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, Jan. 27, 2024. Credit: AP/Andy Wong

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,

Novak Djokovic is set to compete at the Australian Open for the 20th time in his career. Here is what's at stake at his most successful grand slam.