Australian Open 2020 draw: Coco Gauff to face Venus Williams in first round in repeat of Wimbledon match-up
15-year-old Coco Gauff to face 39-year-old Venus Williams
Novak Djokovic draws Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff
British No 1 Dan Evans to meet American McKenzie MacDonald
Katie Boulter to face fifth seed Elina Svitolina
Recapping when a star was born
So undoubtedly the pick of the draw has to be the first-round ding-dong match-up of oldest vs youngest as Venus Williams takes on Coco Gauff again for the second time in three slams.
Coco demolished Venus in their first major meeting at Wimbledon last summer 6-4, 6-4. Oliver Brown was there to cover the momentous occasion and wrote this at the time:
Nobody on Court No 1 could quite comprehend that this was Gauff’s first Grand Slam match, or that she was the youngest player, courtesy of a shrewdly-judged Wimbledon wildcard, to qualify for the main draw. She had grown up citing the elder Williams sister, now a grande dame of the sport at 39, as her hero, but here she bulldozed her aside with the breathtaking audacity of youth. The 6-4, 6-4 scoreline, featuring only one break of Gauff’s serve, reflected the eerie efficiency with which the win was sealed. For all that Venus is falling in the tennis firmament, the star of Cori - “Coco” to her family and friends - is fast in the ascendant.
Once the initial shock had subsided, Gauff spoke with disarming verve about what her future held. “I want to be the greatest,” she said. “My dad told me that I could do this when I was eight. You just have to say things. If I had gone into this match saying, ‘Let’s see how many games I can get against her’, then I most definitely would not have won. My dream was to win, and that’s what happened. I think people limit themselves too much. I like to shoot high.”
And the Brits?
Johanna Konta, the 12th seed, who has been struggling with a knee injury, has drawn Tunisian Ons Jabeur and would be on course to meet Serena Williams in the fourth round.
Katie Boulter, who has been out for six months with a back injury, faces a tough return in the majors as she takes on fifth seed Elina Svitolina.
Heather Watson, meanwhile, has drawn Kristyna Pliskova, twin sister of second seed Karolina Pliskova.
Main Draw @AustralianOpen. #AusOpenpic.twitter.com/WRXh8I65MG
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) January 16, 2020
What about the defending champion?
Osaka, who says she doesn't look at the draws, will face Czech Republic's Marie Bouzková, while No 1 seed and French Open champion Ash Barty will open up against Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko.
Top seed Ash Barty opens against Lesia Tsurenko in the first round.#AO2020 | #AusOpenpic.twitter.com/GUgC6WBvoh
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 16, 2020
The women's draw
Oh my, we have a corker. Venus Williams has been drawn to face 15-year-old sensation Coco Gauff again!
Coco stunned Venus on her major debut at Wimbledon last year to launch her career. It's a rematch of the oldest vs youngster again.
Osaka talks - and is endearing as always
Osaka on her major win in Melbourne last year and thoughts on Coco.
It feels great. It didn't work out at the US Open as I prepared for my defence, but I feel more prepared now. I watched the highlights of my final win last year. I thought it was pretty interesting.
Coco is very special. The crowds were coming just to watch her at the US Open and I wanted to give her the opportunity to speak. I feel a little protective of her.
It's crazy the way my life has gone, but I'm grateful to be here.
Osaka on being star-struck by Serena
I don't talk to people, I stare at people from a distance. If I was to talk to Serena, she talks to me, I get surprised she talks to me and I don't talk back. I'm trying to get the courage (to speak to her). She's the one I admired to start playing. Then there was the US Open thing, but she's been super nice to me.
"People ask me questions and I don't have to start the conversation."
The one and only @naomiosaka on press conferences.#AO2020 | #AusOpenpic.twitter.com/2oq7QmWy5q— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 16, 2020
What about the British men?
Dan Evans, who lost in the quarter-finals of the Adelaide International to Russian Andrey Rublev overnight, will face American McKenzie MacDonald in the first round. Kyle Edmund, who also lost his last-eight match in Adelaide, will take on Serbian's Dusan Lajovic. Cameron Norrie, meanwhile, has drawn France's Pierre-Hugues Herbert.
Plenty to get excited about as we prepare for the #AusOpen
Which opening round match will you be watching?— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 16, 2020
The draw in full
Not the clearest I'll admit...
The men's draw is out, with top seed Rafael Nadal up against Hugo Dellien in round one. #AO2020 | #AusOpenpic.twitter.com/I66CMwFLGF
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 16, 2020
Finally, the draw
Last year's losing finalist Rafa Nadal will face start his campaign against Bolivian Hugo Dellien in the opening round and could be on course to meet fifth seed Dominic Thiem in the quarters.
Roger Federer will meet American Steve Johnson in the opening round and has been drawn in the same half as Djokovic, meaning they could be heading for a semi-final showdown.
Defending champion Djokovic, second seed in Australia, will open his title defence against Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff.
Djokovic on his final win last year
Djokovic won a record-breaking seventh Australian Open title when he beat Rafael Nadal 6–3, 6–2, 6–3 in a one-sided final last year. He reflects on that day:
That was probably the best performance in finals, in grand slams in my career. Rafa was in great form, he hadn't dropped an entire set the tournament. It's one of those days when everything works perfectly.
Rafa and Roger help draw out the best in all of us. It obliges us to step it up, otherwise we're going to lose a match. That rivalry has been special between us. We still look at each other's games and careers and we still compare our games to each other.
"In terms of quality of performance, last year's final against Rafa was probably the best one I had." - @DjokeNole#AO2020 | #AusOpenpic.twitter.com/VNxCrqHcxg
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 16, 2020
Djokovic speaks
First real mention of the bushfires in Australia as Djokovic talks about the charity match he took part in with Coco Gauff, Rafal Nadal and Serena Williams among others yesterday.
The firefighters are heroes. What they are doing to save people's lives, animals lives is truly amazing.
So not quite live then
Turns out the draw has already been made in the 'official draw room' but won't be revealed until a little while during the draw show. Here comes Djokovic.
Here we go
So we're expecting defending champions Naomi Osaka and Novak Djokovic to provide their thoughts on the opening major during the 'draw show' ceremony on Margaret Court Arena at Melbourne Park.
The bigger picture
Morning all, the opening grand slam of the season, the Australian Open, starts on Monday and we'll be bringing you all the details of the first-round draw which is due to get under way from 7am GMT.
Events leading up to the major have been dominated by the ongoing bushfires in Australia and the crippling effects on wildlife, infrastructure, economy and lives.
The wildfire smoke blowing across the city has made Melbourne one of the worst cities in the world for air quality and, this week during qualifying, Slovenian Dalila Jakupovic was forced to retire after suffering a coughing fit caused by the thick smoke.
Yesterday, a number of tennis greats played in a charity match, taking the amount raised for the bushfire appeal to over 4m Australian dollars.
A growing number of players have also pledged to donate money for each ace they hit during their time in Australia.
"Talking with Roger, we decided to give $250,000 together." �� �� �� ��#Rally4Relief
To contribute: https://t.co/9RPgZ7cBoBpic.twitter.com/ocdiw8D0if— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 15, 2020
Local player Nick Kyrgios raised A$1,600 (£954) in aces alone at Wednesday's Rally for Relief.
Back to matters on the court and another home-grown talent, Australian No 1 Alex De Minaur, has been forced to pull out of the major with an abdominal injury.
The 20-year-old, who is ranked 21st, suffered a muscle tear during the ATP Cup campaign, where he played four intense matches, including a three hour-and-24-minute defeat by Britain's Dan Evans and a three-set tussle with Rafael Nadal.
"It's pretty devastating to miss out on my home slam. I wanted to go out there and play, even though I've got a four centimetre, grade two tear, so it's not a joke, it's something really serious," he said.
"Obviously everyone was telling me not to play and it is the smartest thing. Getting out of bed hurts, everyday activity hurts.
"The risks of me potentially playing was that it could get to a grade three tear, which involves stitches and means probably a problem for the rest of your career. So, even though it killed me, this is the right decision. Now I've just got to look at what's ahead."