When will Novak Djokovic & Jannik Sinner play their first Australian Open matches? | ATP tour | Tennis

Australian Open

When will Djokovic & Sinner play their first Australian Open matches?

Serbian plays on Monday, two-time defending champion Sinner starts on Tuesday
January 18, 2026

Novak Djokovic, a record 10-time Australian Open champion, will make his 21st appearance at the first major of the season on Monday. The Serbian will face Spaniard Pedro Martinez in the final match of the evening session.

Djokovic is aiming for his 100th main draw win in Melbourne and tops an action-packed programme. It will be the first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting between the 38-year-old Djokovic and Martinez, ranked No. 71 in the PIF ATP Rankings. Iga Swiatek and Yuan Yue will start the night session at 7pm AEDT / 3am EST, followed by Djokovic and Martinez.

Also on day 2, home favorite Alex de Minaur will set the Rod Laver Arena on fire as he starts his tournament against American Mackenzie McDonald. Three-time finalist Daniil Medvedev, fresh from a title run in Brisbane, and Casper Ruud are among those set to play at Margaret Court Arena.

Two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner will have to wait until Tuesday before he can begin his campaign for a three-peat. The second-seeded Italian, who boasts a tournament record of 22-4, will meet French left-hander Hugo Gaston in the opening round.