Australian Open draw sees potential Djokovic v Shelton rematch, Tsitsipas faces Berrettini in first round
The 2024 Australian Open draw has been announced, with Djokovic and Shelton on a collision course, and Tsitsipas taking on Berrettini in round one
Novak Djokovic – Australia 2024© Tennis Australia
The men’s draw for the 2024 Australian Open has been announced, and as always there are some juicy match ups to dissect, both in the first few days of the tournament and further down the line.
Novak Djokovic will ease into his title defence with a clash against either a qualifier or lucky loser, before possibly taking on Australian Alexei Popyrin in the second round. However, things get a little more complicated from here, as Andy Murray or Gael Monfils may well await the Serb in the third round, before a potential match up against Us Open semi-finalist Ben Shelton in the round of 16.
Speaking of big early encounters, they don’t get much better than Stefanos Tsitsipas v Matteo Berrettini in the first round of the Australian Open. Tsitsipas has an excellent record down under, twice making the final including in the 2023 edition, while Berrettini, who has struggled with injury in recent years, was a semi-finalist at the Australian Open in 2022.
Read on for a full breakdown of the 2024 Australian Open draw, including Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz’s paths to the final, plus match ups to look out for in the first week.
Djokovic’s quarter
Djokovic will be pleased to get a relatively easy start to his Australian Open, beginning against a qualifier or lucky loser. Later in the tournament, it will be all about the rematches: Shelton, Sinner, Alcaraz.
- First round: Qualifier or lucky loser
- Second round: Popyrin / Polmans
- Third round: Murray / Monfils
- Round of 16: Shelton
- Quarter-final: Fritz / Tsitsipas
- Semi-final: Sinner / de Minaur
- Final: Alcaraz / Medvedev
Alcaraz’s quarter
Alcaraz has no walk in the park this Australian Open, beginning his campaign against a man who has just dropped out of the world’s top 100 for the first time since 2005 (Richard Gasquet). The world No 2 then faces a string of spicy second week matches, with Tommy Paul, Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev all possible match ups.
- First round: Gasquet
- Second round: Sonego / Evans
- Third round: Bublik / Shang
- Round of 16: Paul / Draper
- Quarter-final: Zverev
- Semi-final: Medvedev / Rune
- Final: Djokovic / Sinner
Big first round matches
Stefanos Tsitsipas (7) v Matteo Berrettini: Former world No 6 v current world No 7. Both men have made Grand Slam finals, both have big serves and forehands that thrive on hard courts. Both are well liked on Tour and down under. It doesn’t get any better than this.
Holger Rune (8) v Yoshihito Nishioka: Rune is still mercurial enough to be fragile in the early rounds of a Grand Slam, while Nishioka has consistently over-performed in Majors, making two fourth rounds in 2023. With Nishioka’s baseline game and Rune’s explosive hitting, this one will be good.
Alex de Minaur (10) v Milos Raonic: Currently the hottest man on the ATP Tour, de Minaur has beaten both Djokovic and Alcaraz in the past week and is undefeated in 2024 so far. Playing in front of a home crowd, against a former world No 3 with the kind of serve that can blow anyone away on its day, you can be sure this will get a big court and be good to watch.
Felix Auger-Aliassime v Dominic Thiem: Two former top 10 players who are desperate for form after stagnating comebacks from injury. Thiem looked good earlier this year in his loss against Rafael Nadal, while Auger-Aliassime showed flashes late last year of returning to his best.
Match ups to watch out for in the first week
Andy Murray v Gael Monfils: A potential second round clash that would roll back the years. Both these players are from the ageing generation, but have given us countless classic battles in their time. Murray’s fighting spirit v Monfils showmanship and athleticism will be a feat to behold, with a third round against Djokovic on the line for the winner.
Tommy Paul (14) v Jack Draper: Paul is looking to break a title drought dating back to Stockholm 2021, while Draper is looking in great form after an injury-ridden year last year. The level Draper has displayed across the first 10 days of the year has many murmuring about the Brit as a dark horse, and taking out Paul in the second round could be one way to burst into contention.
Hubert Hurkacz (9) v Denis Shapovalov: Hurkacz has been steadily building his top 10 credentials over the past 12 months, including with an impressive (albeit disappointing) United Cup showing last week. Shapovalov, on the other hand, is a former Wimbledon semi-finalist looking to find his best level again after injuries in 2023. The pair could meet in the second round.
