Carlos Alcaraz will start his way in the Australian Open against the Frenchman Richard Gasquet, while his main rival, the Serbian Novak Djokovic, will debut in the first round against a tennis player from the qualifying phase.
Alcaraz, who became the only great Spanish hope in Melbourne after the recent loss of his compatriot Rafael Nadal due to injury, could face the American Tommy Paul (14) in a hypothetical round of 16, with whom he has a record of two victories and two defeats, in the quarterfinals to the German Alexander Zverev (6) and in the semifinals to the Russian Daniil Medvedev (2), a priori a demanding path to the final.
The Murcian, number two in the world, only faced the 37-year-old French veteran player once and it was in the 2021 Umag final, when he won by a resounding double 6-2. Alcaraz, who will have the possibility of winning his first Australian Open and his third victory in a major after the titles of Wimbledon 2023 and US Open 2022, could face in the second round if he debuts with victory against the Englishman Daniel Evans or the Italian Lorenzo Sonego, two tennis players who will demand your best version.
For his part, Djokovic will kick off what will be his title defense against a previous tennis player after luck was on his side in the draw that took place in the main press room in Melbourne Park. In the second round, the number one could face the winner of the Australian duel between the guest Marc Polmans and Alexei Popyrin.
The Serbian, who arrived in Melbourne with some discomfort in his right wrist that affected him during his defeat against the Australian Alex De Miñaur (10) in the United Cup, would meet the American Ben Shelton (16) in a hypothetical round of 16. , in the quarterfinals with the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas (7) and in the semifinals with the Italian Jannik Sinner (4).
It will be the first time in his career that the current champion does not have any of his main historical rivals, the Spanish Rafael Nadal and the Swiss Roger Federer, in the final draw of the Australian Open.
The champion of ten editions of the Australian major and 24 Grand Slam titles will have the opportunity to expand the difference in slam crowns with respect to Nadal (22) and Federer (20).
The second main Spanish hope, Alejandro Davidovich (23) from Malaga, will begin his adventure against the Frenchman Constant Lestienne. Regarding the rest of the Spaniards, Roberto Bautista will face Ben Shelton, Roberto Carballés with the Croatian Borna Gojo, Bernabé Zapata with the Czech Jiri Lehecka (32), Jaume Munar against the Russian Alexander Shevchenko and Albert Ramos with the Norwegian Casper Ruud (11) .
The Italian Jannik Sinner (4), who will debut against the Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp, and the Russian Daniil Medvedev (3), who will face a tennis player from the previous qualifying round, the Russian Andrey Rublev, who will start as possible alternatives to conquering Melbourne Park. He will face the Brazilian Thiago Seyboth Wild, and the German Alexander Zverev (6), who will start against his compatriot Dominik Koepfer.
The main Spanish hope, Paula Badosa, will begin her journey with the American Taylor Townsend, while the Polish Iga Swiatek, current world number one and rival to beat, will debut with the American Sofia Kenin, champion in the 2020 edition.
Badosa was moved to 74th position on the WTA list after a difficult 2023 in which she only participated in one slam (Wimbledon) as a result of a stress fracture of a vertebra, but she will have the opportunity to achieve her first result positive of the season in an Australian Open in which she could meet the Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova or the Croatian Donna Vekic (21) in a hypothetical second match.
Later she could face her Belarusian friend Aryna Sabalenka (2) in the fourth round, with the Tunisian Ons Jabeur (6) in the quarterfinals and the American Coco Gauff (4) in the semifinals.
The second favorite and defending champion, Sabalenka, will not meet her rival in the first round until this Friday, once the qualifying phase ends, and could face the Russian Liudmila Samsonova (13) in the fourth round, the Tunisian Ons in future rounds. Jabeur (6) in the quarterfinals and the American Coco Gauff (4) in the semifinals.
As for the rest of the Spaniards, Cristina Bucsa will face the Russian Anna Blinkova, Rebeka Masarova against the Belarusian Aleksandra Sasnovich and Sara Sorribes against a player from the previous one.
The Japanese Naomi Osaka, champion of the 2019 and 2021 editions, will return to the Melbourne Park courts in the first round against the French Caroline Garcia (16), after her absence in 2023 due to maternity, in what will be another of the main attractions of the first round on the banks of the Yarra River.
