Australian Open 2024 draw: Emma Raducanu plays Shelby Rogers, Andy Murray faces Tomas Martin Etcheverry

Emma Raducanu will play American Shelby Rogers when she makes her Grand Slam return at the Australian Open following an eight-month injury lay-off.

The 21-year-old Briton, who had wrist and ankle surgeries last May, could play British number one Katie Boulter in the Melbourne third round.

Boulter starts against China’s Yuan Yue, with 12th seed Zheng Qinwen looming in the second round.

Five-time finalist Andy Murray plays 30th seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry.

The Australian Open, which is the first Grand Slam event of the 2024 season, starts at Melbourne Park on Sunday.

The tournament has been extended to 15 days, in a move which organisers say will alleviate late-night finishes, and culminates with the finals weekend on 27-28 January.

Raducanu, the former world number one from Britain, made a successful comeback last week at the Auckland Classic and is scheduled to play in a particularly important Grand Slam match this coming week.

Raducanu defeated Rogers and advanced to the quarterfinals in New York by winning 11 straight games during his incredible 2021 US Open title run that stunned the entire world.

Raducanu, ranked 103rd in the world, is playing at Melbourne Park with an injury protectable rating following a protracted hiatus.

Rogers had been a regular inside the top 50 until missing the second half of the previous season due to an abdominal ailment. Rogers is also playing under an injury-protected rating.

In the second round, the victor will take against Wang Yafan of China or Sorana Cirstea, the 22nd seed from Romania.

Three Brits with direct entrance for the women’s singles are Raducanu, ranked 57th, and Boulter, who hopes to build on a career-best season in 2023.

.

Jodie Burrage is making her debut in the Australian Open main draw and takes on German world number 81 Tamara Korspatsch.

Murray, 36, was the only British player to land a seeded opponent when the draw was made at Melbourne Park on Thursday.

The world number 44, who said in a recent interview with BBC Sport this could be his last year before retirement, is likely to face Novak Djokovic if he reaches the third round.

Cameron Norrie is Britain’s highest ranked player and seeded 19th. He faces Peru’s Juan Pablo Varillas in a part of the draw which appears quite favourable.

Dan Evans continues his return after a calf injury with a match against Italy’s world number 46 Lorenzo Sonego and could face second seed Carlos Alcaraz in the next round.

Jack Draper is aiming to build on an encouraging end to the 2023 season and will face American Marcos Giron, who is ranked 60th and never been past the first round in Melbourne.

Two Britons – Francesca Jones and Oliver Crawford, an American-born player who recently switched allegiance – could yet join them in the main draw by coming through qualifying.

Starting against a qualifier or lucky loser, the defending champion Djokovic is going for a record-tying 11th men’s singles victory and a 25th major overall.

In the opening round, veteran French player Richard Gasquet will take on Spain’s Alcaraz, who was sidelined by a hamstring injury at the tournament last year.

In a women’s draw stacked with notable match-ups, top seed Iga Swiatek starts against 2020 champion Sofia Kenin.

If Swiatek comes through that test, she will face two-time champion Angelique Kerber – who is making a comeback after giving birth last year, or 2022 runner-up Danielle Collins in the second round.

Japan’s Naomi Osaka has also returned from maternity leave and landed French 16th seed Caroline Garcia, while Kazakhstan’s third seed Elena Rybakina takes on former world number one Karolina Pliskova.

Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka starts against a qualifier, with US Open winner Coco Gauff – who could meet the Belarusian in the semi-finals – facing Slovakia’s Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.

Elsewhere in the men’s draw, last year’s runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas has been handed a tough task against injury-hit former semi-finalist Matteo Berrettini.

Third seed Daniil Medvedev, drawn in the same half as Alcaraz, starts against a qualifier, while Australian number one Alex de Minaur plays 2016 Wimbledon runner-up Milos Raonic.