Andy Murray will make his return to the Australian Open with a tough first-round match against Roberto Bautista Agut.
The Spanish 22nd seed defeated Novak Djokovic on his way to the title in Doha last week while concerns about Murray’s fitness grew as he struggled through a practice match against world number one Djokovic at Melbourne Park this week.
Kyle Edmund, back at the scene of his semi-final appearance 12 months ago, was also given a difficult opener against former top-10 stalwart Tomas Berdych, who is unseeded following injury.
Defending champion Roger Federer takes on Denis Istomin in round one and is in the same half of the draw as Rafael Nadal, who has drawn Australian James Duckworth.
Djokovic, who like Federer is bidding for a record seventh title in Melbourne, will play a qualifier in round one.
Johanna Konta begins her campaign against Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic, who she lost to in Brisbane last week.
Konta is in a loaded top quarter of the draw that also includes world number one Simona Halep, who faces a rematch with her US Open conqueror Kaia Kanepi, and Serena and Venus Williams.
British number two Heather Watson takes on 31st seed Petra Martic from Croatia while Katie Boulter, playing in her first slam main draw outside of Wimbledon, meets experienced Russian Ekaterina Makarova.
Australian Open schedule
Monday, January 14 – Men’s & Women’s first round
Tuesday, January 15 – Men’s & Women’s first round
Wednesday, January 16 – Men’s & Women’s second round
Thursday, January 17 – Men’s & Women’s second round
Friday, January 18 – Men’s & Women’s second round
Saturday, January 19 – Men’s & Women’s third round
Sunday, January 20 – Men’s & Women’s fourth round
Monday, January 21 – Men’s & Women’s fourth round
Tuesday, January 22 – Men’s & Women’s quarter-finals
Wednesday, January 23 – Men’s & Women’s quarter-finals
Thursday, January 24 – Women’s semi-finals, one Men’s semi-final
Friday, January 25 – Mixed Doubles semi-final, Women’s Doubles final, one Men’s semi-final
Saturday, January 26 – Women’s Singles final, Men’s Doubles final
Sunday, January 27 – Mixed Doubles Final, Men’s Singles final
Australian Open TV channel – how to watch
Tennis fans in the UK can watch the Australian Open via the Eurosport TV channel and on the Eurosport Player live streaming service.
Fans who don’t subscribe to Eurosport can still sign up for a special deal to watch all of the action for just 1p.
If you have an Amazon Prime membership, you can add the Eurosport channel to your account for only 1p per month (up to six months).
Customers who take up the full six months can also tune in for the French Open in May, while the US Open is exclusive to Amazon Prime itself.