Australian Open 2020: Federer-Djokovic clash likely in semis, Nadal could face Medvedev in the other half

Seven-time Australian Open Champion Novak Djokovic has been drawn in the same half as six-time winner Roger Federer, as well as NextGen star Stefanos Tsitsipas. Meanwhile, current World Number 1 Rafael Nadal has been drawn in the top half with players such as Dominic Thiem and Daniil Medvedev.

128 players will be vying for the grand prize money of A$4,120,000 in the men's singles category. The Australian Open 2020 will be the first Major of the season, and is scheduled to be contested at Melbourne between 20 January and 2 February.

The 32-year-old Djokovic will kick-start his campaign against Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany. Although Struff is not considered a great threat, he is sure to give the experienced Serb tough competition in his opening match.

The defending champion might face current World Number 9 Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain or sixth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in his quarterfinal match. Djokovic leads Bautista Agut 8-3 in their head-to-head rivalry, while he holds a 2-2 record against Tsitsipas.

Stefanos Tsitsipas

Rafael Nadal will clash with Bolivia's Hugo Dellien in his first round match. The current World Number 1 could potentially face one of Nick Kyrgios or Karen Khachanov in the Round of 16. The draw has unfolded such that the Spaniard is likely to lock horns with fifth seed Dominic Thiem in the quarters.

A potential Nadal vs Medvedev semifinal is also on the cards, which would be a repeat of their thrilling US Open final.

Federer, who has won a remarkable 97 Australian Open matches in his career, will begin his campaign against the American Steve Johnson. The third seed may then potentially clash against either Denis Shapovalov (13th seed) or Grigor Dimitrov (18th seed) in his Round 3 encounter.

The Swiss legend is then likely to lock horns with Italy's Matteo Berrettini (8th seed) in his quarterfinal, and is projected to face Djokovic in the semifinal.

Roger Federer

Other interesting potential matches include Stan Wawrinka going up against rising fourth seed Daniil Medvedev in Round 4. Alexander Zverev (7th seed) will probably clash with either David Goffin (11th seed) or Andrey Rublev in Round 3.

The Australian Open draw has again turned out to be interesting, with several potential thrillers towards the business end. The countdown has begun for the year's first Grand Slam, which has 2000 points on offer for the winner.