It was the 12-time Grand Slam winner's first competitive outing since losing a Wimbledon quarter-final to Tomas Berdych last July. The Serbian former world number one had pulled out of a warm-up tournament in Abu Dhabi, raising concerns over his fitness ahead of the year's opening Grand Slam. Federer, seeded second, and will bid for his 20th Grand Slam title in the bottom half of the draw. Former winner Stan Wawrinka, who hasn't played since Wimbledon but said he has recovered sufficiently from a knee injury, is seeded at nine. In a women's field notably missing 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, there appear to be many chances of a new Australian Open champion this year..@DjokerNole and @rogerfederer share the bottom half of the draw. Discover more about the #AusOpen men's draw at https://t.co/rhxNDki3A9. pic.twitter.com/WcJfqcLvB5
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 11, 2018
Seven-time champion Williams announced last week she wouldn't defend her title, saying she was "super close" but not quite ready to compete so soon after becoming a mother. Spain's Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza is seeded three, while Serena's sister Venus has the fifth seeding.Missed the #AusOpen draw? Fear not, we have you covered. Here's a rundown of the women's singles: https://t.co/kW6IVReFny pic.twitter.com/EApblzZnjL
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 11, 2018