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,

Novak Djokovic says he still feels a bit of trauma when he travels to Australia. He says that stems from his deportation from the country in 2022 because he was not vaccinated against COVID-19.

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)

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.