2010 Australian Open Draw Announced

The first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open, is all set to start on Monday, the 18th of January, and players are busy preparing for what they hope will be their first Grand Slam title of the year. With the qualifying rounds almost coming to a close [they will officially finish on Sunday], the draws for this prestigious event were declared on Friday, January 15th at the Melbourne Park in Australia.

While at first glance it seems to be a evenly distributed draw, many will think that the top half of the men's draw is a little tougher than the bottom half. Roger Federer, seeded No 1 in the event, will be in the top half, while Rafael Nadal, seeded No 2, will be in the bottom half. Though the fact remains that both men will have to go through some difficult matches to reach the final, Nadal has a slight edge over Federer.

In Nadal's half of the draw are World No 4, Juan Martin del Potro, No 5, Andy Murray, and No 7, Andy Roddick. On the other hand, in Federer's half of the draw are No 3, Novak Djokovic, No 6, Nikolay Davyedenko, No 8, Robin Soderling, No 9, Fernando Verdasco, and No 10 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. In all fairness, while Nadal's half seems to have only 3 of the top ten players, they are all higher ranked players than those in Federer's half.

Roger Federer, who lost this tournament to Rafael Nadal last year will be looking to win the title back again, but given his recent form and the draw, this is seeming like an uphill task. He will have to get past Nikolay Davyedenko, who he will most probably meet in the quarterfinal. The Russian has defeated the World Number 1 in their last two meetings, though not yet at a Grand Slam. If he gets through that, then there are chances of a Federer-Djokovic semifinal, depending on how well Djokovic does in his matches. And if he gets through that, then he will play, again most probably, Nadal in the final. So definitely an uphill task, though everyone in the tennis world knows what Roger Federer is capable of.

Rafael Nadal, the defending champion at this years tournament, will look to retain his title and all important points with it, in his bid to upset Federer from the World Number 1 spot. While Nadal's half of the draw features only 3 highly ranked players, all of them are capable of ruining his changes for a second Australian Open title. Big serving Andy Roddick, who took Federer almost to the limit in last years Wimbledon, del Potro, who took everyone, Federer included, apart in his 2009 US Open victory, and Andy Murray, who will be desperate to win a grand slam title, are all in Nadal's draw, making his way to the final a difficult task indeed. But Nadal seems to have recovered from his dismal form and injuries of last year, and if he gets through, he will, in all probability, have to face Federer in a repeat final of last year.

Fans all over the world will love to see a Federer-Nadal final in the first grand slam of the year. However, the other players will try their best to stop this from happening, and may even possibly do so. And while both, Federer and Nadal's performance in Grand Slams have been impeccable, this year's Australian Open may well tell a different story.

In the women's draw, Serena Williams was seeded number 1, and Dinara Safina was seeded number 2. Venus Williams is in Serena's half of the draw, making a quarterfinal meeting possible, while Safina will have Dementieva, Jankovic, Justine Henin, and Sharapova to contend with.

The 2010 Australian Open starts on Monday, January 18th, and will feature some of the best action in men's and women's tennis. Pick your favorite player and stay tuned....lots more action is on the cards...