Rivals Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal were placed on opposite halves of the Australian Open bracket in the draw on Thursday, meaning the owners of a combined 43 grand slam singles titles could only meet in the final at Melbourne Park.

Djokovic, a nine-time champion in Australia, returns to the hard-court tournament after missing it last year when his visa was revoked and he was deported from the country because he isn’t vaccinated against Covid19.

Fourth-seeded Djokovic will open his bid for a 10th Australian Open title against Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena in the tournament which begins on Monday.

Iga Swiatek, the women’s No. 1-ranked player, takes on German Jule Niemeier, who is ranked No.68, in the opening round. The Polish player was a semi-finalist at Melbourne Park in 2022, a year in which she won the French and US Open titles.

But the main first-round focus will be on Nadal, who faces a potentially challenging match against British player Jack Draper. Draper, who is 21, was a semi-finalist in the Next Gen Championships in November and will also play ina semi-final of the Adelaide International on Friday.

Another opening-round highlight has five-time Australian Open finalist Andy Murray against Italian Matteo Berrettini, a former Wimbledon finalist who is the No.13-seeded player.

Murray defeated Australian Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-3 in an exhibition match on Thursday and is pleased with his form.

Wimbledon finalist NickKyrgios, who faces RomanSafiullin in the opening round, will play Djokovic in an exhibition match on Friday in Melbourne.

“I am one of the best players in the world, so I am definitely going to go into the Australian Open and any Grand Slam with confidence,” Kyrgios said.

Ons Jabeur, who reached both the Wimbledon and US Open finals in 2022, is seeded second and plays Tamara Zidansek in the women’s draw.

No. 3 Jessica Pegula, who led the US team that claimed the United Cup in Sydney last week, faces Jacqueline Cristian from Romania in the first round.