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,

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.

FILE - 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. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File)

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 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,

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz can each make more history with an Australian Open title, but they could first face each other in the quarterfinals. The men's singles draw is highlighted by the third seed Alcaraz and seventh seed Djokovic sharing the same quarter.

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,