 1999. Sabalenka drew a tough opening match against 2017 U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens and has 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva and Zheng in her section.

- Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus plays a forehand return to Zheng Qinwen of China during the women’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championships at Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, Saturday,

Novak Djokovic said he still feels “a bit of trauma” when he travels to Australia, stemming from his deportation in 2022 because he was not vaccinated against COVID-19. “The last couple of times that I landed in Australia,