• Six-time champion returns for opening ceremony

• World No 1 to face Adam Walton in first round

Roger Federer hailed the dominance of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner as the six-time champion returned to the Australian Open for the first time since his retirement in 2022.

Federer, who last travelled to Australia in 2020, will headline the inaugural opening ceremony with a doubles exhibition match alongside Andre Agassi, Patrick Rafter and Lleyton Hewitt.