World’s Top Players Confirm Entry To Australian Open

MELBOURNE, December 13, 2019 (AO Press Release)

The world’s top players will return to Melbourne Park in January, led by Australian world No.1 Ash Barty in the women’s draw and Spain’s Rafael Nadal in the men’s.

Targeting a record eighth Australian Open crown is defending champion and world No.2 Novak Djokovic (SRB), joined by [3] Roger Federer (SUI), [4] Dominic Thiem (AUT), [5] Daniil Medvedev (RUS), [6] Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE), [7] Alexander Zverev (GER), [8] Matteo Berrettini (ITA), [9] Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) and [10] Gael Monfils (FRA) rounding out an enthralling mixture of new generation contenders and experienced Grand Slam champions in the top 10.

With main draw acceptance lists confirmed today, the women’s field is packed with Grand Slam pedigree, including defending champion [3] Naomi Osaka (JPN), reigning Wimbledon champion [4] Simona Halep (ROU), US Open champion [5] Bianca Andreescu (CAN), AO 2019 finalist [7] Petra Kvitova and seven-time AO champion [10] Serena Williams (USA).

Missing from the field is world No.50 and two-time former AO champion Victoria Azarenka (BLR) who withdrew prior to the entry deadline.

Juan Martin del Potro (ARG) returns on a protected ranking of No. 22, following a six-month injury break and 35-year-old Russian and AO 2009 semifinalist Vera Zvonareva re-enters the big time with a protected ranking of No.78.

A total of 104 players receive direct entry into the men’s and women’s singles main draw and a further eight are awarded wildcards, while 16 places will be settled at the qualifying rounds from 8-11 January 2020.

“We are delighted to welcome this extremely strong player field to Melbourne in what promises to be a once in a generation event,” said AO tournament director Craig Tiley.

“The very best players are back, there are records up for grabs and it is very possible we will see a new champion crowned on both sides.

“There are so many great storylines for AO 2020 … emerging players continue to break through, including our own world No.1 Ash Barty. Will it be the year for one of the young guns to stop Novak, Roger or Rafa? And can Serena win her 24^th Grand Slam singles title?” Tiley continued.

In the past decade, and with the exception of Swiss Stan Wawrinka in 2014, the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup has been won by Djokovic in 2019, 2016, 2015, 2013, 2012, 2011 and Roger Federer in 2018, 2017, 2010 while Nadal won his first – and only – AO crown in 2009.

There have been seven different women’s champions since 2010 – Osaka (2019), Dane Caroline Wozniacki (2018), who has announced that Australian Open 2020 will be her final tournament, Serena Williams (2017, 2015, 2010), German Angelique Kerber (2016), Li Na (2014), Belarusian Victoria Azarenka (2013, 2012) and Belgian Kim Clijsters (2011).

Four other women join Zvonareva in the field on protected rankings, with [43] Catherine (CiCi) Bellis (USA), [85] Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR), [85] Katie Boulter (GBR) and [93] Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (SVK) all returning to Grand Slam competition.

No.71 Yen-Hsun Lu (TPE), [73] Vasek Pospisil (CAN), [83] Mackenzie McDonald (USA) and [95] Cedrik-Marcel Salvatore Caruso (ITA) join del Potro in the draw with protected rankings.

Eight Australians have direct entry into their home Grand Slam, with top ranked Barty joined by [51] Ajla Tomljanovic and [99] Samantha Stosur, who completed her 16^th consecutive top-100 finish 20 years after turning pro in 2019.

World No.18 Alex de Minaur leads the Australian men’s contingent with (30) Nick Krygios, (48) John Millman, (63) Jordan Thompson and (97) Alexei Popyrin all confirmed for the main draw.

Now in its 115^th year, the Australian Open will take place from 20 January to 7 February 2020.

Women’s entry list				Men’s entry list
Ranking	First Name	Last Name	Nation	Ranking	First Name	Last Name	Nation
1	Ashleigh	Barty	AUS	1	Rafael	Nadal	ESP
2	Karolina	Pliskova	CZE	2	Novak	Djokovic	SRB
3	Naomi	Osaka	JPN	3	Roger	Federer	SUI
4	Simona	Halep	ROU	4	Dominic	Thiem	AUT
5	Bianca	Andreescu	CAN	5	Daniil	Medvedev	RUS
6	Elina	Svitolina	UKR	6	Stefanos	Tsitsipas	GRE
7	Petra	Kvitova	CZE	7	Alexander	Zverev	GER
8	Belinda	Bencic	SUI	8	Matteo	Berrettini	ITA
9	Kiki	Bertens	NED	9	Roberto	Bautista Agut	ESP
10	Serena	Williams	USA	10	Gael	Monfils	FRA
11	Aryna	Sabelenka	BLR	11	David	Goffin	BEL
12	Johanna	Konta	GBR	12	Fabio	Fognini	ITA
13	Madison	Keys	USA	13	Kei	Nishikori	JAP
14	Sofia	Kenin	USA	14	Diego	Schwartzman	ARG
15	Petra	Martic	CRO	15	Denis	Shapovalov	CAN
16	Marketa	Vondrousova	CZE	16	Stan	Wawrinka	SUI
17	Elise	Mertens	BEL	17	Karen	Khachanov	RUS
18	Alison	Riske	USA	18	Alex	de Minaur	AUS
19	Donna	Vekic	CRO	19	John	Isner	USA
20	Angelique	Kerber	GER	20	Grigor	Dimitrov	BUL
21	Karolina	Muchova	CZE	21	Felix	Auger-Aliassime	CAN
22	Dayana	Yastremska	UKR	22	Lucas	Pouille	FRA
23	Maria	Sakkari	GRE	22SR	Juan Martin	del Potro	ARG
24	Amanda	Anismova	USA	23	Andrey	Rublev	RUS
25	Sloane	Stephens	USA	24	Benoit	Paire	FRA
26	Anett	Kontaveit	EST	25	Guido	Pella	ARG
27	Anastasija	Sevastova	LAT	26	Nikoloz	Basilashvili	GEO
28	Julia	Goerges	GER	27	Pablo	Carreno Busta	ESP
29	Danielle	Collins	USA	28	Borna	Coric	CRO
30	Qiang	Wang	CHN	29	Jo-Wilfried	Tsonga	FRA
31	Anastasia	Pavlyuchenkova	RUS	30	Nick	Kyrgios	AUS
32	Su-Wei	Hsieh	TPE	31	Milos	Raonic	CAN
33	Barbora	Strycova	CZE	32	Taylor	Fritz	USA
34	Yulia	Putintseva	KAZ	33	Cristian	Garin	CHI
35	Garbiñe	Muguruza	ESP	34	Dusan	Lajovic	SRB
36	Elena	Rybakina	KAZ	35	Jan-Lennard	Struff	GER
37	Caroline	Wozniacki	DEN	36	Reilly	Opelka	USA
38	Kristina	Mladenovic	FRA	37	Hubert	Hurkacz	POL
39	Shuai	Zhang	CHN	38	Laslo	Djere	SRB
40	Veronika	Kudermetova	RUS	39	Marin	Cilic	CRO
41	Saisai	Zheng	CHN	40	Filip	Krajinovic	SRB
42	Ekaterina	Alexandrova	RUS	41	Albert	Ramos-Vinolas	ESP
43	Magda	Linette	POL	42	Daniel	Evans	GBR
43SR	Catherine	Bellis	USA	43	Adrian	Mannarino	FRA
44	Rebecca	Peterson	SWE	44	Sam	Querrey	USA
45	Jelena	Ostapenko	LAT	45	Pablo	Cuevas	URU
46	Caroline	Garcia	FRA	46	Radu	Albot	MOL
47	Alison	Van Uytvanck	BEL	47	Frances	Tiafoe	USA
48	Yafan	Wang	CHN	48	John	Millman	AUS
49	Polona	Hercog	SLO	49	Fernando	Verdasco	ESP
51	Ajla	Tomljanovic	AUS	50	Juan Ignacio	Londero	ARG
52	Viktoria	Kuzmova	SVK	51	Jeremy	Chardy	FRA
53	Venus	Williams	USA	52	Lorenzo	Sonego	ITA
54	Svetlana	Kuznetsova	RUS	53	Cameron	Norrie	GBR
55	Carla	Suárez Navarro	ESP	54	Casper	Ruud	NOR
56	Jennifer	Brazy	USA	55	Gilles	Simon	FRA
57	Marie	Bouzkova	CZE	56	Alexander	Bublik	KAZ
58	Katerina	Siniakova	CZE	57	Ugo	Humbert	FRA
59	Alize	Cornet	FRA	58	Aljaz	Bedene	SLO
60	Iga	Swiatek	POL	59	Miomir	Kecmanovic	SRB
61	Anna	Blinkova	RUS	60	Joao	Sousa	POR
62	Fiona	Ferro	FRA	61	Richard	Gasquet	FRA
63	Lauren	Davis	USA	62	Feliciano	Lopez	ESP
64	Tamara	Zidansek	SLO	63	Jordan	Thompson	AUS
65	Bernarda	Pera	USA	64	Pablo	Andujar	ESP
66	Kristyna	Pliskova	CZE	65	Pierre-Hugues	Herbert	FRA
67	Aliaksandra	Sasnovich	BLR	66	Ricardas	Berankis	LTU
68	Cori	Gauff	USA	66SR	Alexandr	Dolgopolov	UKR
69	Daria	Kasatkina	RUS	67	Mikhail	Kukushkin	KAZ
70	Kirsten	Flipkens	BEL	68	Tennys	Sandgren	USA
71	Lin	Zhu	CHN	69	Kyle	Edmund	GBR
72	Lesia	Tsurenko	UKR	70	Marton	Fucsovics	HUN
73	Jil	Teichmann	SUI	71	Marco	Cecchinato	ITA
74	Sorana	Cirstea	ROU	71SR	Yen-Hsun	Lu	TPE
75	Laura	Siegemund	GER	72	Andreas	Seppi	ITA
76	Ons	Jabeur	TUN	73	Yoshihito	Nishioka	JAP
77	Zarina	Diyas	KAZ	73SR	Vasek	Pospisil	CAN
78	Andrea	Petkovic	GER	74	Mikael	Ymer	SWE
78SR	Vera	Zvonareva	RUS	75	Hugo	Dellien	BOL
79	Monica	Puig	PUR	76	Federico	Delbonis	ARG
80	Viktorija	Golubic	SUI	77	Nicolas	Jarry	CHI
81	Shuai	Peng	CHN	78	Jannik	Sinner	ITA
82	Taylor	Townsend	USA	79	Philipp	Kohlschreiber	GER
83	Misaki	Doi	JPN	80	Roberto	Carballes Baena	ESP
84	Jessica	Pegula	USA	81	Yasutaka	Uchiyama	JAP
85	Sara	Sorribes Tormo	ESP	82	Gregoire	Barrere	FRA
85SR	Katie	Boulter	GBR	83	Corentin	Moutet	FRA
85SR	Kateryna	Bondarenko	UKR	83SR	Mackenzie	McDonald	USA
86	Danka	Kovinic	MNE	84	Stefano	Travaglia	ITA
87	Tatjana	Maria	GER	85	Steve	Johnson	USA
88	Nina	Stojanovic	SRB	86	Jaume	Munar	ESP
89	Christina	McHale	USA	87	Alejandro	Davidovich Fokina	ESP
90	Timea	Babos	HUN	88	Soonwoo	Kwon	KOR
91	Vitalia	Diatchenko	RUS	89	Thiago	Monteiro	BRA
92	Kateryna	Kozlova	UKR	90	Tommy	Paul	USA
93	Arantxa	Rus	NED	91	Kevin	Anderson	RSA
93SR	Anna Karolina	Schmiedlova	SVK	92	Leonardo	Mayer	ARG
94	Kristie	Ahn	USA	93	Damir	Dzumhur	BIH
95	Anastasia	Potapova	RUS	94	Dominik	Koepfer	GER
96	Madison	Brengle	USA	95	Ivo	Karlovic	CRO
97	Jasmine	Paolini	ITA	95SR	Cedrik-Marcel	Stebe	GER
98	Paula	Badosa	ESP	96	Salvatore	Caruso	ITA
99	Samantha	Stosur	AUS	97	Alexei	Popyrin	AUS
100	Camila	Giorgi	ITA	98	Egor	Gerasimov	BLR

*Rankings as at 9/12/2019.

World’s Top Players Confirm Entry To Australian Open

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