The tournament is due to get underway following a chaotic build-up caused by the coronavirus crisis, which saw dozens of players forced into quarantine and led to doubts over whether the opening Grand Slam of the season would even go ahead.

Nadal and Federer have won a record 20 Grand Slam titles each, but the Spaniard has the opportunity to set a new mark as the 39-year-old Swiss is not playing because of injury.

Serbian world number one Novak Djokovic will aim to win a ninth Australian Open men's singles title and an 18th Grand Slam crown.

Britain's Andy Murray, a long-time rival of all three men, also misses out after catching COVID-19,.

Threats outside the two favourites including Austria's Dominic Thiem, who won the 2020 US Open, and Daniil Medvedev of Russia, who today helped his nation win the Association of Tennis Professionals Cup along with another dark horse, Andrey Rublev.

Fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece and German sixth seed Alexander Zverev will be among the others hoping to spring a surprise.

In the women's singles, all eyes will be on Serena Williams, who looks to equal the Grand Slam record of Australia's Margaret Court, who won 24 titles during her career - 11 of which came at the Australian Open.

But Williams has struggled to find the form of her previous years, last winning a Grand Slam in 2017 against her sister Venus Williams at the Australian Open.

Since then, she has made four Grand Slam finals, but has lost all four - including a US Open defeat to Japan's Naomi Osaka.

Osaka, who won the 2019 Australian Open, is the third seed this year and is set to play Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the opening round, while Williams takes on Laura Siegemund of Germany.

Williams could face Osaka in the semi-finals, while young Polish star Iga Świątek, who won the 2020 French Open at the age of 19, is also a potential quarter-final opponent, along with Romanian second seed and 2018 Australian Open finalist Simona Halep.

American Sofia Kenin is the reigning champion and the fourth seed opens her title defence with a match against Australian wildcard Maddison Inglis.

Home favourite Ashleigh Barty, who has missed a lot of the post-COVID-19 season due to the pandemic, is the top seed.

Barty faces Danka Kovinic of Montenegro in her opening round, while Halep is set to face Australian wildcard Lizette Cabrera.

The tournament is scheduled to take place until February 21.