Six times a men's singles champion Down Under, the Serbian will be joined in making a return at MelbournePark by 2008 women's champion Maria Sharapova, who missed last year's tournament because of a doping ban.
Pavlyuchenkova finally reached a Grand Slam final in her 52nd appearance
Top seeded Ash Barty overcame a slow start to defeat Maria Sharapova 6-4 6-1, while Simona Halep battled past Ekaterina Alexandrova 3-6 7-5 6-4 in the second round of the Cincinnati Masters on Wednesday.
Maria Sharapova says her Australian Open preparations have gone smoothly despite her lack of recent on-court action, all barring a mix-up at the Melbourne Park laundry over a pair of leopard print underwear.
American Serena Williams withdrew from the French Open on Monday, shortly before she was due on court to face Maria Sharapova in a much-anticipated fourth round showdown.
Images from the French Open matches played at the Roland Garros in Paris on Saturday.
Asked after the match how she was feeling about her early departure, Halep replied that she was 'used to it'.
Serena was scheduled to face Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova.
Sharapova was broken in the first game but fought back to draw level before going on to take the first set with a hold to love.
Maria Sharapova knows the pitfalls of being a prodigy and after easing into the fourth round at Roland Garros the seasoned grand slam champion offered some sage advice to the new generation in women's tennis.
Images from Day 9 of the Australian Open on Tuesday.
American Sofia Kenin counter-punched her way back from a set down against Garbine Muguruza to win her first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 win in Melbourne on Saturday.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Wednesday
Caroline Garcia was knocked out of the French Open fourth round by Angelique Kerber on Monday, but the local favourite is confident that she has what it takes to become the first French Grand Slam champion since 2013.
Order of play on the main show courts at the French Open.
Naomi Osaka beat Jennifer Brady to win her second Australian Open title and fourth Grand Slam crown, extending her win streak to 21 matches.
"I prayed hard. Prayers not to win but for strength. All glory to God," the World No 1 said.
Former world number one Novak Djokovic showed signs of a return to form with an impressive 7-5, 6-4 victory over Japan's Kei Nishikori in the opening round of the Madrid Open on Monday.
The games were scheduled to start at 1000 am local time (2300 GMT) but did not get underway until about 1130 after Victoria state's environment watchdog said air quality had plunged to "hazardous" levels overnight.
The Australian fell to the floor in celebration after clinching the victory, before sticking a finger behind his ear and asking the raucous crowd to cheer louder.
Images from the opening day of the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, on Monday.
World No 1 Serena Williams continued her decade-long domination over Maria Sharapova with a clinical 6-4, 6-3 win on Thursday to reach her ninth Sony Open final.
Fourth seed Angelique Kerber's bid for consecutive Grand Slam titles ended when 29th seed Dominika Cibulkova defeated the German 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the US Open third round on Saturday.
The German fifth seed kicks off her campaign against compatriot Tatjana Maria on Tuesday, but could potentially face three former champions in Serena Williams, Garbine Muguruza and Maria Sharapova if she goes deep into the tournament.
World No 1 Novak Djokovic praised the battling spirit of Nicolas Mahut after he thrashed the injured Frenchman 6-0, 6-1, 6-1 in 74 minutes on Saturday to reach the Australian Open last 16.
World number one Rafael Nadal begins his French Open title defence, on Monday, with a clash against Italy's Simone Bolelli on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Big names and young guns turn up the heat at US Open
The Scot lost 6-4, 6-4 to Richard Gasquet in his first singles match since January before saying he had turned down a wild card into the men's draw at the year's final Grand Slam.
World number one Simona Halep has twice been left heartbroken in her quest for Grand Slam glory in Paris. Yet even now, standing just two wins away from redemption, she says she feels no pressure.
Serena Williams recovered from a set down to beat Australian Ashleigh Barty 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 and book a place in the third round.
World No 1 Serena Williams's 27-match unbeaten run ended with a 6-2, 6-3 defeat by Petra Kvitova in the Madrid Open.
Veteran Tommy Haas backed up his upset of World No 1 Novak Djokovic with a quarter-final victory over Gilles Simon on Wednesday to advance to a semi-final against David Ferrer at the Sony Open in Miami.
Former champion Caroline Wozniacki battled through a marathon encounter to upset fourth-seeded German Angelique Kerber 2-6, 6-4, 7-5 on Friday and reach her third BNP Paribas Open final in four years.
Images from the matches played at the Australian Open on Sunday.
The list pays tribute to the most stylish athletes in sport, including stars at the top of their games in tennis, basketball, football, golf and more.
German veteran Tommy Haas provided a reminder of his claycourt skills to beat Stanislas Wawrinka on Thursday and reach the quarter-finals of the Rome Masters where Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray will resume their rivalry.
The 16th seeded Cypriot was a comfortable winner over Dane Kristian Pless while Sharapova proved too good for American Jill Craybas.
Security worries could create a tense atmosphere at the French Open this year after a bomb attack on a British concert hall killed 22 people, French tennis player Lucas Pouille said.
Defending champion Andy Roddick was pushed for the second straight day before prevailing over Lu Yen-hsun 7-6, 6-4 on Thursday during the second round of the Memphis Championships.
Serena Williams produced 20 aces and blasted her way into the quarter-finals of the Sony Ericsson Open with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Australian Samantha Stosur on Monday.
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