British No1 on third-round collision course with Serbia’s wizard of Oz DJOK SHOCK AHEAD FOR DAN

DAN EVANS is on a collision course with hot favourite Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open.

Evans’ reward for his first seeding at a Grand Slam is an opening tie against American world No132 Mackenzie McDonald.

But the world No33 has a huge task to equal his Slam best – when he reached the fourth round here in 2017 – with seven-time champion Djokovic likely to be waiting in the third round. The Serb has lost only three matches at Melbourne Park in the past decade.

World No2 Djokovic, who will open against Jan-Lennard Struff, is already in scintillating form this season.

And he was simply unplayable when he thrashed Rafa Nadal in the final in Melbourne last year.

Djokovic said: “It was probably the best performance I have had in finals of Grand Slams in my career. I have been trying to remember that. It was one of those days where everything works perfectly.”

Evans lost in the quarter-finals of the Adelaide International to Russian

Andrey Rublev 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 yesterday while Kyle Edmund went out at the same stage at the ASB Classic in Auckland to John Isner 7-6, 7-6.

Edmund, a 2018 semi-finalist in Melbourne, faces a tricky opener against

24th seed Dusan Lajovic while world

No62 Cameron

Norrie opens against Pierre-Hugues

Herbert.

British No1 Jo Konta could face history-chasing Serena Williams in the fourth round if she can get past tough early opponents including Caroline Wozniacki.

Konta, who has been suffering from a knee injury, will play only her second match since the US Open against