The 111th Edition of the first Grand Slam of the year starts on Monday 16 January 2023 at Melbourne Park, Australia.

The Australian Open which sees the men's ATP and women's WTA around the world compete in various events like the men's and women's singles alongside the mixed doubles is a major contributor to the Victorian economy. 

The 2020 Australian Open injected $387.7 million into the Victorian economy, while over the preceding decade the grand slam also contributed more than $2.71 billion in economic benefits to Victoria and generated 1775 jobs for the state, with these jobs being predominantly in the accommodation, hotels, cafés and trade services sectors.

With the men's top seeds ready and raring to go in a bid to come out victorious by the 29th of January 2023, here are some of the key players to look out for:

Current Champion and world no. 2 Rafael Nadal is one of the key players to look out for once again this year, Nadal who won the grand slam last year against Danil Medvedev will be hoping to start his 2023 journey on a high.

The Spaniard opens his account against fast-rising Briton Jack Draper who is ready and excited to relish the occasion. When asked about his opponent, Nadal admitted that Draper will be a tough opponent to play with.

"He is young, powerful, growing fast, very fast in the rankings, playing well ... it is a big challenge for me at the beginning to start the tournament. Lets see, I am here to just give myself a chance." Nadal said

With the 36-year old chasing a record extending 23rd grand slam, he will seek to use his experience against Draper to go through to the next round.

Former world no.1 Novak Djokovic is another player looking to impress this year at the Australian Open.

Having missed out on last year's tournament in controversial fashion, a record extending 10th Australian Open title and with that a record equaling 22nd grand slam is the focus on Djokovic's sight.

Although Djokovic has made a concerning admission over a hamstring injury he has been struggling from of late, he has also reassured his fans that he will compete.

"Its hopefully not a major concern, so far I have been able to train, complete, play points and practice sets. So that's a positive sign."

In a "David vs Goliath" affair, the right-handed Serbian is up against world no.71 Roberto Carballes Baena in the first round on Tuesday.

Still searching for his maiden Australian Open, world no.4 Stefanos Tsitsipas is a force to be reckoned with this year.

The 24 year old has come short of reaching the final in the grand slam for the past two years after being knocked out in the Semifinal in 2022 and 2021.

Becoming the youngest winner of the year-end championships in 2019 at just the age of 18, Tsitsipas has seen his career flourish like a palm tree because he has been ranked as high as world no.3 in 2021 making him the highest-ranked Greek player in history alongside Maria Sakkari.

Tsitsipas will open his Australian Open account this year against a familiar foe Quentin Hayls, although they have never faced off in a tour-level match, Halys defeated the Greek in an ITF Futures match in 2014 and an ATP Challenger Tour match in 2018.