Key events
The first ever Sunday start of a 15-day tournament has worked like a dream for the organisers of the Australian Open:
The Sunday start has been a success for the #AusOpen, with an announced Day 1 day session attendance of 58,623, eclipsing last year’s Day 1 day session crowd figure of 49,274.
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshMedia) January 14, 2024
and on the courts, we have already had drama…
Preamble
Good morning! It’s may be black outside here in the UK but across the oceans, summer is beaming. The first day of the first Grand Slam of the year is underway in Melbourne, all squeaky trainers, blue courts and Novak Djokovic hungrily licking his lips for his eleventh Australian Open title.
His old foe Rafa Nadal isn’t here, withdrawing with a muscle tear in his hip, but Carlos Alcaraz, Danniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner prowl, desperately-looking for signs of ageing in the ageless one. In the women’s draw, Aryna Sabalenka defends her title after winning her first career major here last year. No. 1 seed Iga Swiatek is the favourite for the crown while there is lots of interest in comeback queens Naomi Osaka, Angelique Kerber and Britain’s own Emma Raducanu.