Australian Open kicks off 1st Grand Slam of the decade

Cloudy skies and threat of rain greeted players and spectators on Day 1 at Australian Open, first Grand Slam tournament of dece.Defending champion Naomi Osaka was playing opening match at Rod Laver Arena against Marie Bouzkova. Following that, Serena Williams begins her quest for a record 24th Grand Slam singles title.

Defending champion vak Djokovic begins his chase for an eighth Australian Open title and third-seeded Roger Federer starts his campaign for a men's-leing 21st Grand Slam singles title, both in later matches at Rod Laver

Night matches feature . 1-ranked Ash Barty, who is hoping to become first Australian woman to win her home major since 1978, and an American veteran playing a rising star — Venus Williams vs. Coco Gauff.

Wear forecasters are saying re's a 100% chance of showers along with possibility of thunderstorms. A high temperature of 21 Celsius (70 Fahrenheit) is expected.

Im Credit: AP