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MELBOURNE — Rafael Nadal launched his Australian Open title defence with a four-set victory over Britain’s Jack Draper on Monday as home hope Nick Kyrgios quit through injury without hitting a ball.

In the women’s draw, top seed Iga Swiatek survived a tough examination while Jessica Pegula and teenage prodigy Coco Gauff were both emphatic winners on the first day of action.

Spanish great Nadal, 36, had been in poor form by his sky-high standards, losing six of his last seven matches stretching back to defeat in the last 16 at the US Open.

In fast-rising Draper, 21, the 22-time Grand Slam champion faced a stern test to start his campaign at a sweltering Melbourne Park.

The top seed recovered from a second-set wobble — and a bizarre incident when a ball boy accidentally took his racquet — to defeat the 38th-ranked Briton 7-5, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 at Rod Laver Arena.

Nadal, who recently became a father, faces American Mackenzie McDonald in round two.

“Very exciting, new beginning, just super-happy to be back at Rod Laver with a victory I needed,” he said after grinding down Draper.

“Last couple of months have not been easy for me.”

Nadal was on court when Australia’s talented but temperamental Kyrgios called a hastily arranged press conference and announced that he was out of the tournament with a knee injury.

“I’m devastated, obviously,” said the Wimbledon finalist, who was considered an outside bet to win a maiden Grand Slam crown.

“I’ve had some great tournaments here, winning the doubles last year and playing the tennis of my life probably going into this event.

“I’m just exhausted from everything, and [it’s] obviously pretty brutal.”

The first Grand Slam of the year had already lost several stars in the build-up.

Injured men’s World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and two-time Melbourne champion Naomi Osaka — who is expecting her first child — are among the other players missing.

Nine-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic, who was detained and deported ahead of last year’s tournament after refusing to get vaccinated for Covid, begins his title assault on Tuesday. 

Other winners on Monday included third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and sixth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, who saw off dogged Vasek Pospisil in an all-Canadian clash.

Russia’s Daniil Medvedev, losing finalist in 2021 and 2022, fired up his bid to go one better with a straight-sets demolition of Marcos Giron.

But 21st seed Borna Coric fell to Czech player Jiri Lehecka in straight sets. 

‘Focused on myself’

In the women’s draw, hot favourite Swiatek was far from her fluent best against Jule Niemeier but got the job done, 6-4, 7-5.

“Honestly, I wanted to be focused on myself because I know that Jule serves amazing and was really pushing, putting pressure on me,” said Swiatek, who landed only 49 per cent of her first serves.

“So I’m pretty happy that I got through this match because the first round is always tricky and I guess an opponent like Jule makes it even more tricky.”

The Pole, who is chasing an Australian Open crown to go with major titles at the US Open and Roland Garros, plays Camila Osorio of Colombia next.

In-form Pegula blitzed 161st-ranked Romanian Jaqueline Cristian 6-0, 6-1 in a 59-minute romp to signal her intent.

Fellow American Gauff was equally explosive in racing into the second round with a 6-1, 6-4 thumping of Czech Katerina Siniakova.

The 18-year-old Gauff now faces a mouth-watering encounter against former US Open champion Emma Raducanu.

It will be the first-ever meeting between Gauff and the 20-year-old Raducanu, two rising stars of women’s tennis.

“I’m really looking forward to this match,” Raducanu said.

“I’m very up for it. Coco has obviously done a lot of great things and she’s playing well. 

“I think we’re both good, young players, we’re both coming through — part of the next generation of tennis really — it’s going to be a great match.”

Also safely through was another American, Danielle Collins, last year’s beaten finalist in Melbourne. 

Greek sixth seed Maria Sakkari also won and Victoria Azarenka defeated Sofia Kenin in a battle of two former Australian Open champions.

But two seeds fell at the first hurdle, 25th-seeded Czech Marie Bouzkova and American 28th seed Amanda Anisimova.

DAMMAM, Saudi Arabia — Qatari driver Nasser Al Attiyah on Sunday won his fifth Dakar Rally driver’s title and second in a row with Argentina’s Kevin Benavides securing his second motorbike crown.

The 52-year-old won three stages and had more than an hour’s advantage in the overall standings over Frenchman Sebastien Loeb, who also finished runner-up last year.

Attiyah’s Toyota teammate Lucas Moraes of Brazil finished third in the iconic test of endurance which reached its climax in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. 

Attiyah took the overall lead after the third stage, having built up a commanding advantage in the first week and deployed a safety-first strategy in the second half of the race.

Loeb, though, gave it all he could as he won a record six successive stages in the second week. But the 48-year-old Frenchman had lost so much time on the first part of the race that it was a lost cause.

Two of the main contenders Loeb’s compatriot Stephane Peterhansel and Spaniard Carlos Sainz failed to finish the race.

The 14th and final stage honours went to Loeb’s Prodrive teammate Guerlain Chicherit.

The car category may not have had a lot of suspense about it but the motorbike title race more than made up for it with plenty of thrills and spills. 

Benavides — the 2021 champion — edged out Australian Toby Price by 43 seconds with Skyler Howes of the United States finishing third.

Benavides — who celebrated his 34th birthday during the race — trailed two-time champion Price by 12 seconds entering Sunday’s 14th and final stage.

He produced a sterling ride to win the stage, however, and post a time 55 seconds faster than his 35-year-old rival.

Benavides win will be a popular one as he showed selflessness in stopping to aid a stricken rival Matthias Walkner in Saturday’s penultimate stage. 

“It’s incredible to pull off the win at the end of this completely crazy Dakar, and with such a small gap,” said Benavides.

“I’m also the first to win with two different motorbike brands, and that makes me very proud.”

It brought to an end a fascinating battle for supremacy in the motorbike section which had seen Howes lead for six days.

Price could not hide his disappointment despite praising Benavides for doing a “great job”.

“Yeah, hard to take at the moment, but at the end of the day I’m going home in one piece and we got a Dakar trophy,” he said.

“It hurts a little bit.”

Howes for his part was ecstatic.

“How could I be anything but happy?” said Howes, who became the fifth American to finish in the top three.

“You can always look back and say ‘Aw, man, maybe I could’ve saved this here and here’, but we’re at the finish safely, and I’m on the podium.

“It’s such a dream come true and an honour to share the podium with two legends like Toby and Kevin.

“It’s the most unreal feeling.” 

Several of the title contenders had bowed out along the way including last year’s British winner Sam Sunderland, who got no further than the first stage.

MELBOURNE —World No. 1 Iga Swiatek is the favourite to win an Australian Open women’s draw shorn of some of its biggest recent stars.

Ashleigh Barty, who lifted the trophy 12 months ago, and Serena Williams have retired, while the 2019 and 2021 winner Naomi Osaka is pregnant and absent.

AFP Sport picks out five women and five men players to watch when the first Grand Slam of the year begins on Monday:

Swiatek to Gauff: Five women to watch

Iga Swiatek

The 21-year-old seized her opportunity after the retirement of Barty to dominate 2022, securing eight WTA titles and becoming the first woman in six years to win two Grand Slams in the same season — at Roland Garros and New York.

After losing the Australian Open semifinal to Danielle Collins, Poland’s Swiatek did not look back, embarking on an incredible 37-match winning streak.

She begins her campaign on Monday against Jule Neimeier, the German World No. 68, who reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon last year and took a set off Swiatek in the last 16 at Flushing Meadows.

“We played in the US Open, and you saw how intense that match was, how tough,” Swiatek said. “It’s not going to be easy.

Ons Jabeur

The Tunisian World No. 2 appears to be on the cusp of a Grand Slam breakthrough, having been runner-up at Wimbledon and the US Open last year.

The 28-year-old has set herself a 2023 target of toppling Swiatek from the No. 1 ranking and becoming the first Arab and African woman to win a Slam.

Late bloomer Jabeur was 26 when she lifted her maiden WTA title in 2021 at Birmingham, adding Madrid and Berlin trophies last year.

“I will try to use that experience from last year because it was kind of tough,” Jabeur said ahead of her first-round clash against Slovenia’s Tamara Zidansek on Tuesday.

“My goal is to not lose any more finals, but just use that to be ready for the next one.”

Jessica Pegula 

The 28-year-old World No. 3 comes into Melbourne Park after starring for the victorious USA team at the United Cup, where she won four of her five matches and beat Swiatek.

Pegula, whose parents are the billionaire owners of the Buffalo Bills NFL franchise, reached the Australian Open quarterfinals in 2021 and last year, where she was outclassed by a rampant Barty.

With Barty out of the way she could prove the biggest challenge to Swiatek.

The easy-going Pegula, who faces Romania’s World No. 143 Jaqueline Cristian on Monday, admitted last year to spending time relaxing at the blackjack table in a Melbourne casino.

Aryna Sabalenka

The explosive Belarusian promised she would be up for a “big fight” at the Australian Open after winning in Adelaide this month for the 11th WTA title of her career.

The 24-year-old left-hander sprung back into form last season, reaching the semifinal at the US Open and the WTA Tour finals championship match, where she lost to Caroline Garcia. 

Sabalenka can suffer hugely from nerves, which were all too obvious at her two season-opening tournaments in Australia last year when she was reduced to tears as her serve collapsed.

Seeded five, she will begin her campaign against 73rd-ranked Tereza Martincova of the Czech Republic on Tuesday.

Coco Gauff

The 18-year-old goes into Melbourne Park on a high after winning her third WTA title at the Auckland Classic this month and warned on Saturday that her “best is yet to come”.

The seventh seed first won hearts as a 15-year-old in 2019 at Wimbledon when she arrived as a qualifier and reached the last 16, beating five-time champion Venus Williams along the way.

Her exploits sparked “Coco Mania” and she went on to win her first WTA title that year with her second coming in 2021, a year in which she beat Barty in Rome. 

Last year she reached her first Grand Slam final, losing to Swiatek at Roland Garros.

The American has the honour of playing in Monday’s opening match on the showpiece Rod Laver Arena against the Czech Republic’s World No. 48 Katerina Siniakova.

Gauff would be the youngest Australian Open champion since a 16-year-old Martina Hingis in 1997 if she lifts the winner’s Daphne Akhurst Cup.

Djokovic to Kyrgios: Five men to watch

Nine-time Melbourne champion Novak Djokovic returns after being banned from last year’s Australian Open while Rafael Nadal is defending champion. 

World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz is out injured however and the great Roger Federer is another missing following his retirement.

Novak Djokovic

The Serb is back at Melbourne Park for the first time since winning his ninth title in 2021 and says he “likes his chances”. He was kicked out of the country ahead of the tournament last year over his COVID-19 vaccination stance.

The 21-time Grand Slam winner also missed the US Open for the same reason, but won Wimbledon and is heavy favourite at his most successful major despite a niggling hamstring injury.

Now 35, the former World No. 1 finished a troubled 2022 with a record equalling sixth ATP Tour Finals crown and began the new year in irrepressible form, winning his 92nd career title at the Adelaide International. 

“I know when I’m healthy and playing my best, on this court [Rod Laver Arena] I have chances really against anybody,” he said.

Rafael Nadal

The 36-year-old Spaniard made the most of Djokovic’s absence to win the title in 2022, outlasting Daniil Medvedev over five sets in a more than five-hour thriller.

He made history in the process — the first man to achieve 21 Grand Slam singles crowns, making it 22 when he won a 14th French Open title. 

But injuries hampered his season and he withdrew from Wimbledon after winning his quarterfinal and exited in the last 16 at the US Open.

Now a father, Nadal struggled to find his best form at the ATP Finals in November and lost both of his matches at the recent United Cup, to Cameron Norrie and Alex de Minaur.

He is top seed in the absence of Alcaraz and insisted, “My personal momentum is not bad, I tell you. I am good and happy.”

Daniil Medvedev

The 26-year-old Russian was unable to match his run to the Melbourne final at the French or US Opens last year and never had a chance at Wimbledon after being banned due to the Ukraine war.

He did win two titles and spent 16 weeks as World No. 1.

But it was an underwhelming year in the eyes of the 2021 US Open champion, who has slipped to eight in the rankings.

He began 2023 at the Adelaide International, where he was beaten by Djokovic in the semifinals. 

“Every time I play them [Djokovic and Rafael Nadal], before the match the only thought is I have to win,” he said.

Stefanos Tsitsipas

The World No. 4 burst onto the scene at the Australian Open in 2019 when as a 20-year-old he dethroned defending champion Federer in the last 16.

He went on to reach the semifinals that year and again in 2021 and 2022, highlighting the consistency that has made him a mainstay of the world’s top 10 for nearly four years.

The Greek star won the ATP Masters 1000 title in Monte Carlo last year along with another on the grass of Mallorca.

But a Grand Slam crown remains elusive, his runner-up showing at Roland Garros in 2021 his best result at a major.

He began the new season on the Greek team at the United Cup, winning all four matches including the scalps of Matteo Berrettini and Grigor Dimitrov. 

Nick Kyrgios

Love him or hate him, Kyrgios is a showman and nowhere more so than on home turf in Melbourne, drawing huge and rowdy crowds.

While his frequent tantrums have long overshadowed his talent, the enigmatic Australian had a stellar 2022, making a barnstorming run to a first Grand Slam singles final at Wimbledon, losing to Djokovic.

He has never gone past the Australian Open quarterfinals and his build-up has been hampered by an ankle injury, but the unpredictable Kyrgios is an outside chance if he can handle the pressure and keep his cool.

MELBOURNE — Defending champion Rafael Nadal admitted on Saturday he felt vulnerable heading into the Australian Open after two straight defeats in the build-up and said that Novak Djokovic was clear favourite.

The 22-time Grand Slam winner crashed in his season-opening match at the mixed teams United Cup in Sydney to 12th-ranked Cameron Norrie and then again to Australia’s Alex de Minaur.

Against the Australian, the Spaniard dropped six consecutive games after leading by a set and 1-0.

The 36-year-old top seed faces a testing first-round clash at Melbourne Park on Monday against emerging 21-year-old Briton Jack Draper, who reached the Adelaide semifinals this week.

“Probably one of the toughest first rounds possible... young, powerful, growing very, very fast in the rankings, playing well,” he said. 

“A big challenge for me at the beginning to start the tournament. Let’s see. I’m here to just give myself a chance. I know he’s playing well.”

Nadal has lost six of his last seven matches stretching back to defeat to Frances Tiafoe in the last 16 at the US Open.

Asked if he felt vulnerable, the defending champion admitted: “Of course, without a doubt.

“I have been losing more than usual, that’s part of the business. Just accept the situation. I think I am humble enough to accept that situation and just work with what I have today.

“I need to build again all this momentum. I need to build again this confidence with myself with victories. But it’s true that I have been losing more than usual.”

Nadal, who recently became a father, swept past Russian Daniil Medvedev to win the Australian Open and a 21st Grand Slam title last year in an epic five-setter.

That victory came after archrival and nine-time Australian Open winner Djokovic was detained and deported ahead of the tournament after refusing to get vaccinated for Covid-19.

The Serbian star, looking to equal Nadal’s record-breaking 22 Slam titles, is back this year and in top form after winning the Adelaide International event last week.

That followed another ATP Finals crown in late 2022. 

Nadal told Spanish reporters that his long-time rival was the clear favourite.

“Djokovic seems to be very well prepared. He got great results at the end of the year, he has also started the year winning. It is a tournament that has always been good to him,” he said.

“If we talk about favourites, on Saturday before the start of the tournament, there is no doubt that he is the top favourite to win the title. 

“But tournaments are not won on the Saturday before, you have to work for two weeks, although he has shown that he knows how to do it very well. 

“If he wins, we will congratulate him, he will have done something historic, and that’s it. My life is not going to change.”

Despite losing his only two matches this year, Nadal insisted he was improving by the day and had practised more in the last few weeks than ever before.

“My personal momentum is not bad, I tell you. I am good and happy. I’m practising well,” he said. 

“I feel faster in the legs. I feel I’m playing better with more confidence,” he added. 

“The last three weeks of preparation here have been very positive from my point of view.”

LOS ANGELES — Jaylen Brown scored 41 points as the Boston Celtics underscored their status as the NBA’s form team with a 125-114 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday.

The Eastern Conference leaders warmed up for Thursday’s crunch clash against Brooklyn with a composed performance to overpower the Pelicans, the third-ranked team in the Western Conference this season.

Brown, averaging just under 27 points per game this season, once again delivered for the Celtics, shooting 15-of-21 from the field with 12 rebounds.

“It’s a long season, it’s a lot of basketball, day-in, day-out — you’ve just got to come in ready to do your job,” Brown said after his season-high points tally. 

“I was able to come out and get something going.”

Boston’s balanced offence proved too much for New Orleans, with Jayson Tatum also chipping in with 31 points and Malcolm Brogdon adding 20 from the bench. 

Al Horford added 14 points for Boston, who were missing starters Marcus Smart and Robert Williams III.

C.J. McCollum excelled for New Orleans with 38 points while Naji Marshall added 18 for a Pelicans team missing the injured Zion Williamson (hamstring) and Brandon Ingram (toe).

Boston lead the Eastern Conference with a 30-12 record heading into Thursday’s game against the second-placed Nets.

The third-placed Milwaukee Bucks meanwhile kept up the pursuit of the Eastern Conference leaders with a 114-105 win over the Hawks in Atlanta, with Jrue Holiday leading the scoring with 27 points.

Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo was restricted to a season-low seven points but still influenced proceedings with 18 rebounds and 10 assists

Holiday was one of five Milwaukee players in double figures, with Brook Lopez adding 20 points and Bobby Portis and Jevon Carter each scoring 13. Pat Connaughton finished with 10 points.

Milwaukee looked to be in total control early in the second half, jumping into a 24-point third-quarter lead and seemingly poised for a routine win.

‘We’re resilient’

However, Atlanta chipped away at the Bucks total and eventually grabbed their first lead of the game late in the fourth quarter when Bogdan Bogdanovic’s pullup jump shot made it 103-101.

Lopez restored the Bucks’ advantage with a three-pointer to make it 104-103 and Milwaukee reasserted their control to close out the win.

“We’re resilient, we don’t like to lose,” Holiday said after the Bucks win. 

“Close games like that are teaching moments, where we’re able to close out games and use all that in the future.”

Elsewhere Wednesday, Ja Morant returned from a two-game injury absence to score 38 points as the Memphis Grizzlies claimed a 135-129 win over the San Antonio Spurs.

Memphis’s eighth straight victory saw them improve to 28-13, leaving them level with the Denver Nuggets at the top of the Western Conference.

The Nuggets, meanwhile, kept pace with the Grizzlies after destroying the under-powered Phoenix Suns 126-97.

Denver’s two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic just missed out on his 12th triple double of the season, finishing with 21 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists at the Ball Arena.

Denver were out of sight by half-time, pouring in 70 points in the first half to lead by 16 at the break.

The Nuggets kept up the scoring frenzy in the third quarter, stretching the lead to 32 points at one stage in the third quarter as they cruised to victory.

In other games on Wednesday, the Detroit Pistons moved off the bottom of the Eastern Conference with a 135-118 blowout over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Saddiq Bey led the scoring for Detroit with 31 points as the Pistons snapped a three-game losing streak to climb above the Charlotte Hornets at the foot of the table.

MELBOURNE — Novak Djokovic has won the Australian Open a record nine times but a 10th title in Melbourne this month will be the most satisfying of all after his humiliating ban a year ago.

Twelve months ago the Serbian superstar, one of the finest men’s tennis players of all time, was at the centre of a global firestorm as he fought deportation from Australia.

The 35-year-old’s refusal to get vaccinated against Covid sparked a high-profile legal battle which eventually saw him turfed out of the country on the eve of the Grand Slam.

In his absence his great rival Rafael Nadal won the Australian Open for a record 21st major crown.

Some people, including former World No. 1 Jim Courier, felt Djokovic was the victim of politics in what was an election year in Australia.

Djokovic, who was held for a while in an immigration detention centre as the saga played out, now goes into next week’s showpiece as the red-hot favourite to win it.

If he does, it will be his 22nd Grand Slam title, tying him with Nadal at the top of the all-time men’s list.

Many in Australia were glad to see the back of Djokovic in January 2022, but there are indications that public sentiment has softened since.

He enjoyed strong support from the crowd as he blew away the rest of the field last week to win in Adelaide for the 92nd ATP title of his career — level with the Spaniard Nadal.

“The support I have been getting in the last 10 days was something that I don’t think I’ve experienced too many times in my life,” Djokovic said after saving a match point in the final against Sebastian Korda on Sunday.

Last month, The Sydney Morning Herald reported that a survey showed 30 per cent of Australians now supported him being allowed into the country, up from 14 per cent in January last year.

Along with his ominous form, the cards look to have fallen Djokovic’s way this time.

There are indications that age and injury are catching up with Nadal. The 36-year-old has lost six of his past seven matches stretching back to the US Open, where he went out in the last 16 to Frances Tiafoe.

Roger Federer is no longer in the picture, having retired last year, and World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz — the new kid on the block — is out of Melbourne with injury.

Daniil Medvedev, the losing finalist in 2021 and 2022, is the most obvious threat aside from Nadal, having beaten Djokovic in the 2021 US Open final to win his lone major.

Djokovic though outclassed the Russian 6-3, 6-4 last week in the Adelaide semifinals and Medvedev has dropped to eighth in the world.

‘Emotional baggage’

Mats Wilander, a former World No. 1 who won seven Grand Slam titles, believes Djokovic is “pretty heavy favourite” in Melbourne and will be doubly motivated by what happened last year.

“I don’t think that we have ever seen a more hungry tennis player in terms of wanting to get revenge or wanting to win matches,” the 58-year-old Swede told Eurosport.

“I don’t think anyone has ever been hungrier than Novak is going to be.”

But Patrick Mouratoglou, who was the long-time coach of the now-retired Serena Williams, warned that the emotions of his controversial deportation could catch up with Djokovic.

“It’s going to be tough for Novak in Australia, that’s for sure,” he said.

“He [is] going to carry a big emotional baggage. He’s been through so much, emotionally speaking. Nobody is immune.”

Speaking for the first time since setting foot back in Australia, Djokovic earlier this month admitted that the events of last year “stays with you for, I guess, the rest of your life”.

But after beating Korda for the Adelaide crown, he said he held no grudges.

“I couldn’t ask for a better preparation and lead-up to the Australian Open,” he said. 

“I love playing in Australia. My results are a testament to that.”

Djokovic reportedly cut short a practice match against Daniil Medvedev on Wednesday because of a left hamstring issue, five days before the Grand Slam.

The session at Melbourne Park was supposed to last 75 minutes but was instead curtailed after just over half an hour as a precaution, the ABC and 9News Melbourne reported.

“It’s the hamstring that I had problems with in Adelaide last week,” Djokovic said, according to 9News.

“I just felt it pulling and I didn’t want to risk anything worse. I played a set and apologised to him [Medvedev] and he was understanding.

“I just want to avoid any bigger scares before the Australian Open,” he said.