Jannik Sinner begins his Australian Open title defence against Nicolas Jarry while women’s champion Aryna Sabalenka takes on 2017 US Open winner Sloane Stephens after the draw for the year’s first grand slam was made at Melbourne Park on Thursday.

World No 1 Sinner must hit the ground running after being paired with Chilean Jarry, who beat the Italian in their first meeting in 2019 and took him to three sets in a losing effort in Beijing last year.

Sinner beat Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in last year’s final in Melbourne to secure his first major and went on to add the US Open and ATP Finals crowns to his collection.

But the top seed will begin his title defence under a doping cloud after twice testing positive for traces of the steroid clostebol in March.

He was exonerated by the International Tennis Integrity Agency but is awaiting the outcome of an appeal by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

The 23-year-old could meet Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas or Australian Alex de Minaur in the quarter-finals, and Medvedev in the semis.