At long last, the wait is over for Thanasi Kokkinakis.
After 362 long days, which included radical pectoral reattachment surgery followed by an arduous recovery period, Kokkinakis is back on his beloved Centre Court at The Drive, ready to battle Sebastian Korda on Monday night, headlining the opening day at the Adelaide International.
Kokkinakis will have the vocal support of a parochial hometown crowd, which cheered the popular South Australian to a landmark triumph four years ago.
"I don't really know how I'll feel until I get back in (a) sort of competitive aspect of playing," Kokkinakis admitted.
"It's just so different. You can train as much as you want, but to be back on a match court and playing a high-pressure match, it's something you can't really train."
Kokkinakis has yet to beat Korda in three previous meetings, but the Australian certainly had his chance in their most recent match-up.
He still has bad dreams about the last time he played Korda, at Washington in 2024.
Kokkinakis had match point, which Korda saved with a shanked lob which plopped on the line, before the South Australian ultimately retired with cramps.
"It was a sauna out there, it was so hot. I remember it," Kokkinakis said. "He mis-hit a ball over my head on the line for a lob on my match point. "I've still got nightmares about that."
Teenager Maya Joint, the highest-ranked Australian woman, will launch her Adelaide International campaign against American former world No.4 Sofia Kenin.
Kenin has the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup as the Australian Open 2020 champion sitting in her trophy cabinet, but she has been obliterated in both her meetings with Joint, who dropped just six games in their four sets.
"She's a great player," 19-year-old Joint said of Kenin. "I like her game style. I guess it matches up well against mine.
"I played really well both times I played her Hopefully I can play really well again."
Joint, who won two titles in a breakthrough 2025 season, is setting her sights on translating her superb form in WTA 250 events (in which she has a 24-8 record) into WTA 500 tournaments (she is 4-5) and Grand Slams (1-4).
"It's a big goal of mine to go deep in these tournaments, bigger events," Joint said. “I hope to win a 500 this year eventually.
"It's the top level that I want to be competitive in."
Alexei Popyrin will take to Centre Court in the afternoon session, attempting to take down big-serving American giant Reilly Opelka.
Popyrin won the pair's only previous meeting, comfortably, in Miami 2021.
"It's not going to be easy," Popyrin said. "I don't think it's ever easy against a player like that.
"It's going to be all about the serves and seeing if I can get into some return games.
"I got the better of him there (Miami), but I think he's a different player now.
"He's improved a lot and it's going to be an interesting battle."
Experienced wildcard Ajla Tomljanovic, who showed some good signs at the Brisbane International, takes on Danish fifth seed Clara Tauson, while 17-year-old Emerson Jones faces sixth-seeded American Emma Navarro.
Sydneysider Aleksander Vukic will meet Brit Jacob Fearnley in the morning session on Court 3.
Vukic captured the nation's imagination 12 months ago when he advanced to the third round in Melbourne where he was pipped in a fifth-set super tiebreak to Jack Draper.
But it will be no easy feat to get past fellow Fearnley in the final round of qualifying, with the Brit enjoying Grand Slam wins over Nick Kyrgios and Stan Wawrinka last year.
Seventh seed Liudmila Samsonova takes on 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova, while Ugo Humbert will cross swords with Terence Atmane in an all-French dusk battle on Showcourt 1.
Related: Adelaide International 2026 Day 1 Order of Play