The majority of the world’s best players will head Down Under shortly before the start of 2023 to begin their preparations for the Australian Open which gets underway on January 16.

But before the Slam, there are a host of WTA and ATP tournaments which will be taking place in every major city across the country.

The start of the 2023 tennis season is nearly upon us, with Tennis Australia confirming the full schedule for the events leading up to the Australian Open.

The action will reach a crescendo in Melbourne with Australian Open qualifying from the 9th January, before the main draw between the 16th to 29th January.

Rafael Nadal will be there to see if he can win a third crown in Melbourne after his astounding comeback win against Daniil Medvedev at the start of the year.

On the entry list, the Spaniard will be joined by his biggest rival Novak Djokovic, who is undefeated at the event since 2019.

But it won’t be only about the two Big Three members, who are chasing Grand Slam trophies. Youngsters will also want to show their qualities as the most recent major winner is world no. 1 in the ATP Rankings, Carlos Alcaraz, who will want to follow up on his triumph from the Flushing Meadows also in Melbourne.

Casper Ruud, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev all have an experience with Grand Slam final and they will want to use it in Australia.

The 2023 Australian Open will be held without the defending champion on the WTA side but that won’t make the event any less entertaining.

Ashleigh Barty triumphed in Melbourne last year but retired only a few months after that and so she’s not featured on the entry list and there will be someone else lifting a trophy in 2023.

There’s certainly not shortage of players that could do it. Almost everyone from Top 10 of the WTA Rankings will be also considered as one of the top favourites, except for Simona Halep, who isn’t listed on the entry list because of her doping case.

The women’s final will take place on Saturday, January 28 with the men’s final on the 29th.

So many stories have been forged at Melbourne Park – from dramatic wins by next-gen superstars, to thrilling victories by history-making champions.

AO23 promises to be bigger and better than ever.