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Jannik Sinner made a confident start at the Australian Open, where the 21-year-old is aiming to back up his run to the quarter-finals from one year ago. The 15th-seeded Italian ran away with a 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 win against Kyle Edmund to open Monday's play in Melbourne — though he needed six match points to close out a marathon final service game.

"I think I played very solid today," Sinner said in his post-match interview in John Cain Arena. "I had some difficult times to finish it off, but I think my level was very good today."

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Sinner, who reached three quarter-finals and one fourth round (Roland Garros) at the Grand Slams in 2022, continued his consistent play in the early stages of the majors with a convincing win in under two hours.

After a 50-minute opening set, Sinner found a new gear to improve to 2-0 in his ATP Head2Head against Great Britain's Edmund — with their first meeting coming earlier this month in Adelaide. The Italian saved five of six break points, including two in the final game, while breaking serve seven times from 10 chances.

After a standout season in 2022, Lorenzo Musetti is poised to take his young career even higher. And the 20-year-old is already learning valuable lessons on the road.

“An important part of our career is to try to put experience in our luggage that we carry,” Musetti told ATPTour.com.

The Italian is rapidly rising to the top of the sport and is gaining profitable experience against the world’s best. After collecting two Tour-level titles this past year, he qualified for the Next Gen ATP Finals and is now at a career-high No. 19 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

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Perhaps no time last season was more memorable than when Musetti won a thrilling three-set battle against Carlos Alcaraz to claim the ATP 500 event in Hamburg.

Roberto Carballes Baena was practising inside John Cain Arena Thursday afternoon with Italian star Jannik Sinner. The pair trained for two hours before taking a five-minute break ahead of point play. During that brief stop, the Spaniard checked his phone, on which he noticed an unpleasant surprise.

Carballes Baena received a Twitter message that he would be facing nine-time champion Novak Djokovic in the first round of the Australian Open.

“For sure it is something that when I saw the draw, it was tough in one way,” Carballes Baena told ATPTour.com. “But in the other way it’s a very good experience for me. I think [Rod Laver Arena is] one of the best courts in the world so I will try to enjoy, I will try to give my best and I will try to do a good match.”

It is not the first time Carballes Baena has faced Djokovic at a Grand Slam. The Serbian triumphed 6-4, 6-1, 6-4 against him in the first round of the 2019 US Open.

“The first five, 10 minutes I was a little bit nervous. It was very different. It was like a movie. It is like they have a [clapper] and you have to start to play now. But after five or 10 minutes you start to focus on your game, try to give your best,” Carballes Baena. “I think maybe I know him a little bit more than the first time. I saw him so many times on TV but I didn’t play against him. I know that he’s very good in everything but I think I have more of an idea how to play.”

The third episode of Netflix’s Break Point takes fans behind the scenes of a dramatic moment for American Taylor Fritz before the biggest match of his career.

The California native suffered a freak ankle injury during his warmup for the 2022 BNP Paribas Open final. Struggling to put any weight on his right foot, Fritz described it as ‘one of the worst pains I have ever felt’.

Fritz’s coaching team, which consists of Michael Russell, Paul Annacone and physio Wolfgang Oswald, advised the American to not play the championship clash to ensure no further damage to his ankle.

Fritz elected to play and defeated all-time great Rafael Nadal in straight sets to win his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title. Annacone spoke with ATPTour.com about his fond, and perhaps stressful, memories from that day.

“I remember we were walking back into the players’ lounge before the match and Taylor turned to us and said, ‘Guys, I’m really sorry I’m such a pain in the a**, but I just won’t be able to sleep at night if I don’t walk on the court,’” Annacone recalled. “I think Michael and I said, ‘Taylor, it’s your body. Do what you think you need to do, but we’re telling you what we think you should do.’”

Bryan Shelton competed in the Australian Open main draw six times in singles during his career. But perhaps his most notable moment in Melbourne came off the court. One year, the American was in the lobby of the Como Hotel when he met a woman named Lisa, the sister of colleague Todd Witsken.

This year, Bryan and Lisa’s son, Ben Shelton, is playing in the Australian Open for the first time.

“I think that would be a cool place to see,” the younger Shelton told ATPTour.com of the Como Hotel, cracking a laugh.

Shelton is one of the hottest prospects on the circuit. The lefty was even invited to participate in Australian Open Kids Tennis Day alongside superstars like Ashleigh Barty, Iga Swiatek, Nick Kyrgios and more.

What might surprise you is that the No. 92 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings is on his first trip outside the United States. Why?

The opening day of Grand Slam action for 2023 features a host of star names looking to make an early statement at the Australian Open. Top 10 stars Rafael Nadal, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Daniil Medvedev are all in action, when a trio of home favourites are also hoping to make their mark on Monday in Melbourne.

ATPTour.com looks at some of the biggest clashes on the Day 1 schedule.

View Schedule | View Singles Draw

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[1] Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs. Jack Draper (GBR)

Defending champion and top seed Nadal arrives at Melbourne Park in a relative slump by his own lofty standards. The Spaniard has lost six of his past seven matches and faces a difficult proposition first up in Melbourne in fast-rising Briton Jack Draper. Yet Nadal knows as well as anyone how to rouse his best level at a Grand Slam — the 36-year-old is chasing a record-extending 23rd major title this fortnight in Australia.

When fans tuned into Break Point - Netflix’s groundbreaking new tennis series – for the first time following its release on Friday, they were greeted with an opening episode centered around Nick Kyrgios.

The first episode followed the 27-year-old’s progress at the 2022 Australian Open, focusing on his dramatic run to the doubles title alongside Thanasi Kokkinakis. Speaking about the Netflix series ahead of this year's Australian Open, Kyrgios hopes and believes the show will be a success.

“It's massive opportunity for my brand to get out there,” Kyrgios said when asked about the series. “It's just so important for tennis. I think we've got so many great personalities, so many young personalities, and so many colourful athletes. Frances, Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz, these guys are great tennis players and great people as well.

“I think when the big three kind of settle down and end up retiring, it's so important that these guys are on showcase globally. Tennis is one of the most global sports in the world. We need it to be successful.”

Kyrgios will lead home hopes at the Australian Open in the next fortnight, starting his campaign against Roman Safiullin. With his focus on the first major of the season, the World No. 21 admitted that he has yet to watch Break Point.

Top seeds Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski could face Stefanos Tsitsipas and Petros Tsitsipas in a popcorn second-round clash at the Australian Open following the doubles draw Sunday.

The Dutch-British pair, who lifted seven tour-level titles in 2022, are aiming to win their maiden Grand Slam title as a team and will open against John-Patrick Smith and Alexander Bublik. If Koolhof and Skupski can negotiate through the field, they are seeded to meet sixth seeds Harri Heliovaara and Lloyd Glasspool in the quarter-finals. Haliovaara and Glasspool have already tasted success this year, lifting the trophy at the Adelaide International 1.

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Fourth seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic are potential semi-final opponents for Koolhof and Skupski at the hard-court major. The Croatians arrive in Melbourne in impressive form, having lifted the title in Auckland. The 2021 Australian Open semi-finalists open against Argentines Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni.

Magnus Norman is not just a former World No. 2, but one the most prominent coaches of this generation. The Swede helped guide Stan Wawrinka to three Grand Slam titles and No. 3 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

After time apart, Norman reunited with Wawrinka last year. ATPTour.com spoke with the Swede ahead of the Australian Open about Wawrinka’s epic series of matches against Novak Djokovic at Melbourne Park, helping the Swiss find his best form and more.

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It’s been 10 years since Stan and Novak started a series of Australian Open matches. How fast has time flown since then?
It’s amazing, it feels like a couple years ago. You look back and you see that he turned pro in 2002, 20 years ago, time flies. You have to make the best of it every day, that’s what I tell the young players who are coming up and what Stan is telling the younger generation of Swiss players as well. You’re 16 or 17 then all of a sudden you’re 24 or 25. You need to make every day count.

Does Stan still play because he enjoys the game and wants to take advantage of these moments?
I definitely think so. He loves the training, the life, the preparing. He likes to play tennis and compete. He put so much effort in to try and come back after a tough couple years with injuries. It’s not easy to come back, you see a lot of guys struggling to find the level again. But Stan, within the last couple months has really been picking up and he’s at the level now where I see him [hit] the ball so well and he’s fit. That was the goal for the last couple years he has left, to try and compete and play at his best level.

Three players have something more than just the opening Grand Slam crown of the year to play for at the 2023 Australian Open. Novak Djokovic, Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas all start their campaigns knowing they will become the new No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings by lifting the trophy in Melbourne.

World No. 3 Ruud can also claim top spot by reaching the final, as long as neither Djokovic nor Tsitsipas wins the title. If none of those scenarios play out, the reign of current World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, not playing in Melbourne due to injury, will continue.

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World No. 5 Djokovic arrives in Melbourne as one of the title favourites. He has won a record nine Australian Open titles, owns an 82-8 tournament record, and began his 2023 season in impressive fashion by lifting his 92nd tour-level trophy at the Adelaide International 1. He can return to World No. 1 for the first time since 6 June by winning his record-equalling 22nd Grand Slam title in Melbourne.

The 35-year-old Serbian also has past experience on his side when it comes to battling for the top ranking. The seven-time year-end No. 1 has spent 373 weeks as World No. 1 across his career, longer than anyone else in history.

Following a thrilling start to the 2023 season, which saw Team United States win the inaugural United Cup, the world’s best players will now descend on Melbourne for the Australian Open.

ATPTour.com looks at 10 things to watch ahead of the first Grand Slam of the year.

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1) Reigning Champion Nadal: One year ago, Rafael Nadal captured his second Australian Open title when he rallied from two-sets-to-love down to defeat Daniil Medvedev in an epic final. The top-seeded Spaniard returns to Melbourne this week aiming to clinch a record-extending 23rd Grand Slam crown.

It was a historic 2022 for Chinese men’s tennis, and the country’s stars are showing no signs of slowing down. When Shang Juncheng qualified for the Australian Open on Friday, the 17-year-old ensured more national history would be made.

Shang, Wu Yibing and Zhang Zhizhen are the first male Chinese trio to compete in a Grand Slam men’s singles draw in the Open Era (since 1968) and the first in all of Australian Open history (since 1905).

“Those two are inspirations for me. They’re like older brothers and I think they’re doing really well for Chinese men’s tennis,” Shang told ATPTour.com. “They’ve inspired me a lot and they’ve been on the Tour longer than me, so it’s always good experience practising with them, talking to them, and I wish them all the best for this upcoming Australian Open.”

In September 2021, Shang had yet to earn a Pepperstone ATP Ranking point. Now the Chinese star is inside the world’s Top 200. ‘Jerry’ is the youngest Grand Slam men’s qualifier since 17-year-old Carlos Alcaraz at the 2021 Australian Open.

“I’m super excited to be here and I don’t think it’s a surprise for me. It’s obviously not in the calendar that I’ll be playing the main draw of the Australian Open when I’m 17 years old,” said Shang, who is being coached by Dante Bottini, the former coach of Kei Nishikori and Grigor Dimitrov. “I’m just very excited for this opportunity to be able to play qualifying and have the chance to qualify. I’m very excited for what’s coming next.”

When the Australian Open draw was made, several matches stood out. Matteo Berrettini is playing Andy Murray in the first round and Andrey Rublev is facing Dominic Thiem.

But perhaps the biggest opportunity belongs to Jack Draper, the 21-year-old Briton who will try to upset top seed and defending champion Rafael Nadal.

“It’ll be amazing to play on court with him, he’s a great champion," Draper said. "[There are] a lot of emotions obviously when I think of playing him.”

Nadal is still very much the present, but it is clear Draper is part of the future. Already with two Top 10 wins on his resume and an appearance at the 2022 Next Gen ATP Finals, the lefty is on the rise. The World No. 40 is not allowing his early success to get to his mind, though.

“Tennis is such a small bubble and it’s easy to get wrapped up in the winning and losing and the pressures and the challenges on a daily basis. It’s not easy sometimes,” Draper said. “I’m learning how to enjoy it a little bit more, and I think when mentally I start to learn how to enjoy the challenges, that’s when it will become really fulfilling for me.

Soonwoo Kwon polished off a stirring tale of second-chance success on Saturday at the Adelaide International 2, where the South Korean held off Roberto Bautista Agut in an absorbing championship match to triumph at the ATP 250 event.

The South Korean edged the fourth-seeded Bautista Agut 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(4) in a two-hour, 43-minute epic to lift his second ATP Tour title. Only playing in the main draw as a lucky loser after losing in the final round of qualifying, he took out Tomas Machac, Pablo Carreno Busta, Mikael Ymer, Jack Draper and Bautista Agut with a series of big-hitting displays this week in South Australia.

“Since being beaten in [qualifying], I told myself I've got nothing to lose, and then I came all the way to the finals,” said Kwon after his victory. “And why not? I put every energy into it, and that worked.”

Kwon made a fast start to his maiden ATP Head2Head clash with Bautista Agut, breaking the Spaniard in the opening game of the match with more of the free-flowing groundstrokes that had defined his run to the final. Some solid serving ensured he faced no break points for the rest of a set that he clinched in confident fashion to the delight of his vocal supporters in the stands.

Bautista Agut returned the favour in the second set, however, sealing an early break of his own en route to forcing a decider. A high-quality deciding-set featured a series of exhilarating all-court exchanges, with two breaks of serve apiece leading to a decisive tie-break with little to choose between the two players.

Andy Murray believes that he is ready to exact Grand Slam revenge on Matteo Berrettini at the Australian Open. The Scot fell to the World No. 13 in four sets at the US Open in September, but feels that his body and game are in better shape ahead of the first major of the season.

“Obviously [it is] a tough draw,” Murray said in his pre-tournament press conference on Saturday. “But I also feel I am in a much better place than I was during any of the Slams last year coming into it. I feel well prepared. I feel ready to play a top player early in the event. Whereas last year at times, my game didn’t feel that great and getting a difficult draw didn’t feel great. I feel I am in a better place this time to deal with that.

“I know how I am feeling today compared to when I went into the match at the US Open and I am playing better. I am in a better place physically. I feel well prepared for the event. Obviously the matches I have played against him [before], you would hope you would learn stuff from and take stuff away from it that will help you go into the next one.”

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The Scot failed to advance past the third round at the three majors he played last season. However, the former World No. 1 is pleased with the work he has done in the offseason as he aims to earn his first win of the year in Melbourne.

As one of the most naturally gifted players on Tour, Nick Kyrgios is used to handling great expectations.

For the highest-ranked Australian in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, nowhere is that ability to cope with pressure more in demand than at the Australian Open. His impressive 2022 season may even have taken home expectations up another notch for the 27-year-old this year, but Kyrgios is relishing the moment as he prepares for his 10th main draw appearance in Melbourne.

"I think everyone wants to get to a position in their sport or their profession, [to] be one of the best and have that expectation and pressure,” said Kyrgios on Saturday, the day after entertaining a packed house on Rod Laver Arena in a charity match against Novak Djokovic. “It's a privilege to go out there and feel that Australia wants me to win and to be one of the favourites. It's a good feeling.”

That was one FUN chapter in the @DjokerNole and @NickKyrgios AO story ✌️

Thanks for a great night! #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/TxzfI2cAA0

Kyrgios has enjoyed some stirring runs at his home major since making his main draw debut in 2014. He reached the quarter-finals in 2015 and the fourth round in 2018 and 2020, and lifted the 2022 men’s doubles title alongside close friend Thanasi Kokkinakis. Yet he admitted that there are pros and cons to the extra attention that comes with playing at home.

Novak Djokovic is the leading favourite at this year’s Australian Open. The Serbian is not shying away from the pressure of standing at the doorstep of history, either.

If Djokovic claims his 10th title at Melbourne Park, he will tie Rafael Nadal for the most men's Grand Slam singles titles in history with 22. Is that a motivating factor?

“Of course, it is. I mean, that's why I keep on playing professional tennis, competition tennis, because I want to be the best, I want to win the biggest tournaments in the world. There is no secret about it,” Djokovic said. “It doesn't get bigger than this. You have four Slams that historically have been the biggest events in our sport. It's also one of the biggest reasons why I was really looking forward to come back to Australia: because of my record here. I really love playing in Rod Laver Arena, particularly night sessions. I've had plenty of success that hopefully can continue this year.”

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Djokovic is the fourth seed, but he has been playing as well as anyone on Tour over the past several months. He captured titles in Tel-Aviv and Astana last October before claiming his sixth Nitto ATP Finals crown in Turin.

After winning four tour-level titles in 2022, including the Roland Garros crown, Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer claimed their first trophy of the new season Saturday at the Adelaide International 2.

The El Salvadoran-Dutch duo was set to contest a rematch of that Paris final, in which they saved three championship points to defeat Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek, at the ATP 250. Instead, they received a walkover in the title match as Dodig withdrew with a back injury. The second seeds were also the beneficiaries of a walkover in the semi-finals, when Lloyd Glasspool (partnering Harri Heliovaara) pulled out with a wrist problem.

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"It's very unusual. This has never happened before, I think for either of us, back-to-back walkovers — especially not in the final, in this manner," Rojer said after the trophy ceremony.

"We played a couple of matches, so we'll take those with us into Melbourne for sure, and try to build on that... It's a great start for us to the year."

Richard Gasquet turned back the clock with a vintage display in Saturday's ASB Classic final to claim his first ATP Tour title since 2018. The 36-year-old Frenchman stunned second seed and former Auckland resident Cameron Norrie 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, winning the final five games of the match to become the oldest champion in the event's 66-year history.

The former World No. 7 last raised a tour-level title more than four years ago in 's-Hertogenbosch. The Auckland triumph, which lifted him 25 spots to No. 42 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings this week, is just the second outdoor hard court triumph of his career (Doha 2013). It is the 16th title of his decorated career.

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Gasquet denied Norrie a full-circle moment at the tournament he once attended as a young fan, with the Briton thwarted in the final of the ATP 250 for a second time in five years. The defeat is his first of the new season, dropping him to 6-1 on the year.

In a matchup that pitted Gasquet's iconic one-handed backhand against Norrie's flat two-hander, the Frenchman proved he still has plenty of substance to go along with his style. Both men had countless opportunities to hit groundstrokes off both wings across many marathon rallies, but it was Gasquet who stood tallest down the stretch after falling behind 0-3 and 1-4 in the final set.

Rafael Nadal is always one of the leading favourites regardless of the tournament he enters. The Spaniard has earned that recognition by holding No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for more than 200 weeks, claiming 36 ATP Masters 1000 trophies and 22 Grand Slam titles.

But the 36-year-old arrives at the Australian Open in a slump, having lost six of his past seven matches. Does Nadal feel he is vulnerable at Melbourne Park?

“Of course. Yeah, without a doubt. I have been losing more than usual, so that's part of the business,” Nadal said. “Just accept the situation. I think I am humble enough to accept that situation and just work with what I have today. I need to build again all this momentum. I need to build again this confidence with myself with victories. But it's true that I have been losing more than usual.”

Nadal made no excuse for his current skid. But two of those losses were at the Nitto ATP Finals, and the lowest-ranked player he lost to was then-World No. 31 Tommy Paul at the Rolex Paris Masters.

“The real thing is I have been losing more than usual. Yeah, that's the truth. I need to live with it and just fight for the victories,” Nadal said. “By the way, I didn't play that bad the first two matches the year. I lost against two great opponents, but having very positive chances to win both matches. I already have been here for three weeks, practising every day with that conditions, with the best players. That helps a lot in general terms.”