Old friends Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were drawn in the same half of the Australian Open, which begins Monday.
But Nadal faces a challenging path in his quest for a second Australian Open title after Wednesday’s draw ceremony. He opens against wily veteran Mikhail Youzhny and may face Lukas Rosol, who upset him at the 2012 Wimbledon Championships, in the third round. Should he survive those tests, he is set to face 2014 semifinalist Tomas Berdych in the quarterfinals.
Like last year, Federer could meet Andy Murray in the quarters and may get a rematch against Nadal in the semis after falling to the Spaniard in straight sets in 2014. Federer, who is seeking his 18th career Grand Slam title, will kick off his campaign against Yen-Hsun Lu.
Murray, meantime, would have to beat Federer, Nadal and world No. 1 Novak Djokovic to capture his first Australian Open title.
Other projected quarterfinals include Djokovic facing off against Milos Raonic and defending champion Stan Wawrinka meeting Kei Nishikori to round out the top half. Seeded ninth, the always-dangerous David Ferrer could prove to be a tough hurdle for Nishikori in the fourth round.
Perhaps one of the most dangerous unseeded players in the draw, Juan Martin del Potro is also in Djokovic’s quarter. The Argentine is set to take on another big server, Jerzy Janowicz, in his first round. The winner will face Gael Monfils.
The women will crown a new champion after the retirement of 2014 winner Li Na of China.
Top seed Serena Williams, winner of 18 career Majors, opens against Belgium’s Alison van Uytvanck and could face her friend and former top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark in the quarterfinals and Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic in the semifinals. Williams is a five-time winner in Australia.
Play begins Monday.
(The ATP contributed)
