Djokovic saga aside, a fortnight of intense tennis awaits in Melbourne

THE 2022 Australian Open - the year's first tennis Grand Slam - begins on Monday (Jan 17) in Melbourne, with the tournament stripped of its defending champion and world No 1 player Novak Djokovic after his visa was cancelled for a second time on Friday.

Before a single ball has even been struck, the 2022 Australian Open will forever be overshadowed by the saga surrounding the unvaccinated 34-year-old Serbian, who arrived Down Under in search of a record-setting 21st Grand Slam but will now have to wait a while longer to set that mark.

The 9-time Australian Open winner has been embroiled in a bitter visa row with the Australian government ever since he landed on Jan 5. He was detained at the airport when trying to enter the country with a medical exemption from taking the Covid-19 vaccine.

Djokovic was holed up in an immigration hotel for 5 days while he challenged the deportation order. A federal court later overturned the government's visa cancellation after deeming that airport officials had not followed proper procedure.

On Friday, news broke that Australia's Immigration Minister Alex Hawke had used his discretionary powers to again cancel the player's visa. Djokovic finally departed Melbourne on Sunday, the eve of the start of the tournament.

Of course, all of this drama could have been avoided if the vaccine-sceptic Djokovic had just made life easier for himself and taken the Covid-19 jab, just like almost every other tennis player out there has. But that is a debate for another day.

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Nadal eyes Grand Slam record

Apart from Djokovic, there are some big-name absentees in the men's field, with the most notable being the injured 6-time Australian Open champion Roger Federer.

The Swiss ace - tied with Djokovic and Rafael Nadal on 20 Majors each - has been sidelined since undergoing a knee operation last August, which kept him out of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the US Open in September.

Nadal is definitely playing in Melbourne, and the sixth seed is in the hunt for his his second Australian Open crown and the first since 2009.

The 35-year-old Spaniard is in good form and spirits, having won a warm-up tournament in Australia - the Melbourne Summer Set 1 - last week.

That was the former world No 1's 89th career title and marked his return to the men's tour after a persistent foot injury kept him out for almost 4 months.

Among the other top contenders are Russia's Daniil Medvedev, the 25-year-old who made his Grand Slam breakthrough by winning the 2021 US Open and is poised to dominate men's tennis over the next decade.

There's also the new ATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev, the 24-year-old German who typically performs well on hard courts and is on track to break his Grand Slam duck very soon.

High hopes for home favourite Barty

For the first time since 1997, neither Venus Williams or younger sister Serena will feature at the Australian Open.

The likes of US Open champion Emma Raducanu and Tokyo Olympic gold medal winner Belinda Bencic are among the female stars who have only recently returned to competition after recovering from Covid-19.

Raducanu was given the toughest of opening assignments as she faces 2017 US Open winner Sloane Stephens from the United States in the pick of the first-round matches.

With one of those headline acts guaranteed to be going home after the first hurdle, it could smoothen the path for defending champion Naomi Osaka of Japan to retain her trophy, provided the 13th seed can prove she has overcome her personal issues from last season.

One opponent whom Osaka could face in a blockbuster fourth-round clash is the Australian world No 1 Ashleigh Barty, the overwhelming favourite to finally win a Grand Slam on home turf for the first time.

It's also worth keeping a close eye on Spain's Garbine Muguruza, given the 28-year-old's immense experience. She's also high on confidence, having won the WTA Finals last November.