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.

Jannik Sinner begins his Australian Open title defence against Nicolas Jarry while women's champion Aryna Sabalenka takes on 2017 U.S. Open winner Sloane Stephens after the draw for the year's first Grand Slam was made at Melbourne Park on Thursday.

Defending champions Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka headlined the men's and women's singles draws, as a star-studded lineup

Fresh off of an incredible finish to the 2024 campaign, Sinner will come into the first grand slam tournament of the season as the odds-on favorite. Last season, the 23-year-old cemented himself as one of the heirs to the throne in men’s tennis by winning the Australian Open and the U.

Third-seeded Coco Gauff is a potential semi-final rival for Sabalenka. Gauff has a challenging first-round match against former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin and is in the same section of the draw as four-time major winner Naomi Osaka and seventh-seeded Jessica Pegula.

Here are some of the top men at the Australian Open, which starts at Melbourne Park on Sunday morning local time (Saturday night EST), with money-line odds via BetMGM Sportsbook: Jannik Sinner Seeding: 1 Career-Best Ranking: 1 Country: Italy Age: 23 2024 Record: 73-6 2024 Titles: 8 Career Titles: 18 Grand Slam Titles: 2 — Australian Open (1: 2024),

Jannik Sinner will open his campaign against Nicholas Jarry, and Novak Djokovic will face Indian-origin American player Nishesh Basavareddy in his opener.

Novak Djokovic has revealed his father is putting pressure on him to retire from tennis as the 2025 Australian Open rapidly approaches. The Serb, who failed to win a major in 2024, will be hoping to secure glory Down Under - having previously done so on 10 occasions over the years.