Djokovic & Sabalenka Learn Their First-Round Opponents After Short Wait

| by Zachary Wimer

Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka had to wait a bit to find out who they were playing in the first round of the 2024 Australian Open, but now they know.

This year's Australian Open is slightly different compared to last year's. For example, the event will be a 15-day tournament compared to last year's 14-day event, which was described as a money-grab move by John McEnroe.

Whatever the case, it's certainly not going to be a money-losing move as the event organizers are sending out the defending champions on Day 1, which will be Sunday. Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka will both be on the courts on Day 1, ensuring that that added day proves a success.

Not knowing their opponent two days before they were set to play wasn't ideal, as Djokovic and Sabalenka were drawn against qualifiers. The last qualifying matches were played on January 12th, and now, about 48 hours away from the start of the first-round matches, Djokovic and Sabalenka finally know their opponents.

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For Djokovic, it will be young talent, Dino Prizmic, a Croatian hailing from the same part of Europe where he does. That will be an interesting match, because Prizmic played really well in the qualifying, losing only one set in the qualifiers and beating Aziz Dougaz in the final match 6-3 6-4.

When it comes to Sabalenka, she will face Eva Seidel, a rising German player who also cruised to the qualifiers. Her final match was against Hailey Baptiste, and it was a convincing 6-0 6-3 victory for the German player, who, too, is a teenager like Prizmic.

Both Djokovic and Sabalenka are heavy favourites to win their first-round matches, of course, especially with the way the Belarusian played recently. As for Djokovic, nobody ever doubts him in Melbourne, as he'll begin his quest to win his 11th major title in Australia.

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