World number three Roger Federer is playing his first tournament on clay for three years as he prepares for the French Open.
Italy's Matteo Arnaldi produced a sensational performance to take out sixth seed Andrey Rublev and reach the last 16 of the French Open on Friday.
Olympic and Wimbledon champion Andy Murray picked up where he left off in Rio by drubbing Argentina's Juan Monaco to take his place in the third round of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati on Wednesday.
Federer's bid for a 20th grand slam title will be aided by the absences of Andy Murray and Kei Nishikori, as well as lingering injuries to top players who are still expected to play like Rafael Nadal and Stan Wawrinka.
Along with the Australian Open, Murray will also miss the ATP Cup to be played in Australia on January 3.
Victory on Sunday would see Nadal become the first player to win the same grand slam 10 times in the modern era.
Defending champion Serena Williams is the top seed in the women's draw. The American will be looking to equal Steffi Graf's Open era record by sealing a 22nd Grand Slam triumph.
World No 1 Rafael Nadal, who is hoping to recover from a knee injury to play in the season-ending showpiece, heads the other group and will face Belgian David Goffin, Bulgarian debutant Grigor Dimitrov and Austrian Dominic Thiem.
Novak Djokovic lost his momentum in the second half of last season and was toppled as the world number one by Andy Murray because his work-rate dropped, the Serbian's former coach Boris Becker said on Wednesday. Speaking a day after the two terminated their cooperation by mutual consent, German Becker said Djokovic's need to spend more time with his family had derailed him on the court.
So it is over. Two weeks of intriguing tennis where the world's best competed for the year's first Grand Slam. While the match-fixing report cast a shadow over the start of the Australian Open, the tournament gained momentum as it progressed. Rediff.com encapsulates the best moments from the Rod Laver Arena.
Six weeks after completing one of the greatest seasons in tennis history, Novak Djokovic begins his 2016 campaign and warm-up for his Australian Open defense in Qatar.
The Swiss snapped a five-year barren run at the slams by bagging the Australian Open and Wimbledon titles this year and, in the absence of Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka, is the favourite at Flushing Meadows with an equally resurgent Rafael Nadal.
'I don't see him in any way stressed. He won't be completely destroyed if Rafa makes the 20'
'I think it will be environmentally very beneficial. Life is such a hustle, and you never get the time to spend with your family and connect with them'
A season that produced the biggest shake-up in men's tennis for more than a decade draws to a close next week with three ATP World Tour Finals debutants striving to sign off breakthrough years with a large exclamation mark.
Photos from the Queen's Club tennis tournament played in London on Monday
Professional sports events in Italy have been played without fans since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic but sports minister Vincenzo Spadafora said fans would be allowed to attend the closing stages of the tournament on Sunday and Monday.
Novak Djokovic deserves a "little star" next to his name for a spectacular 2015 season that saw him win three grand slams among his 11 titles but the men's game is not simply a matter of the Serb versus the rest, Roger Federer said.
Roberto Bautista Agut, the world No. 15, has confirmed his participation in the 20th edition of the Aircel Chennai Open, to be held at SDAT Stadium in Nungambakkam from January 5 to 11 next year.
World number one Novak Djokovic survived a second-set blip to reach the Paris Masters final with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-0 win over Stan Wawrinka, his 21st victory in a row.
If he does manage to beat Novak Djokovic or Cam Norrie in Sunday's final, it may be that winning the most prestigious title in tennis will wash away all his previous sins in the eyes of his compatriots.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Tuesday
Roger Federer conceded he has changed some things because of his age.
Juan Martin del Potro's summer renaissance continued on Monday as the unseeded Argentine advanced into the US Open quarter-finals when Austrian eighth seed Dominic Thiem quit their match with an injury.
Novak Djokovic produced a superhuman effort to subdue Argentine Francisco Cerundolo.
Stanislas Wawrinka is one only one of three players to have defeated Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Andy Murray at Grand Slams.
Andy Murray battled past Romanian qualifier Marius Copil 6-3, 6-7(7), 6-4 at the European Open in Antwerp on Friday to reach his first singles semi-final in two years.
Organisers of this year's US and French Opens established bio-secure 'bubbles' for players, who were not allowed to leave their hotel rooms except to train and play.
Marin Cilic and Milos Raonic booked their spots in the Paris Masters second round on Monday, while Roger Federer pulled out of the tournament with next month's ATP Finals on the horizon.
The ATP Tour got on board and last month fans were able to bid for private sessions with celebrated tennis coaches on-site during tournaments in 2021.
'I spoke to Roger and Rafa a few days ago and we had a conversation about the near future of tennis. How we can contribute to help lower ranked guys who are obviously struggling the most.'
Get set to be amazed as Rediff.com has all that and more sporting action from the past week encapsulated in this super photo feature.
Timea Bacsinszky has a simple message for women players wanting more of the media spotlight - get better.
Images from matches played on Day 4 of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Thursday
Serena Williams moved another step closer to a record-tying 24th career Grand Slam title with a comfortable 6-3, 6-2 victory over Czech Karolina Muchova on Friday to reach the last 16 at the US Open.
Stefanos Tsitsipas said he would not be surprised if Daniil Medvedev beat Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic enjoyed a stress-free return to US competition following a two year absence
Andy Murray embarks on his first Grand Slam campaign as world number one with much stronger title credentials, even if he has lost five finals at Melbourne Park.
Djokovic is clubbed with Federer, Juan Martin Del Potro, David Goffin and Alexander Zverev.
Australia hot-headed tennis star Nick Kyrgios was handed a $16,500 fine on Thursday after he tanked a match and got into an argument with fans at the Shanghai Masters.
