Melbourne, Jan 15 (NationPress) The renowned 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner have both been placed in the same half of the Australian Open singles draw, as announced on Thursday.

Djokovic will kick off his tournament against Pedro Martinez, while Sinner is set to compete against French left-hander Hugo Gaston in their opening matches.

In another notable pairing, world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz shares the same half as last year’s runner-up Alexander Zverev. The 22-year-old Spaniard, looking to secure his seventh major title and achieve a career Grand Slam, will start against local favorite Adam Walton.

The legendary 10-time champion Djokovic and the two-time defending champion Sinner could potentially clash in an exciting semifinal at this prestigious tournament.

At 38, Djokovic aims for his 25th major title, which would surpass Margaret Court's record for the most major singles titles in the history of tennis.

Sinner, who is seeded second, is on a quest for a third consecutive win at Melbourne Park and his fifth major title overall, according to ATP reports.

Before the draw ceremony, Sinner expressed his thoughts about the tournament, stating, “The draw is very difficult; it doesn’t matter who you play. We are the best players in the world, and the journey is long and arduous. We will take it one day at a time,” as quoted by ATP Tour.

Other exciting first-round matchups include sixth seed Alex de Minaur facing former No. 6 Matteo Berrettini and Zverev going up against the hard-serving Gabriel Diallo.

Meanwhile, fan favorite Thanasi Kokkinakis announced his withdrawal from men's singles just before the draw ceremony. He had to pull out of his second-round match at the Adelaide International due to a right shoulder injury, giving his opponent Valentin Vacherot a free pass.

Kokkinakis, who faced a resurgence of his shoulder issue, managed to secure a memorable victory in his first singles match in nearly a year at the Adelaide International on Monday, despite the pain.