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Emma Raducanu 'having a blast' as she battles to victory in first match in eight months
The Australian Open draw takes place tonight with several huge names lurking dangerously as unseeded players, including Emma Raducanu and Andy Murray.
World No 1 and 10-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic is the top seed in the men’s draw while Iga Swiatek is the top seed in the women’s draw, with defending champion Aryna Sabalenka seeded second and newly crowned US Open champion Coco Gauff third.
Four-time women’s grand slam champion Naomi Osaka could draw a big name as an unseeded player after making her comeback, having given birth to her first daughter, Shai, last summer. There will be no return for 22-time men’s grand slam champion Rafael Nadal, however, after he was forced to withdraw from the opening grand slam of the year due to a fresh hip injury.
From a British perspective, Raducanu and Murray are also unseeded ahead of the draw. Raducanu has been granted a place in the main draw due to her protected ranking after missing eight months of last season following wrist and ankle surgeries, while Murray just misses out following a dip in form to end last season and will be hoping for a kind draw as he returns to Melbourne Park.
Follow the Australian Open 2024 draw below in tonight’s live blog
Australian Open draw LIVE
Naomi Oaka is drawn against Caroline Garcia in the opening round! Another big R1 tie!
Jamie Braidwood11 January 2024 02:08
Australian Open draw LIVE
Emma Raducanu will play American Shelby Rogers in the opening round of the Australian Open.
Jamie Braidwood11 January 2024 02:07
Australian Open draw LIVE
Iga Swiatek, the World No 1 and top seed, draws Sofia Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion, in the opening round!
The winner will then play either Angelique Kerber or Danielle Collins in Round Two, two other former Australian Open finalists!
Jamie Braidwood11 January 2024 02:05
Australian Open draw LIVE
We’re going to start with the draw for the women’s singles. The unseeded players will be drawn randomly and then the seeds will be pulled out line by line.
Jamie Braidwood11 January 2024 02:03
Australian Open draw LIVE
It’s draw time! Naomi Osaka is the most intriguing name in the draw - and of course Andy Murray and Emma Raducanu could land anywhere as well. The full Australian Open draw ceremony is coming up.
Jamie Braidwood11 January 2024 02:01
Australian Open draw LIVE
How can I watch the draw?
The Australian Open draw will available to watch on a free live stream, which can be accessed on the Australian Open’s YouTube and Facebook channels.
Jamie Braidwood11 January 2024 01:50
Australian Open draw LIVE
And here’s a reminder of the men’s seeds...
Men’s singles
1. Novak Djokovic
2. Carlos Alcaraz
3. Daniil Medvedev
4. Jannik Sinner
5. Andrey Rublev
6. Alexander Zverev
7. Stefanos Tsitsipas
8. Holger Rune
9. Hubert Hurkacz
10. Alex de Minaur
11. Casper Ruud
12. Taylor Fritz
13. Grigor Dimitrov
14. Tommy Paul
15. Karen Khachanov
16. Ben Shelton
17. Frances Tiafoe
18. Nicholas Jarry
19. Cameron Norrie
20. Adrian Mannarino
21. Ugo Humbert
22. Francisco Cerundolo
23. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
24. Jan-Lennard Struff
25. Lorenzo Musetti
26. Sebastian Baez
27. Felix Auger-Aliassime
28. Tallon Griekspoor
29. Sebastian Korda
30. Tomas Martin Etcheverry
31. Alexander Bublik
32. Jiri Lehecka
Jamie Braidwood11 January 2024 01:39
Australian Open draw LIVE
Not long until the draw now... here’s a reminder of the seeds
Women’s singles
1. Iga Swiatek
2. Aryna Sabalenka
3. Elena Rybakina
4. Coco Gauff
5. Jessica Pegula
6. Ons Jabeur
7. Marketa Vondrousova
8. Maria Sakkari
9. Barbora Krejcikova
10. Beatriz Haddad Maia
11. Jelena Ostapenko
12. Zheng Qinwen
13. Liudmila Samsonova
14. Daria Kasatkina
15. Veronika Kudermetova
16. Caroline Garcia
17. Ekaterina Alexandrova
18. Victoria Azarenka
19. Elina Svitolina
20. Magda Linette
21. Donna Vekic
22. Sorana Cirstea
23. Anastasia Potapova
24. Anhelina Kalinina
25. Elise Mertens
26.Jasmine Paolini
27. Emma Navarro
28. Lesia Tsurenko
29, Zhu Lin
30. Wang Xinyu
31. Marie Bouzkova
32. Leylah Fernandez
Jamie Braidwood11 January 2024 01:29
Australian Open draw LIVE
Australian Open makes major schedule change
This year’s Australian Open will start on a Sunday, becoming a 15-day event for the first time, tournament organisers have announced.
There had been growing concerns over late finishes with so many matches scheduled on the opening Monday.
Last year, the second-round match between Andy Murray and Thanasi Kokkinakis, which lasted five sets, did not finish until 4:05am - which the British former world number one described as “ridiculously late”.
The new Sunday start will see an increase in the number of sessions across the three arenas from 47 to 52.
The day session at Rod Laver Arena and Margaret Court Arena will feature a minimum of two matches, which is down from three, to limit the potential of late finishes.
Night sessions, meanwhile, will continue to feature a minimum of two matches and the John Cain Arena schedule also remains unchanged.
Jamie Braidwood11 January 2024 01:19
Australian Open draw LIVE
Aryna Sabalenka reveals key areas of improvement ahead of Australian Open defence
Aryna Sabalenka is not one to rest on her laurels and has been hard at work in the off-season as she looks to improve even on her stellar 2023, starting with her first defence of a grand slam title at the Australian Open.
The 25-year-old Belarussian took a knock at the weekend when Elena Rybakina, her opponent in last year’s Melbourne Park final, snapped her 15-match winning streak in Australia with a crushing 6-0 6-3 victory in the Brisbane International final.
Although there was much scowling and head-shaking during the all-too-brief contest, Sabalenka was soon laughing off her bad day at the office and focussing on her next assignment at the year’s first grand slam.
That reaction was a significant improvement on the Sabalenka of only a couple of years ago, a player with all the weapons to compete for the game’s major prizes but who crumbled into a tearful mess at the first sign of a setback.
Jamie Braidwood11 January 2024 01:05