Djokovic to Kyrgios: 5 men to watch at Australian Open

Nine-time Melbourne champion Novak Djokovic returns after being banned from last year's Australian Open while Rafael Nadal is defending champion.

World number one Carlos Alcaraz is out injured however and the great Roger Federer is another missing following his retirement.

AFP Sport highlights five men to watch when the first Grand Slam of the year begins on Monday:

Novak Djokovic

The Serb is back at Melbourne Park for the first time since winning his ninth title in 2021. He was kicked out of the country ahead of the tournament last year over his Covid vaccination stance.

The 21-time Grand Slam winner also missed the US Open for the same reason but won Wimbledon and is heavy favourite at his most successful major event.

Now 35, the former world number one finished a troubled 2022 with a record-equalling sixth ATP Tour Finals crown and began the new year in irrepressible form, winning his 92nd career title at the Adelaide International.

The only concern is a slight hamstring injury which forced him to prematurely end a practice match against Daniil Medvedev earlier this week.

Rafael Nadal

The 36-year-old Spaniard made the most of Djokovic's absence to win the title in 2022, outlasting Medvedev over five sets in a more than five-hour thriller.

He made history in the process - the first man to achieve 21 Grand Slam singles crowns, making it 22 when he won a 14th French Open title.

But injuries hampered his season and he withdrew from Wimbledon after winning his quarter-final and exited in the last 16 at the US Open.

Now a father, Nadal struggled to find his best form at the ATP Finals in November and lost both of his matches at the recent United Cup, to Cameron Norrie and Alex de Minaur.

He is top seed in the absence of Alcaraz.

Dani