(CNN) — If allowed to stay in the country, nine-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic will begin his defense of the title with a match once morest fellow Serb Miomir Kecmanovic in the first round of the tournament, according to the draw on Thursday.
Former world No. 1 Rafael Nadal is in the same half of the picture as No. 1 seed Djokovic, but they would not meet until the semi-finals, should they reach that stage.
Nadal, seeded sixth, will face American Marcos Girón in the first round. Of the top 20 Spanish titles, only one is a 2009 Australian Open title.
The draw for the Australian Open, which was scheduled to start at 11 p.m. Miami time Wednesday, was postponed to 12:15 a.m. Thursday (4:15 p.m. Melbourne local time).
No reason was given to the media present.
