Melbourne, Jan 15 (IANS) The 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner have been drawn in the same half of the Australian Open singles draw, which was revealed Thursday.

Djokovic begins his campaign against Pedro Martinez, while Sinner faces French lefty Hugo Gaston in the opening round.

Meanwhile, world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz is in the same half as last year’s runner-up Alexander Zverev. The 22-year-old Spaniard, who is aiming to capture his seventh major crown and complete a career Grand Slam, begins against home hope Adam Walton.

The record 10-time champion Djokovic and two-time defending titlist Sinner could meet in a blockbuster semifinal at the season’s first major.

Djokovic, 38, is aiming for his 25th major crown, which would break his tie with Margaret Court for most major singles titles in tennis history.

Sinner, seeded second, is chasing a three-peat at Melbourne Park and his fifth major title overall, ATP reports.

Sinner made an appearance ahead of the draw ceremony and spoke about his outlook for the tournament. “The draw is very difficult; it doesn’t matter who you play. We are the best players in the world, and the way is very, very long and very far. We will go day by day,” he was quoted by ATP Tour.

Other eye-catching opening-round matchups include sixth seed Alex de Minaur against former No. 6 Matteo Berrettini. Zverev faces hefty-serving Gabriel Diallo in the first round.

Meanwhile, fan favourite Thanasi Kokkinakis announced his withdrawal from men’s singles shortly before the draw ceremony.

On Wednesday Kokkinakis withdrew from the Adelaide International second-round match due to a right shoulder injury, handing his opponent Valentin Vacherot a walkover.

He suffered a flare-up of his shoulder injury but defied the pain to secure a gallant victory in his first singles match in almost a year at the Adelaide International on Monday.

–IANS

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