Australia Open

For evidence, look no further than the shenanigans surrounding Novak Djokovic and his attempted participation in the Australian Open tennis championships.

Instead of challenging for a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam title in Melbourne, Serbia's biggest sporting star found himself in the slammer, after immigration officials found fault with his paperwork.

His country's president, Aleksandar Vucic, led the chorus of outrage in Belgrade, following a phone call with the incarcerated ace.

The youngest player in the women's main draw at just 15, Gauff advanced to the second round with a 7-6(5), 6-3 victory at Melbourne Park on the opening day of the first major of the year.

The 2020 tournament is Gauff's first time in the main draw in Melbourne.

Gauff also upset Venus Williams in the opening round at Wimbledon last year.

Earlier in the day, Venus' sister Serena Williams completed a more comfortable 6-0, 6-3 win over Anastasia Potapova.

Unlike his main rivals, Federer, who won his last Grand Slam in 2018 at Melbourne Park, opted out of the inaugural ATP Cup to spend more time with his family before launching his 22nd season on Tour.

The third seed's pre-tournament news conference was dominated by questions about the ongoing bushfires in Australia and the role of the top men's players on the air quality issue during the tournament.

"And I'm playing Steve Johnson, by the way, for those who care," a smiling Federer told reporters. "I don't know, I figured that's why I'm in Australia, but that's okay."