Although the unpredictable nature of a Grand Slam tournament means things do not always pan out as expected, the draw ceremony is always an exciting event which allows fans to plot out what might happen.
The projected routes of a player, and their potential opponents through the draw, can offer some guidance of how they might fair.
The leading two seeds are split meaning they cannot play each other until the final should they get that far.
Sinner has been drawn in the same half as American fourth seed Taylor Fritz and Russian fifth seed Daniil Medvedev.
It means Sinner cannot play 10-time champion Djokovic or Spain’s Alcaraz, who is aiming to complete the career Grand Slam at the age of 21, until the semi-finals.
Despite being at the opposite ends of their careers, Djokovic and Alcaraz have developed an intriguing rivalry which has produced some enthralling encounters.
The pair could meet again in the Melbourne quarter-finals.
In the women’s draw, Sabalenka could take on Gauff – who faces 2020 champion Sofia Kenin in a tough all-American first-round opener – in the semi-finals.
Neither Sabalenka nor Gauff can face second seed Iga Swiatek, who opens against Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic, until the final.
