Simona Halep and Rafael Nadal have been confirmed as the top seeds for the Australian Open, beginning on Monday.
Tournament organisers on Thursday afternoon announced the top 32 seeds, which follow world rankings.
Australia's Nick Kyrgios is the sole men's seed but, unfortunately, misses out on a coveted top-16 ranking by one place.
Ashleigh Barty, seeded 18th, and Daria Gavrilova, 23rd, are the Australian women to enjoy the protection of a seeding.
The men's and women's events are both missing two of their top-32 players.
Serena Williams and Svetlana Kuznetsova aren't featuring at Melbourne Park, with Andy Murray and Kei Nishikori unable to compete on the men's side.
The withdrawal of Williams and unseeded star Victoria Azarenka means only two Australian Open champions feature in the women's draw; 2008 winner Maria Sharapova and 2016's Angelique Kerber.
Halep, bidding to win her first grand slam, has finally cracked through to be the top seed at a major after a string of high seedings - dating back to 2014.
By contrast, Nadal will enjoy his 11th top seeding at a grand slam, and his fourth at Melbourne Park.
Nadal finished on top of the year-end rankings after winning the French and US open crowns.
Share
