Sharapova was content with her run to the semifinals in Brisbane in her first tournament back from injury and working with Sven Groenefeld as coach. Her first-round match is against Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
Of the "Big Four" men, three are on a loaded top half of the draw.
Nadal, who won the Qatar Open to start his season, opens against Australia's Bernard Tomic and has Murray and Federer in his half. He could meet No. 5-ranked Juan Martin del Potro, the 2009 U.S. Open champion, in the quarterfinals.
Murray lost in the second round at Doha last week, his first tournament since minor back surgery in late September. Federer reached the final at Brisbane, where he lost to another 32-year-old former No. 1, Lleyton Hewitt.
Djokovic has what appears to be a smoother path to the final, but Becker has already advised him that there's no such thing as an easy draw at a Grand Slam.
"Boris brings new fresh approach," Djokovic said. "He is a true legend of our sport ... and his experience will help me win new trophies."
Djokovic is aiming to be the first man in the Open era to win five Australian titles.
He was in peak form at the end of last season, finishing on a 24-match winning streak after losing the U.S. Open final to Nadal.
With Murray saying it would be "unrealistic" for him to be considered a top contender for the Australian title, and 17-time major winner Federer saying he probably wouldn't be back in peak form until March or April, Nadal looms as the main obstacle to Djokovic's fourth straight Australian title.
Nadal missed the 2013 edition due to injury, so his last match at Melbourne Park was a 5-hour, 53-minute five-set defeat to Djokovic in the 2012 final.
It has been a decade since Federer won his first Australian title -- something he commemorated with a fundraising exhibition match in front of 14,000 fans on Rod Laver Arena this week.
After slipping out of the year-end top five for the first time since 2002 and winning just one title, Federer realized he needed a fresh approach. So he called in Edberg, one of his childhood idols, to help out.
"I really feel I'm on my way back. Who knows? Maybe I'm playing my very best in March or April is my feeling," Federer said. "But I still feel there's a lot possible right now."
