Novak Djokovic says whether he pays attention to the draw as his Australian Open first-round opponent is announced

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The 2025 Australian Open is set to begin in just three days, as the stars of the ATP Tour prepare for the season’s first Grand Slam tournament.

Melbourne is set to be the stage for another thrilling tournament, as the tennis season gets underway at the Australian Open.

Jannik Sinner beat Daniil Medvedev in last year’s final, as he took home his maiden Grand Slam title having trailed by two sets to love.

Novak Djokovic lost to Sinner in the last four, as he failed to pick up a record-extending 11th Australian Open title.

Another player who suffered an earlier exit than expected was Carlos Alcaraz who lost to Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals, as he continued to struggle down under.

The 2025 Australian Open draw has been made, and players will be looking to see who they may come up against over the next few weeks.

Djokovic, who has won in Melbourne more than any other player, has now revealed whether he takes much notice to the draw.

Novak Djokovic admits he does pay attention to the draw ahead of the Australian Open

Speaking during his exhibition set with Zverev, Djokovic was asked whether he pays attention to Grand Slam draws.

“Yes, I do look at who I play against in the first round, and have a little sneak peak at the section,” he said.

“I hope I can play a good tournament.”

Djokovic has been drawn against American 19-year-old Nishesh Basavareddy in the first round of the Australian Open.

The Serb was also asked how it feels to have his family alongside him for the 2025 tournament.

“It means the world to me,” he said.

“It’s their first time in Australia, so it’s great to have them here, my heart if full when I have my family with me.

“It’s a long way to get to Australia from where we live, it’s a long trip, so I appreciated my wife being willing to make this trip with my kids, and giving me the support that is always necessary.

“Hopefully we can have another couple of weeks here in Melbourne, they can enjoy some tennis, they seem to be enjoying it tonight.”

Djokovic was playing in an exhibition set against Zverev and gave his thoughts on the German’s level when he trailed by an early break.

“He’s looking good, he’s got a good serve and he’s got a break so I’m not happy with the way I’m playing right now” he said.

“But, yeah, it’s just the beginning of the set so let’s see what happens now.”

Djokovic eventually recovered, winning the exhibition set, 7-6 (8-6), ahead of the Australian Open.

Who is Novak Djokovic’s Australian Open first-round opponent Nishesh Basavareddy?

Djokovic will play ATP number 133 Basavareddy in the first round of the Australian Open, as the American makes his Grand Slam main draw debut.

Basavareddy won two Challenger titles in 2024, qualifying for the Next Gen ATP Finals where he won one and lost two matches, as he failed to reach the semi-finals.

The 19-year-old has made a positive start to 2025, however, reaching his first career ATP semi-final at the ASB classic in Auckland.

Basavareddy will play Gael Monfils on Friday for a place in the final, as he looks to pick up a tour-level title for the first time before coming up against 24-time Major winner Djokovic in Melbourne.

Djokovic hinted that he likes to look at his ‘section’ and there may well be a few names that concern him when looking at the players on his side of the draw.

• Third round – could play Reilly Opelka, or Tomas Machac
• Fourth round – could play Jiri Lehecka, or Grigor Dimitrov
• Quarter-finals – could play Jack Draper, Sebastian Korda, or Carlos Alcaraz
• Semi-finals – could play Nick Kyrgios, Casper Ruud, or Alexander Zverev
• Final – could play Taylor Fritz, Daniil Medvedev, or Jannik Sinner

Djokovic lost to Reilly Opelka at the Brisbane International last week, and could potentially be faced with a rematch against the big-serving American in the third round.

Plenty of other names will scare the Serb, none more so than Alcaraz who may await him in the quarter-finals.

It remains to be seen if Djokovic will make a deep run in Melbourne, but he’ll certainly hope to get off on the right foot when he kicks off his campaign against Basavareddy on January 12.