Organisers hope the anxious buildup will be forgotten when the action begins.
Henri Kontinen and John Peers stunned the Bryan twins 7-5, 7-5 to win the Australian Open men's double title at MelbournePark on Saturday.
Twelve months on and things have not got any easier for Tennis Australia with Omicron spreading through the country just as the first players are set to arrive for warm-up events ahead of the Melbourne Park tournament.
Djokovic will be nowhere near the centre court after losing his bid to overturn a second visa cancellation.
World number one Rafael Nadal, who is struggling to get any match practice before the Australian Open, will play an exhibition event at Melbourne Park in the week leading up to the season opening Grand Slam, organisers said on Monday.
Therapy and motherhood have, she has said, helped her on her mental health journey and she appeared to be having a lot more fun on court in Brisbane.
Penpix of the top men's contenders at the 2021 Australian Open
Kyrgios and Kokkinakis were nicknamed the 'Special Ks' as juniors
Novak Djokovic won a record-extending 10th Australian Open crown, beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in a generational clash in the men's singles final, at Melbourne Park, on Sunday.
Serbia's Novak Djokovic outclasses Russia's Andrey Rublev to set up a meeting with unseeded Tommy Paul in the semi-finals of the Australian Open on Wednesday.
Factbox on Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka, who beat China's Zheng Qinwen in the Australian Open final on Saturday
Rafael Nadal is taking no pleasure from the absence of great rival Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open, even if it means he has a clearer shot at the Grand Slam title record.
Emma Raducanu says she is not worried about her poor form and will play without pressure at the Australian Open.
Novak Djokovic will begin his quest for a record-extending 10th Australian Open title against Roberto Carballes Baena.
Murray has struggled to regain form since undergoing hip surgery last January, and was quickly dismantled by the six-time Australian Open champion at Margaret Court Arena before the players called time on their match after less than an hour.
Kim Clijsters won her second straight Grand Slam title and the fourth of her career beating China's Li Na to clinch the Australian Open crown on Saturday.
'She's always smiling. I mean, we try in our team to smile everywhere. We make so many funny stuff around the court. She likes it'
This year's Australian Open will be allowed to admit up to 30,000 fans a day, around 50% of usual capacity, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Even putting on socks and shoes caused him severe pain, the three time Grand Slam winner revealed.
Images from Day 2 of the 2022 Australian Open in Melbourne on Tuesday.
Nick Kyrgios said he pulled out of the Sydney Tennis Classic after testing positive for COVID-19
Bopanna was forced into searching for a new partner after Joao Sousa was unable to travel to Australia on time after testing COVID-19 positive.
Daniil Medvedev fired Russia into the final of the ATP Cup on Saturday with a tense 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 win over an injury-hampered Alexander Zverev after the German destroyed a racket in frustration over a lost service break.
Players complained about the conditions, with France's Alize Cornet stating extreme the heat policy could be endangering the safety of players, this, after she suffered dizzy spells during her third round match against Elise Mertens on Friday.
Djokovic's official website also confirmed his participation in the Dubai tournament.
A look at some of India's best victories over Pakistan in ICC tournaments.
New coach Rainer Schuettler's experience as a former player at the top level has been invaluable for Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber and the world number two believes her poor end to last season is truly behind her.
Nadal believes he had no reason to feel alarmed ahead of the season's first Grand Slam starting in two weeks.
'We're absolutely confident the Australian Open will go ahead'
The 33-year-old, a record eight-time winner on the Melbourne Park Arena, slipped during the third set of Friday's third-round match against Taylor Fritz and disappeared off Rod Laver Arena for treatment.
Russia's fourth seed Daniil Medvedev crushed Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets to set up a title clash with Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open in Melbourne on Friday.
Roger Federer will make his return to the tennis circuit from a double knee surgery at an ATP 250 tournament in Qatar in March, having not played since last year's Australian Open.
The three-time major winner would be given a protected ranking of number two, the Australian Open organisers said
A prodigious yet polarising talent, former quarter-finalist Nick Kyrgios suffered his earliest exit from Melbourne Park.
Trailblazing India tennis star Sania Mirza's swansong appearance at the Australian Open ended with a quarter-final loss to local pair Jaimee Fourlis and Jason Kubler in the mixed doubles in Melbourne on Tuesday.
The 34-year-old practised for an hour on Thursday evening at the Rod Laver Arena and his fitness was improving "little by little, step by step", sources close to Nadal told Reuters.
Djokovic practised his serves and returns with his entourage on an empty court at Melbourne Park
India had mixed fortunes at the Australian Open as Leander Paes got off to a winning start in mixed doubles but it was end of the road for the fourth-seeded pair of Sania Mirza and her doubles partner, Czech, Barbora Strycova in the women's doubles event.
IMAGES from the Australian Open matches played on Friday.
