Australian Open draw revealed: Emma Raducanu, Novak Djokovic, Venus Williams, Carlos Alcaraz discover Grand Slam fates

The draw for the 2026 Australian Open has been revealed, as Emma Raducanu, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka discover their fates for the first Grand Slam of the season.

Melbourne Park will soon welcome the planet's most celebrated names for two weeks of major action from January 18 to February 1, and Raducanu enters the women's singles competition as the highest-ranked British player.

The 23-year-old - who has just been knocked out of the Hobart International by world number 204 Taylah Preston in the quarter-finals - has been handed a kind opening match against Thailand's Mananchaya Sawangkaew in Melbourne.

Sawangkaew is making her Grand Slam main-draw debut at the Australian Open, but Raducanu is on a collision course to meet world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the third round; the top seed faces French wild card Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah first up.

Elsewhere in the women's draw, 45-year-old Venus Williams meets Olga Danilovic in the first round, and should the veteran pass that test, she could face compatriot Coco Gauff in a headline second-round contest.

Australian Open: Emma Raducanu handed kind opening draw before possible Aryna Sabalenka battle

Raducanu's fellow Briton Francesca Jones will begin her campaign against a qualifier, while Katie Boulter takes on 10th seed Belinda Bencic and Sonay Kartal meets 31st seed Anna Kalinskaya.

Kartal could do battle with Iga Swiatek - who clashes with a qualifier first up - in the third round, while defending champion Madison Keys kicks off her bid for back-to-back crowns against Oleksandra Oliynykova of Ukraine.

On the men's side, world number one Carlos Alcaraz - yet to progress further than the quarter-finals in Melbourne - meets home favourite Adam Walton first up, and the Spaniard has been handed a seemingly straightforward route to the last eight.

The highest-ranked player on Alcaraz's side of the draw is 14th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, while holder Jannik Sinner - who faces Hugo Gaston first up - may only meet 15th seed Karen Khachanov in round four.

Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic - still chasing an elusive 25th major title - squares up to Spain's Pedro Martinez in round one, and third seed Alexander Zverev tackles Gabriel Diallo.

Australian Open: Cameron Norrie on Alexander Zverev collision course

© Imago / GEPA Pictures

Zverev is on the same side of the draw as Cameron Norrie, who arrives in Melbourne as the only seeded British men's singles player following Jack Draper's withdrawal through injury.

The 26th seed will begin his AO campaign against France's Benjamin Bonzi before a possible third-round clash with Zverev, and he is just one of three Brits in the men's singles main draw.

Jacob Fearnley tackles Poland's Kamil Majchrzak in his opening tie, and the 24-year-old could meet three-time runner-up Daniil Medvedev in the third round of the tournament.

Arthur Fery - the only British man to make it through Qualifying - takes on 20th seed Flavio Cobolli of Italy, and the veteran Stan Wawrinka meets Laslo Djere for what may be his last Australian Open match before his retirement at the end of the season.