The Australian Open draw will take place with several huge names lurking dangerously as unseeded players after making injury returns.
Among them, 22-time men’s grand slam champion Rafael Nadal and four-time women’s grand slam champion Naomi Osaka; the 37-year-old Spaniard is back after the majority of last season due to injury, while Osaka returns after having given birth to her first daughter, Shai, last summer.
From a British perspective, Emma Raducanu and Andy 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.
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.
Here’s everything you need to know.
When is the Australian Open draw?
The Australian Open main draw for men’s and women’s singles is expected to be held on Thursday January 11. The start time for the draw ceremony has yet to have been confirmed, although it is likely to be held in the early hours UK time.
The draw for qualifying will be held at an earlier date.
When does the Australian Open start?
The Australian Open main draw starts on Sunday 14 January and runs until Sunday 28 January, with the opening grand slam of the year now played as a 15-day event.
That means play will get underway at Melbourne Park on a Sunday for the first time, in a move that organisers hope will limit the potential of late finishes in the opening week.
The women’s singles final will be played on Saturday 27 January, with the men’s singles final played the following day on Sunday 28 January.
Australian Open 2024 tournament schedule
Sunday 14 January: Round 1, men’s singles, women’s singles
Monday 15 January: Round 1, men’s singles, women’s singles
Tuesday 16 January: Round 1, men’s singles, women’s singles
Wednesday 17 January: Round 2, men’s singles, women’s singles
Thursday 18 January: Round 2, men’s singles, women’s singles
Friday 19 January: Round 3, men’s singles, women’s singles
Saturday 20 January: Round 3, men’s singles, women’s singles
Sunday 21 January: Round 4, men’s singles, women’s singles
Monday 22 January: Round 4, men’s singles, women’s singles
Tuesday 23 January: Quarter-finals, men’s singles, women’s singles
Wednesday 24 January: Quarter-finals, men’s singles, women’s singles
Thursday 25 January: Semi-finals, women’s singles
Friday 26 January: Semi-finals, men’s singles
Saturday 27 January: Women’s singles final
Sunday 28 January: Men’s singles final
Men’s & women’s doubles: 16-28 January
Mixed doubles: 18-27 January
Wheelchair events: 23-27 January
Junior events: 20-27 January
Australian Open 2024 prize money
Men’s and women’s singles, (Per player – 128 draw)
Winner: £1,674,000 (AU $3,150,000)
Runner-up: £925,000 (AU $1,725,000)
Semi-finals: £530,000 (AU $990,000)
Quarter-finals: £321,000 (AU $600,000)
Round 4: £201,000 (AU $375,000)
Round 3: £137,000 (AU $255,000)
Round 2: £96,000 (AU $180,000)
First Round: £64,000 (AU $120,000)
Is the Australian Open on TV in the UK?
You can watch the Australian Open live on Discovery+ and Eurosport in the UK. The action will be broadcast on Eurosport’s TV channels, or fans can tune intoDiscovery+ to stream the tournament, where an Entertainment & Sport pass is available foreither £6.99/month or £59.99/year.
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