AO Press Release, January 8, 2018

Tennis fans can join in the countdown to Australian Open 2018 and attend theofficial Australian Open Live Draw at Margaret Court Arena (MCA) on Thursday 11 January.

The event will feature a special appearance from defending champion Roger Federer, twelve months after winning his 18th major title against Rafael Nadal at Melbourne Park.

Federer will be joined by 2008 Australian Open champion, and five-time Grand Slam singles champion, Maria Sharapova.

With so many contenders across both sides of the men’s and women’s singles, it promises to be one of the most anticipated draws in Grand Slam history.

Hosted by Seven’s Hamish McLachlan, the full draw will be revealed and dissected by a panel of tennis experts including Australian tennis legend Todd Woodbridge.

Fans can attend the event for a gold-coin donation, with proceeds going to theAustralian Tennis Foundation which focuses on giving tennis opportunities to Indigenous Australians, people with a physical or mental disability, people from low socio-economic backgrounds, underprivileged children, new arrivals and people from multicultural backgrounds and people from remote and regional areas.

The AO Live Draw will be broadcast live on the screens of Seven and live-streamed on ausopen.com.

The AO Live Draw is a free event and a ticket will be required to enter. Tickets are available through Ticketek.