It has been 24 days since Victoria reported a locally acquired COVID-19 infection, while Australia as a whole posted a 13th straight day without a community case on Saturday.
Nadal said he did not expect to go all the way at Melbourne Park
In fact, barring 2014 when Stan Wawrinka won the title, no player apart from the quartet has even been involved in the men's final at Melbourne Park since 2008.
Djokovic left little doubt that he would also be there trying to win major number 23.
Barty is primed to become the first local since Chris O'Neil in 1978 to win the Australian Open.
Andy Murray moved into the fourth round of the Australian Open in surreal circumstances on Saturday, completing a 6-2, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Joao Sousa after his father-in-law had collapsed ill a few hundred metres away.
Garbine Muguruza outclassed former finalist Simona Halep in straight sets to enter the final of the Australian Open in Melbourne on Thursday. Meanwhile, Sofia Kenin sent world number one Ash Barty spinning out of the Melbourne Park semi-finals 7-6, 7-5 on Thursday, crushing Australian hopes of a first home-grown champion at the Grand Slam in 42 years. The 21-year-old Kenin showed her frustration at times, throwing her racquet on court, but managed to hang in and saved three breakpoints to hold for 3-3 and eventually force a tiebreaker.
McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton has been fined A$500 ($445) but avoided conviction for reckless driving outside Melbourne's Australian Grand Prix circuit in March.
American Rajeev Ram picked up his first tennis men's doubles title at a Grand Slam on Sunday with partner Joe Salisbury of Britain, taming the local wild card pairing of Max Purcell and Luke Saville in straight sets at the Australian Open
Stanislas Wawrinka was reportedly taken aback by the Melbourne Park Crowd's hostility towards Rafael Nadal during Sunday's Australian Open final.
Rafael Nadal shrugged off his derailed bid for the Grand Slam record with a pledge to keep "fighting" but the Spaniard leaves the Australian Open with familiar regrets after bowing out to a rising talent on Wednesday.
Djokovic has never failed to win the tournament after making the semi-finals and he will be heavily favoured to claim a record-extending ninth title at his favourite Slam on Sunday.
Serena Williams was included on the entry list for the US Open on Wednesday along with fellow former champion Novak Djokovic, who will not be able to compete due to his refusal to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Shapovalov will meet Rafael Nadal for a place in the semi-finals.
The players have been allowed out to practise for five hours a day during their quarantine but Djokovic said he had headed to a local park on his first morning in Australia without restrictions.
amiliar names, however, are tipped to take off with the winners' trophies. The following is a list of talking points at the Australian Open:
Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews on Monday said his government is negotiating with Cricket Australia and Tennis Australia to have crowd attendance for the city's iconic sports events -- Boxing Day Test involving India and the Australian Open.
'When it's easy it's going to be no problem. When it gets tough that's when you know what's going to hold up and what's not'
Images from Day 1 of the Australian Open in Melbourne on Monday.
Factbox on Switzerland's Roger Federer,
That was the lesser of two disappointments for the Belarusian on Thursday, as Azarenka's bid for a third title at Melbourne Park ended with some regret at her missed chances against 22nd seed Rybakina.
The Australian Conservation Foundation's Climate Change Program Manager Gavan McFadzean also said athletes need to step up.
World number one Andy Murray vowed to return as strong as ever after his bid for a maiden Australian Open title was brought to a stunning end by German Mischa Zverev on Sunday.
The World No 2 announced her commitment to the social media entrepreneur shortly before the New Year and while it was "great", she was pushing it to the back of her mind, at least until after Melbourne Park.
Images from Day 9 of the 2020 Australian Open in Melbourne on Tuesday.
Known for her attention seeking clothes, Serena Williams is trying to bring pop culture to the tennis courts.
Russian and Belarusian flags have been banned from the Melbourne Park precinct during the Australian Open after a complaint from the Ukraine ambassador to the country.
Images from Sunday's action at the Australian Open, in Melbourne.
Defending champion Novak Djokovic was knocked out of the Australian Open quarter-finals by Stanislas Wawrinka 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 9-7 on Tuesday.
IMAGES from Day 5 of the Australian Open in Melbourne, on Friday.
The Sports Ministry slammed organisers of the Australian Open, saying they have wrongfully denied Indian tennis player Aman Dahiya an opportunity to compete in the junior Grand Slam by rejecting his application for vaccine exemption.
Top seed Andy Murray could meet Roger Federer or Kei Nishikori in the third round, while Serena faces tricky Belinda Bencic in opening round
The absence of Japan's Kei Nishikori from this year's Australian Open has turned the spotlight on Chung Hyeon as Asia waits for its first men's Grand Slam singles champion.
Veteran Indian tennis star Leander Paes and his Czech partner Radek Stepanek have been forced to exit the Australian Open after losing their men's doubles quarterfinals on Wednesday at Melbourne Park.
Caroline Wozniacki continued her news conference shenanigans at the Australian Open on Sunday, telling a tale of being scratched by a kangaroo and then later admitting on social networking website Twitter she had concocted the whole thing.
Melbourne should cut its losses and not renew its contract to host the Formula One Grand Prix when the current deal runs out in 2015, a local lawmaker told Australia's parliament on Monday.
For the fifth straight year Melbourne brought agony for Nadal. Bikash Mohapatra summarises the Spaniard's no show Down Under.
The volatile 17th seed had a quiet evening by his standards in his opening match on Monday, with just the one violation for unsportsmanlike behaviour when he asked spectator, in no uncertain terms, to be quiet while he was serving.
Boris Becker found himself a central part of the unfolding drama and, when his charge stumbled, fair game for tennis writers picking over Novak Djokovic's shock five-set defeat in the quarter-finals.
Ferrari's Carlos Sainz won the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday in a triumphant return two weeks after appendicitis surgery as Red Bull's World champion Max Verstappen suffered his first retirement in two years.
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