In the women's draw, second seed Aryna Sabalenka will start her title defence in Melbourne, while fifth seed Andrey Rublev will also compete in the men's draw .
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| Novak Djokovic of Serbia during practice before the Australian Open |
Novak Djokovic will present his claim for Grand Slam history against an 18-year-old qualifier at the Australian Open .
In the women's draw, second seed Aryna Sabalenka will start her title defence in Melbourne, while fifth seed Andrey Rublev will also compete in the men's draw.
World number one Djokovic is fighting for his 11th Australian Open title and 25th Grand Slam, which will put him ahead of Margaret Court in the all-time list .
The Serbian, who has won 24 Grand Slams, is already the most successful player in the men's draw, two ahead of injured Rafael Nadal and four points ahead of retired Roger Federer .
Djokovic returned shortly after completing a calendar Grand Slam last year, winning three Grand Slams and losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final.
The 36-year-old, who beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in the title clash in Melbourne last year, is once again a strong contender and will look to win the first match against Dino Prismick .
The age difference between the two players is 18 years and 75 days since Ken Rosewall beat qualifier Kerry Stansbury in 1978, the biggest difference in a men's match at the Australian Open.
"I'm hoping that I can start the season like that, I've started my whole season with wins here in Australia and Melbourne throughout my career," Djokovic said .
"No doubt it's my favourite place – the court where I have done so well and achieved some of my best Grand Slam results.
Sinner, who decided not to play in any of the practice tournaments, defeated Botic van de Zandschulp 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 in the first match at Rod Laver Arena.
One of the youngsters trying to beat fourth seed Djokovic of Italy, the player did not perform well against the Dutch opponent but raised his level in the crucial moments .
"Physically I feel in good shape, the first round is never easy so I can be happy today .
The ninth seed from the Czech Republic, who won the title in 2021 at Roland Garros, bounced back from 3-1 down in the second set after losing the first set.
Belarusian star Sabalenka was due to take the court in the evening session but she performed brilliantly in 2023 in which she won in Melbourne, finished runner-up at the US Open and made it to the semifinals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon .
In doing so, she became the first woman since Serena Williams in 2016 to reach at least the semi-finals of all four Grand Slams in a calendar year.
The 25-year-old, currently ranked second to Poland's Iga Swiatek, will face unseeded Ella Sedel of Germany.
Former champion Caroline Wozniacki was given a wildcard to participate in the tournament and has returned to the scene of her biggest win four years after her last appearance at Melbourne Park .
The 2018 Australian Open winner has joined a group of tennis moms who are fulfilling commitments on court with motherhood duties, including Elina Svitolina, Angelique Kerber and Naomi Osaka.
The 33-year-old, who played against 20th seed Magda Linette of Poland, still believes she can mingle with the best players despite being out of the tour for a long time .
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