Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic gave Australia an unwanted reputation as a breeding ground for tennis brats during a tempestuous 2015 and the pair will be firmly under the spotlight in front of home crowds at Melbourne Park. With former world number one Lleyton Hewitt set to retire and the last of his two grand slam titles at the 2002 Wimbledon championships a distant memory, Australia has long yearned for a new force in men's tennis to challenge at the majors. Tomic, 23, and Kyrgios, 20, have both been tagged as the future of the sport in the country but the excitement generated by their undeniable talent gave way to dismay last season as the pair hogged the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
IMAGES from the action from the Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Thursday.
Jannik Sinner retained his Australian Open title with an emphatic 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-3 win over Alexander Zverev on Sunday
The Spaniard, who has slipped to world number 672, said he was feeling much better than a year ago but added that he cannot have long-term goals just yet.
Spain's Paula Badosa, the women's world number 67, was the only player to contract the coronavirus. She was released from hotel quarantine on Wednesday.
Images from Day 2 of the 2023 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Tuesday.
Former US Open champions Dominic Thiem and Emma Raducanu will headline the qualifying field for the Australian Open as they look to reignite their careers in 2024 following struggles with injuries.
Ferrari's underwhelming pace was a surprise to their rivals and to Hamilton, whose quickest lap in the final qualifying session (Q3) was nearly nine-tenths of a second slower than Norris's.
Immigration Minister Alex Hawke's office said he was still considering whether to use his discretionary power to cancel Novak Djokovic's visa.
Novak Djokovic will begin his Australian Open title defence against Frenchman Jeremy Chardy, while reigning women's champion Sofia Kenin meets wild card Maddison Inglis, following the draw for the year's first Grand Slam on Friday.
Victoria, of which Melbourne is the capital, reintroduced the compulsory wearing of masks in indoor public places from Thursday while private gatherings were reduced from 30 people to 15.
'The fact that I wasn't playing for several months beginning of last year allowed me to really get together with my team and work on my body, on my strokes, which has later helped me to achieve some great results.'
A ruthless Iga Swiatek slammed the door shut on German lucky loser Eva Lys with a 6-0 6-1 win on Monday to breeze into the quarter-finals of the year's opening Grand Slam for the second time.
McLaren's Lando Norris swept to victory in a wet and wild Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, holding off defending champion Max Verstappen in a white-knuckle finish to a Formula One season-opener littered with crashes and safety cars.
Nick Kyrgios's hopes of ending his country's 47-year wait for a homegrown men's champion at the Australian Open were shattered on the opening day on Monday when he pulled out of the tournament with a knee injury.
Retired Australian Open champion Li Na told the centre court crowd at Melbourne Park on Monday that she was expecting her first child with her husband and former coach Jiang Shan.
British world number 55 Jack Draper had no time to enjoy sealing what he described as one of the most satisfactory wins of his career at the Australian Open on Tuesday as he was forced to race to a courtside bin to throw up.
US Open champion Coco Gauff cruised past fellow teen Brenda Fruhvirtova 6-3 6-0 at the Auckland Classic on Thursday, setting up a quarter-final against Varvara Gracheva in the Australian Open warm-up event.
Novak Djokovic, the world number one ranked men's player, has reiterated his stand about freedom of choice over taking the COVID-19 vaccine as suspense grows over his participation at the Australian Open in January.
Images from Day 8 of the 2023 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Sunday.
Images from the men's singles fourth round matches at the Australian Open, on Sunday.
Novak Djokovic hampered by wrist issue at United Cup
Serena Williams, Bianca Andreescu and Roger Federer have also pulled out of the Grand Slam.
Images from Day 9 of the 2022 Australian Open, at Melbourne Park, on Tuesday.
Australia scrapped a rule that required international travellers to declare their COVID vaccination status last week.
Naomi Osaka's return a boost for women's tour, says Mouratoglou
Badosa said she felt in good shape even if she was having to get used to being the hunted
Images from Day 3 of the 2023 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Wednesday.
Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka said rediscovering her love for tennis and not focusing on results and rankings were among her top goals for 2022, following her return to action in Melbourne on Tuesday after a four-month break.
Sloane Stephens ground down unseeded German Julia Goerges 7-5, 6-2 to win the Auckland Classic on Saturday, the American ending a busy day at the office with a confidence-boosting triumph ahead of the Australian Open.
World No 1 Iga Swiatek overcame a strong early challenge from former champion Sofia Kenin to reach the second round of the Australian Open
World No 1 Novak Djokovic began practice on Friday, January 14, 2022, to pursue a record 21st Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in Melbourne, which begins on Monday, January 17.
The 34-year-old is currently housed in a government detention hotel in the suburb of Carlton, 5 km (2 miles) north of Melbourne Park, after authorities cancelled his visa when he arrived in Australia.
Melbourne final feels 'bit unreal' for Japan's Osaka
A quiz for all you tennis fans.
The Australian was warned for bad language and docked a point for unsportsmanlike conduct after throwing his racquet into the stands during Friday's 6-3, 6-4 defeat by Borna Coric in the Murray River Open at Melbourne Park.
Rafael Nadal has not played a competitive match since bowing out in the second round of this year's Australian Open.
Play at the Australian Open was called to a halt on day four of the championships on Thursday with temperatures at Melbourne Park hitting 41 degrees Celsius (106 Fahrenheit) and still rising.
Players competed at empty stadiums at Melbourne Park through the five-day lockdown but reduced capacity crowds of 7,477 have been permitted in each of Thursday's two sessions and the same number for the singles finals sessions on Saturday and Sunday.
Novak Djokovic will prepare for a tilt at an 11th Australian Open title by representing Serbia at the United Cup mixed team tournament while old rival Rafael Nadal and former women's world number one Naomi Osaka return at Brisbane after time away.
