Djokovic returned to action in an exhibition match, in what was his first showdown in nearly six months in the victory over Dominic Thiem at Kooyong.
Roger Federer has been backed over Rafael Nadal to win the Australian Open for the second year in a row.
Defending Australian Open champion Roger Federer will begin the defence of his title against Slovenia's Aljaz Bedene.
Playing in his first match for nearly six months, Djokovic beat Dominic Theim. He afterwards insisted his troublesome elbow problems are behind him.
Federer and Nadal made full use of a comparatively easier challenge, claiming two Slams each to end the year as the two top-ranked players of the season.
Rafael and Toni have won everything there is to win – 16 Grand Slams, 30 Masters Series titles and two Olympic gold medals in the singles and doubles events
Djokovic has been recovering from an elbow injury that saw him miss the better part of 2017 and rendered him a doubt for 2018.
Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal will make way for new age stars in the next two years.
Federer and Nadal claimed two Slams each to end the year as the two top-ranked players of the season.
Andy Murray has pulled out of the Brisbane International after suffering a setback on his long standing hip problem.
Rafael Nadal pulled out of the Brisbane International with a knee problem while Novak Djokovic named himself out of the Qatar Open with a setback on his elbow.
Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray have won 28 of the 32 Grand Slams since 2010.
Novak Djokovic has not played competitive tennis since his loss in the 2017 Wimbledon quarter-finals and was expected to return to action at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship.
Djokovic is making a similar comeback from injury like Federer did at the start of the 2017 season. The Serb ended his 2017 season after his loss at Wimbledon in July.
Federer beat Nadal on four occasions in 2017 with three of them coming in the finals – the Australian Open, the Shanghai Masters and the Miami Masters.
Djokovic will make his return from injury in Abu Dhabi this week at the Mubadala World Tennis Championships
Djokovic has not played since his quarter-final loss at the 2017 Wimbledon. He later took a break to recover from an elbow injury.
With all the preparation behind him, Raonic expects Djokovic to make a blast in the Australian Open, trumping the likes of Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Murray was previously confirmed to take part in Melbourne for the 2018 Australian Open, which begins on 15 January.
Wawrinka last featured at Wimbledon in July when he was sent packing in the first round after his shock loss to Daniil Medvedev.
Toni Nadal has warned Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer that they will not be able to emulate their achievements of 2017 next year as Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray are set to return to action.
Tennis legend Boris Becker has backed Andre Agassi to succeed as Novak Djokovic's coach as the Serbian prepares to make his comeback ahead of the 2018 season.
