Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Maria Sakkari are among the players to play exhibition event in Australia for Ukraine war relief

Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Frances Tiafoe, Coco Gauff, Maria Sakkari and other big stars will be in action at the 2023 Australian Open later this month, but before that, they will play an exhibition event at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on January 11.

Hosted by Tennis Australia in partnership with UNICEF, the 'Tennis Plays for Peace' event will donate all its earnings to the ongoing relief efforts in Ukraine. The global initiative involves seven international tennis bodies in total, including co-operation from the other three Grand Slams.

In addition to Nadal, Alcaraz, Gauff and Tiafoe, players such as Alexander Zverev and Alex de Minaur are also set to take part in the exhibition, with tickets starting at $25.

The timing of the event is particularly crucial, as Ukraine will face its first winter in the coming months since the beginning of the Russian invasion and health facilities, therefore, might not be able to cope with the requirements without additional help.

Rafael Nadal ready to defend Australian Open; Carlos Alcaraz, Frances Tiafoe, Coco Gauff and others start hunt for maiden title

Rafael Nadal will be hoping to defend his title at the 2023 Australian Open

Rafael Nadal will be the defending champion at the 2023 Australian Open on the men's side, facing stark opposition from the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Frances Tiafoe and others. Alcaraz and Tiafoe, meanwhile, will be hoping to get their hands on their maiden title at the Melbourne Major, for which they will also have to dethrone nine-time winner Novak Djokovic.

Djokovic has made his return Down Under following last year's controversial deportation and is primed to win his 10th title at Rod Laver Arena by the end of the month. Also in the draw are Dominic Thiem, Andy Murray, Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Nick Kyrgios, Casper Ruud, Daniil Medvedev, and others.

On the women's side, defending champion Ash Barty will not be available to lead the line-up, leaving World No. 1 Iga Swiatek to step up and take the mantle. Coco Gauff will be hoping to get in the mix this time around as well, joining the likes of Ons Jabeur, Aryna Sabalenka, Caroline Garcia, Maria Sakkari, Venus Williams, Jessica Pegula and others.

This year, the winners of the men's and women's singles titles will take home a whopping $2.975 million, while the runners-up are set to earn $1.65 million -- both purses increasing as compared to the previous edition.