She enters the opening Grand Slam of the year as favourite.

Top seed Novak Djokovic was drawn Thursday against a qualifier or lucky loser to begin his bid for an 11th Australian Open crown, and could meet fellow Grand Slam champion Andy Murray in the third round.

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.

The 36-year-old from Serbia defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in last year's final for a record-extending 10th Melbourne crown then added the French and US Open titles to his collection in 2023.

The 22-time Grand Slam winner has been plagued by injuries throughout his career, including missing 11 majors through a series of injuries

Alexander Zverev saved two match points in a gruelling three-set win over Hubert Hurkacz to help Germany upset top seeds Poland and clinch a maiden United Cup title in Sydney on Sunday.

"Right now I am not ready to compete at the maximum level in five-set matches. I'm flying back to Spain to see my doctor, get some treatment and rest," he said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Coco Gauff held her nerve to beat Elina Svitolina in a gruelling three-set final on Sunday to retain her Auckland Classic title in an ideal warm-up for the Australian Open.

Elena Rybakina will head to the Australian Open full of confidence after demolishing world number two Aryna Sabalenka in the Brisbane International final on Sunday.

Rafael Nadal said he would have to wait and see how his body recovered after needing a medical time-out towards the end of his quarter-final loss at the Brisbane International on Friday.

Spanish great Rafael Nadal's comeback to tennis came to an end when he lost a 3hr 25min marathon quarter-final to Australian Jordan Thompson at the Brisbane International on Friday.

Azarenka took 2hr 30min before finally outlasting third-seeded Latvian Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 in the first match on Pat Rafter Arena

Playing his first tournament since being forced to retire injured at the 2023 Australian Open, Nadal was far too strong for the Australian, who did not have the shots to harm the Spaniard.

Masfia Afrin has become the first Bangladeshi female tennis official to be nominated by the International Tennis Federation to officiate international tournaments on foreign soil.

Novak Djokovic suffered a frustrating fitness saga as a wrist problem led to the Serb's upset 6-4, 6-4 loss to Australia's Alex de Minaur in the quarter-finals of the United Cup in Perth on Wednesday.

From representing Ukraine in the Davis Cup to donning military uniform on the frontline, Alexandr Dolgopolov has undergone quite a transformation in the service of his beleaguered country.

Novak Djokovic received treatment for a wrist issue during his United Cup match against Jiri Lehecka on Tuesday but the world number one battled through for a 6-1 6-7(3) 6-1 win that drew Serbia level with Czech Republic in the $10 million mixed team event.

The 22-times Grand Slam champion had arthroscopic surgery last June after injuring his left hip flexor during his second round defeat by Mackenzie McDonald at the Australian Open in early 2023.

The 26-year-old from Japan last competed on tour at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo in September 2022 and had her first child, daughter Shai, in July before stepping up her preparations for the Jan. 14-28 Australian Open

Novak Djokovic got the party started for 2024 as he sealed a 2-1 win for Serbia over China near the stroke of midnight on Sunday at the United Cup in Perth.