Coco Gauff and Venus Williams might meet in the Australian Open second round after the tournament draw placed them on a collision course in the same section. Their rivalry traces back to Wimbledon, when a 15-year-old Gauff beat the seven-time major winner on her Grand Slam debut.

Gauff, now the No. 3 seed and a two-time major champion, thanked Williams after that Wimbledon victory, saying “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for her.” She then followed with a first-round win at the Australian Open in 2020.

Williams, 45, has received a wild-card entry for the Australian Open and is returning to Melbourne for the first time in five years. In the draw, Gauff was paired to open against No. 91-ranked Kamilla Rakhimova. Williams, listed at No. 576, was drawn to face No. 68-ranked Olga Danilovic in the first round.

Williams is set to become the oldest woman to compete in an Australian Open main draw, surpassing the record previously held by Kimiko Date, who was 44 when she lost in the first round at Melbourne Park in 2015. To meet Gauff again, Williams must win a match; she has yet to record a victory in 2026, having lost in the first round at events in New Zealand and in Hobart in the past two weeks.

After her 6-4, 6-3 win over Williams, Tatjana Maria reflected on the match: “everyone loves Venus. I love her, too.”

The draw places Gauff and Williams in the same half as top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka. Sabalenka, who won back-to-back Australian Open titles before losing last year’s final to Madison Keys, opened her season with a title in Brisbane and could face 2021 US Open winner Emma Raducanu in a potential third-round match.

Defending champion Madison Keys, who lost in the Adelaide International quarterfinal to Victoria Mboko in three sets, is in the same quarter as No. 6 Jessica Pegula and No. 4 Amanda Anisimova. No. 2 Iga Świątek is in the bottom quarter of that half and could meet Naomi Osaka in a potential fourth round.

Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic landed in the same half, creating the possibility of a semifinal between the defending champion and the 24-time major winner. Djokovic, a 10-time Australian champion who has not progressed beyond the semifinals at Melbourne Park since 2023, played an exhibition against Frances Tiafoe and withdrew last week from a warmup tournament in Adelaide to give himself more time to be ready for the Open.

Ranked No. 1097 and working her way back from a long injury layoff, Sloane Stephens reached the 2026 Australian Open main draw by winning three qualifying matches in a row — her first such streak since 2024. The 32-year-old former US Open champion acknowledged the unpredictable nature of a career that has seen clear highs and extended pauses.

“In my career, I’ve had ups and downs that have been exciting, not exciting, anticlimactic, all the things,” Stephens said after sealing her spot in Melbourne. She called the arc of her comeback unusual. “I just told my coach earlier that this whole tennis journey keeps getting weirder and weirder.”

Stephens spent much of the past 12 months off tour while managing a persistent foot injury and played just six matches in 2025. During that time she worked on television as an analyst and used the break to reassess her approach. “When you don’t play a lot, there’s a little lull. You don’t feel as competitive and you don’t feel as attached to the game,” she explained. “So, it was just being able to get back, train really hard, and play and have fun on court at home. Then, I was able to translate that into a match.”

After a three-set loss to open the 2026 season at the ASB Classic, Stephens traveled to Melbourne early with her mom, aunt and coach Kamau Murray to enter qualifying for the first time since 2011. For reference, the last time she did not earn direct acceptance into a Grand Slam main draw, the Harry Potter and Twilight film series were still in theaters.

She recovered quickly in qualies, rallying from a set down to beat Olivia Gadecki and holding off No. 2 seed Lucia Bronzetti to secure a 14th Australian Open main-draw appearance. “I think I was the only Grand Slam champion to be in qualies, which was interesting,” she said. “I was like, ‘Oh God! A lot of pressure.’ I hadn’t won a match since God knows whenever, so I was just like, it’s an opportunity to go and play and try to figure it out.”

Off court, Stephens has begun vlogging parts of her trip and shared a playful detail about her wardrobe. “This was made in my living room, and it took about four fittings,” she said of a lacey yellow Free People Movement dress. “Maria Sakkari asked me if it was even a tennis dress and I was like, ‘Yeah girl. Let me show you!’ Free People Movement, they’re growing and they’re like the cool kids in town.”

Roger Federer will make a planned return to the Australian Open stage as part of the tournament’s inaugural Opening Ceremony ahead of the 2026 event. The six-time champion will partner Andre Agassi, Lleyton Hewitt and Pat Rafter in a doubles match billed as a “Battle of the world No. 1s.” The appearance marks his first time on Rod Laver Arena since 2020 and follows his official retirement at the 2022 Laver Cup.

At a press conference ahead of the ceremony, Federer spoke plainly about the mix of emotion the event brings. “I’m nervous, I’m excited, I’m happy I’m here,” he said, in remarks moderated by former ATP doubles No. 1 Todd Woodbridge. “I’m happy there’s a moment for the crowd, for me personally, but also being on the court with Lleyton that I shared so much with, Pat that I always loved playing against, even though I never beat him. I always loved Pat. He was one of my favorite players. Then Andre, I was fortunate enough to play against him maybe 10 times or so. Just being together with those guys is going to make me feel better, as well.

“I have great memories of just being here,” he added. “It’s been an incredible tournament for me and one of my favorite places to play tennis.”

Now 44, Federer has gradually returned to exhibition-style play, including a celebrity doubles match at last fall’s Rolex Shanghai Masters, and has floated the idea of a possible “Legends” tour with Rafael Nadal. He also stressed that family life constrains his schedule and that doubles fits his current priorities. “It’s hard to make it a priority in the schedule when you have four children and so many other things going on,” he said. “I’m happy I’m super still active, busy, doing loads of sports. Tennis is part of that.”

The appearance is positioned as a farewell to the Australian Open from one of its most celebrated champions, combining nostalgia with a light-competition showcase for fans on the eve of the 2026 tournament.