The players to watch at the Australian Open

THE Australian Open - the first Grand Slam of the tennis calendar - begins in Melbourne on Monday. Here, in no particular order, are five male and female players to look out for during the two-week tournament:

Novak Djokovic

Losing the ATP Final in London last November to Alexander Zverev could not take the gloss off a 2018 season that ended with what Djokovic, now 31, dubbed "five perfect months". The Serb made an astonishing climb back from outside the world's top 20 in June, winning Wimbledon and the US Open en route to reclaiming the No 1 ranking.