Australian Open 2018: Johanna Konta to face Madison Brengle as Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer set for final

There are only three British players in the draw with play beginning on Monday

Nadal and Federer are on course for another final showdown (Getty)

British no 1 Johanna Konta will play American Madison Brengle in the first round of the Australian Open, which starts next week.

Konta, who is seeded ninth for this year’s season-opening Grand Slam, has reached the semi-finals and quarter-finals in the last two seasons and, after Andy Murray’s withdrawal, is Britain’s best chance of reaching the final in two weeks’ time.

The other two Brits in the tournament, Heather Watson and Kyle Edmund – the only Brit in the men’s draw – will face Kazakh Yulia Putintseva and 11^th seed and US Open finalist Kevin Anderson respectively.

Defending champion and second seed Roger Federer will face Aljaz Bedene in the opening round, while Rafael Nadal, whom he beat in last year’s final, face Victor Estrella Burgos from the Dominican Republic, with the pair on course to meet at the same stage again this time.

Six-time winner Novak Djokovic will play American Donald Young and could play either Stan Wawrinka or Alexander Zverev in the quarter-final.

Serena Williams will not defend the women's title having had her first child last year but 2008 champion Maria Sharapova, who failed a drugs test at the tournament in 2016, is back unseeded after a ban and will face Tatjana Maria.