Top seed Ash Barty has been drawn in an emotional first-round encounter at Wimbledon against inspirational cancer survivor Carla Suarez Navarro.
Friday's draw at the All England Club was overshadowed by the dramatic late news that reigning ladies' champion Simona Halep has withdrawn from the grand slam tournament due to injury.
Romanian Halep was unable to recover sufficiently from a calf injury and will not be fit to defend the title she won when The Championships were last held in 2019.
A new champion will be crowned with Australia's world No.1 Barty the favourite to lift the title, despite her recent injury woes, with a first test against Spaniard Suarez Navarro.
The 32-year-old's courageous return to the circuit this year after being diagnosed with early-stage Hodgkin's lymphoma last September has been one of the tour's most heartwarming stories.
Suarez Navarro is a former world No.6 and will prove a tough opponent for Barty, having reached the last-16 at Wimbledon three times.
Men's champion Novak Djokovic will launch his defence when the tournament opens on Monday against British teenage wildcard Jack Draper, but the Serbian star will be spared the prospect of a potential quarter-final meeting with Roger Federer as they're on opposite sides of the draw.
It's a minefield of a draw for the leading Australian men, though.
The in-form No.1 Alex de Minaur has not been given much protection with his 15th seeding, having been given a potentially treacherous opener against one of the game's rising stars, 20-year-old American Sebastian Korda.
One of the contests of the round will see a rematch between Nick Kyrgios, returning to action for the first time since February's Australian Open, up against young French star and 21st seed Ugo Humbert - who the Australian subdued at Melbourne Park in a thrilling five-setter.
John Millman, the Aussie No.2, has drawn Spain's eighth seed Roberto Bautista Agut, who reached the semi-finals in 2019, while Sydney's big-serving Alexei Popyrin faces evergreen Japanese star Kei Nishikori.
Jordan Thompson has a difficult task against Norwegian talent Casper Ruud, the 12th seed.
In the women's draw, Serena Williams, who's set to open up on centre court on Tuesday in place of champion Halep, will play Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich.
