Top story lines

1. MAGNIFICENT MURRAY: Andy Murray has become a father, gained the No. 1 ranking and received a knighthood since he left Melbourne 50 weeks ago after losing a fifth Australian final. Stress weighed him down at the season-opening Grand Slam in 2016, to the point where he thought about quitting the tournament and heading back to Britain. Clearly, he’s in a better place this year: “I obviously feel pretty confident after the way that last season finished.”

2. CLEANUP EFFORT: Last season’s tournament began beneath a cloud of suspicion after a media report alleged that tennis authorities overlooked suspected cases of match-fixing involving top players, none of whom were named. Roger Federer, in response, called the situation “super serious” and said anyone who engages in match-fixing should be identified publicly. In the past year, that is what authorities have tried to do. Nine players and officials were sanctioned by the Tennis Integrity Unit in 2016 — the most in a single year since the body was created in 2008 — and many top stars have applauded efforts to ensure integrity.

3. THE DRAW: Six-time Aussie champ Novak Djokovic has a difficult opening opponent (Fernando Verdasco) and Federer’s fall in the rankings complicated his chances at Melbourne Park after he ended up in the same quarter as Andy Murray, Kei Nishikori and Tomas Berdych. Six-time women’s champ Serena Williams, aiming for an Open-era record 23rd Grand Slam singles title, also drew a challenging first-round opponent in Swiss teen Belinda Bencic.