Adelaide International Tournament Director Alicia Molik still remembers the first time she crossed paths with Novak Djokovic.
It was 2004 and Djokovic was a gangly, 16-year-old unknown hitting at Memorial Drive with his Adelaide-born coach Dejan Petrovic, a former junior state teammate of Molik.
The young Serbian's request for a wildcard for what was then the Australian Hard Court Championships was knocked back, but it wasn't the last Adelaide saw of him. Three years later Djokovic returned as the top seed and claimed his third professional singles title, before coming back again in 2023 as arguably the sport’s greatest-ever player and taking the silverware home once more.
"It all starts with Novak," Molik said of her tournament's biggest drawcard. "I still remember training in Adelaide the year he first visited and he was working with Petrovic, who was someone I grew up with and played alongside.
"Novak has got a long history with Adelaide. He's had a wonderful experience here with a lot of success.
"It's surreal and a testament to the city and the state that he's made Adelaide his first destination in Australia and that he desperately wanted to play here.
"It's a real credit to the event and we're absolutely stoked to have Novak back in town."
Four women – Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula, Mirra Andreeva and Ekaterina Alexandrova – currently inside the top 10 will be vying for the coveted WTA 500 title in Adelaide.
That's not even mentioning the return of past tournament champions Belinda Bencic and Jelena Ostapenko, Australian Open 2020 victor Sofia Kenin and 2023 Wimbledon winner Marketa Vondrousova.
Three of the past four Australian Open women's champions won in Adelaide leading in.
The most recent was Keys, who followed her victory at Memorial Drive 12 months ago with a landmark Grand Slam breakthrough at Rod Laver Arena a fortnight later, and headlines the bumper women's draw in 2026.
"Madison is unbelievable - I love that she's back here," Molik said.
"We've got a stacked, stacked women's draw. They're making Adelaide their first stop because they value the event. It's laidback and lowkey. It's pretty boutique and the venue is incredibly close to the city."
Local hope Thanasi Kokkinakis, who collected his sole singles crown at Adelaide in 2022, is set to make his highly anticipated comeback, having been inactive since undergoing pectoral reattachment surgery last February.
"It wouldn't really be Adelaide if Thanasi wasn't playing, would it?" Molik said with a laugh.
"I still remember him training at Memorial Drive when he was nine or 10 years old. It's been wonderful to see his progression to the senior ranks.
"Being a past champion here, he's a really important building block for us in the event and we love having him. It's a joy to see him back healthy and competing.
"The Adelaide crowds absolutely love seeing him and he appreciates the hometown support he gets."
The fans will also get behind Alexei Popyrin, Australia's second-highest ranked man.
Popyrin will be keen to use Adelaide as a springboard to recapture his 2024 form, when he followed his stunning Canadian Open Masters crown with a memorable takedown of Djokovic at the US Open.
"I think everyone will get loud and rally around him," Molik said.
"Last year didn't particularly go the way he would have liked. He's after his best performance and he was pretty quick to make Adelaide a really important mark on his tournament calendar."
Molik and her team have also enticed the likes of 2024 Adelaide champion Jiri Lehecka, unpredictable Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and two-time major finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas.
"Adelaide is an easy, easy sell," Molik said. "I've shown many players pictures and videos explaining the logistical ease of our sites – of getting to the city and the close proximity to the zoo, the Botanical Gardens, to the swimming centre, and our fine dining options.
"So many players have great memories here and it's become a really, really attractive event."