Wawrinka, Djokovic and Nadal arrive in Melbourne
Fans can breath a sigh of relief—for now—as some of the games biggest stars and biggest question marks have arrived Down Under.
Three former champions at Melbourne Park including last year’s runner-up and 2009 champion Rafael Nadal, six-time Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic and 2014 winner Stan Wawrinka are hitting the practice court.
World No. 1 Nadal arrived in Australia after a lingering knee injury forced him out of Abu Dhabi and Brisbane, but signs are good for the 14-time major champion as he took to Rod Laver Arena to begin his tournament preparation.
Nadal's knee is well enough to make his 2018 debut at the Tie Break Tens exhibition event on January 10.
He'll be joined in the fast-paced event by Djokovic, who also pushed back his 2018 start date.
Melbourne has been the sight of the greatest triumphs in the Serbian’s career—winning half of his majors Down Under. Djokovic will be testing out his right elbow, which forced him to shut down his season after Wimbledon, at two exhibitions before the season’s first major begins. He's playing at the Kooyong Classic before the Tie Break Tens.
Wawrinka is returning from knee surgery after also having not played since Wimbledon. The Swiss will also take part in the Tie Break Tens before beginning his Australian Open campaign.
JANUARY: THIS MONTH ON TENNIS CHANNEL PLUS
NEW SEASON, MORE TENNIS! Get Tennis Channel Plus now at BuyTCPlus.com
A LOT of tennis action will be played on Tennis Channel Plus from January through June
Starting with January … gear up for the Australian Open with LIVE tournaments in the lead up to AO, exclusively on Tennis Channel Plus
Hopman Cup
ATP Sydney
Fast 4 Sydney
World Tennis Channel – Adelaide
Australian Open Qualifying
Australian Open (Best 20 Matches of AO will be on-demand)