Australia has been waiting for 42 years for a home win in the country's oldest tennis tournament. This year is set to jump to the world stage, first-seeded Ashleigh Barty, who goes into the grand slam classic with the hope of becoming the first Australian singles winner since Chris O'Neill won in 1978.

If this is to become a reality, first and foremost victory against Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko is needed. Then the next obstacle may be Swedish.

Problem with the back

Rebecca Peterson, 44th on the world rankings, begins the grand slam tournament against unseeded Slovenian Polona Hercog (48th in the world), but in victory there - Peterson beat Hercog last year, in their only meeting so far - it is likely Barty which stands for the resistance in the second round.

The question is how the situation is with Peterson. The 24-year-old broke off the Hobart genre earlier this week with a lock in the back, and her coach and dad Mart Peterson said on Wednesday that she gets treatment every day to get ready for the Australian Open.

Ymer against Japan

For Caroline Wozniacki, the Danish who ends her career after the tournament, the unseeded American Kristie Ahn is waiting in the first round. Serena Williams, who lacks a grand slam title to reach Margaret Court's record (24), enters the tournament against Russian Anastasia Potapova while reigning champion Naomi Osaka meets Czech Marie Bouzkova.

On the men's side, Swedish Mikael Ymer plays his first match against Japanese Yasutaka Uchiyama (92nd in the world), and is placed in a possible second round against 16th-seeded Russian Karen Chatjanov or a qualifier.

Among the favorites, Serbian Novak Djokovic is chasing his eighth victory in the Australian Open. He starts against German Jan-Lennard Struff and last year's finalist Rafael Nadal, first seeded this year, meets Bolivian Hugo Dellien.