Twelve months on from Covid-19 drama and political controversy, all the focus should be firmly on the court as the Australian Open gets underway on Monday.

A year after being controversially deported for not complying with the Covid-19 vaccination restrictions that were in place, Novak Djokovic makes his return to Melbourne Park looking to win a record 10th Australian Open title. 

The Serb has been given two injury scares in the lead-up to the first major of the season, with hamstring tightness troubling him in Adelaide last week and a knee issue forcing him to abandon a practice match on Tuesday.

Reigning champion Rafael Nadal has also endured a less than ideal preparation and lost twice in the United Cup, but has batted away injury concerns as he looks for a record 23rd Grand Slam title.

Home favourite Nick Kyrgios is also short of fitness after picking up an ankle injury in Dubai last month and the usual concerns surround his quests for a maiden Grand Slam crown, while world No1 Carlos Alcaraz, who pulled out of the tournament because of injury.

In the women's tournament, world No1 Iga Swiatek is the overwhelming favourite to succeed Ashleigh Barty, who triumphed at Melbourne Park last year before retiring two months later. 

The Pole won the French Open and US Open last year, part of an astonishing run that saw her made nine finals and win eight tournaments. 

Here's all you need to know ahead of the first Grand Slam tournament of the year.

When does the Australian Open start?

The first major of 2023 gets underway on Monday, January 16 at its traditional home in Melbourne Park and will end with the Men's Singles final on January 29.

The Women's Singles final is scheduled for January 28 and the same goes for the Men's and Women's Doubles, which get underway on January 18.

The Mixed Doubles, meanwhile, run from January 19 to January 29.

The day sessions begin at 11am AEDT (midnight in the UK, 7pm ET) with the night sessions commencing at 7pm AEDT (8am UK time, 3am ET) 

How to watch and stream the Australian Open on TV 

Channel Nine and its sister channel 9Gem have exclusive rights for the Australian Open in Australia and will broadcast most of the key matches across over 270 hours of live coverage.

Every match at the tournament will also be available to be streamed live and on-demand across a variety of devices on Nine's digital platform 9Now.

Eurosport has exclusive rights to broadcast the Australian Open in the UK, with over 250 hours of coverage planned across Eurosport 1 (Sky channel 410, BT 435, Virgin 521), the Eurosport app, and the Eurosport website.

Fans can also stream the tournament live and on-demand on via the discovery+ app. 

Viewers in the US, meanwhile, will have to tune in on ESPN and ESPN2 to follow the tournament, which can also be streamed live via ESPN+.

AUS: Channel Nine, 9Gem, 9Now

UK: Eurosport 1, Eurosport app, Eurosport website

US: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN+

Who are the top seeds at the 2023 Australian Open?

Reigning champion Rafael Nadal is the No1 seed in the Men's Singles tournament, while world No1 is the top seed in the Women's tournament.

Nick Kyrgios and Alex de Minaur are the top-ranked Australians in the men's tournament at 19 and 22 respectively, but there are no Aussies ranked in the women's tournament following Ash Barty's retirement. 

Men's top 10 seeds 

Women's top 10 seeds

Who won the Australian Open last year?

Rafael Nadal captured a record 21st Grand Slam singles crown after coming back from two sets down to beat Daniil Medvedev in an epic final at the Rod Laver Arena.

A day earlier, Ash Barty beat Danielle Collins in straight sets to end Australia’s 44 year wait for a singles champion in Melbourne.

What is the prize money for the Australian Open?

The prize pool for this year's tournament is a record-high $76.5million, a 3.4 percent increase from last year. 

Singles champions will make $2.97million each, while the winning teams in the men's and women's doubles will land $695,000. 

Reaching the second round in the singles tournaments return just north of $106,000.

Will Novak Djokovic play?

The 35-year-old missed last year's Australian Open followed his controversial deportation after refusing to receive COVID-19 vaccinations and was given an injury scare this week.

The Serb required treatment on his left leg throughout an exhibition practice match against Daniil Medvedev on Wednesday, just days after pushing through hamstring tightness to win the Adelaide International.

Djokovic, however, recovered to take part in an exhibition match against Nick Kyrgios on Friday and his quest for a record 10th Australian Open crown is expected to begin as scheduled against Spain's Roberto Carballes Baena.

Where is Roger Federer?

The 20-time Grand Slam champion will be watching the Australian Open on TV after announcing his retirement last year.

The legendary Swiss enjoyed a special feeling with Melbourne Park, winning the tournament six times and reaching the semi-final on another eight occasions, including his last visit in 2020. 

Any other notable absences?  

Serena Williams, a seven-time champion at Melbourne Park, and reigning women's champion Ash Barty, will both join Federer on the sidelines after calling time on their careers in 2022.

Two-time Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka misses out after announcing she's pregnant, while Venus Williams pulled out through injury as have men's World No1 Carlos Alcaraz and Aussie star Ajla Tomljanovic.

Meanwhile, Bernard Tomic's 15-year run of appearances at the Australian Open has come to an end after the bad boy of Australian tennis missed out on a wild-card spot.