please update something, Ms Murray :D

delp is nursing an injury on his wrist..hope u gets fine for the open

yeah hope he is fine! looking forward to see him play at the open

well, the Australian Open promised that we would be able to watch the draw ceremony on live stream - but they still don't have a link up on their website. I'm still looking though.

i think there's a slight delay with the streaming. that's what i heard anyways

I hope that's the problem, Sib. I can't find a link anywhere to watch the stream. I'm on it though. If one shows up, I'm there. :)

So excited for the return of Grand Slam tennis for 2010! I'm hoping for some good draws and some good match schedulings :)

There has been a delay with the drawing ceremony itself, I think?

have a horrible feeling rafa is gonna end up with a very nasty draw :/

http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/scores/draws/live.html?fpos=r1

yes, the draw just started. The stream is working now, but I think the ladies' draw is first. So sit back, grab a cup of tea and hold tight. :)

this is the first time i've ever actually been nervous about a draw before

@Cheryl.. Why Tennis talk does not cover WTA??

i knew it. he has a rotten draw :(

Sib - the absolute WORST possible draw for Nadal. Unbelievably bad except that Davy is in the other half.

Hey Sib69

I missed most of it.
Who did Nadal get???

what happened guys ?

he has delpo AND murray!

and also roddick

Nadal will have to beat Murray in the QFs , Del Potro in the SF and Federer in the final to win the Australian Open, according to seeding.
That?s just the ? Worst? possible draw for Nadal given how he matches up with other players. In fact I had thought whichever player faced Murray in the QF and Delpo in the SF would have a very hard time.

Well, I thought delpo or djoko are tough for nadal. For me, the bad luck is in murray placement in his quarter.

Great draw for Federer, absolutely dreadful for Nadal and even worse for Murray. Del Potro has Cilic (AGAIN) in the round of 16. That's no walk in the park either.

and isner in his quarter too

Muzza No1 in end of year...which year??? LOL...

Yikes, Mandy in Nadal's quarter? I would prefer Mandy to be in Fed's despite the superior H2H match-up. I don't think Kolya is a 'cupcake' anymore, so if Fed gets Davy for his quarter, it should be very very interesting.

Rafa has a hell of a draw. Delpo will not be wanting to repeat a double bagel drubbing so he will go all out firing...barring any serious wrist injuries.

From what I read, no possible Roddick v Nole unless it's the finals? If that's the truth, bummer. Also, what's the possibilty of Rafa v Bobby Sod?

jyannis - Nope. no Roddick/Nole. Different halves.

Davy is in Fed's quarter, so that's tough.

Soderling and Rafa can't meet until the final either.

...who is in Nole's quaeter...anyone knows???

zare - Nole has Soderling in his quarter.

You know, the real truth is that there is nobody dreadful in the top 8 now, so they're ALL tough quarters (if the seeds hold out)

Fed plays Andreev first round. What are the chances of an USO08 5 setter repeat??

who gets bagdatis, gulbis and hewitt ?

how about tsonga, simon?

bolbol, I could be wrong, but I think Federer gets (potentially) Baggy and Hewitt. Not sure about the whereabouts of Gulbis. If I am not mistaken, the notable players in Fed's half are Andreev, Hewitt, Baggy, Nando Verdasco, and Simon.

zare, Nole gets Bobby Sod, Tsonga, countryman Tippy, Haas (potentially Nole's nightmare), Younzhy and Gasquet.

Thanks jyannis...no problems, Haas was wiped out few days ago.
For me...Tsonga is main opponent...somehow I have feeling that Nole is always in trouble with him.
So my prediction is Nole over Davy in SF!!!
Other half... everything is possible...but Rafa will be there...and Muzza (as spectator)

It would have been nice if the camera had been on the actual draw instead of John McEnroe, but it is what it is. :)

zare, really? I would rate Haas as a more dangerous opponent for Nole but given he wasn't in form, maybe not very. Tsonga hasn't been playing well...so I'm less worried. :P

Ideally would LOVE for Fed and Nole to meet again but Kolya is looking good and dangerous right now...so anything goes. Potential Nole v Bobby Sod will be interesting, I hope I'll get to see it if the scheduling fits my tickets!

Andy Murray has a though draw, Nadal, Delpo. If Rafa plays like he played Davy in the first set (Doha) he should book SF match vs Delpo?

Verdasco won't be a joke for Fed, than Davy. Not easy.

OOOOOOH....you have tickets....and you are actualy dawnunder...my God... you lucky devil!!:-)
...and I am here under swiss snow :-(

-John McEnroe picks Murray as the end-of-year world No. 1????
He must be joking...
I'm wondering whether Murray might play in the second week of Australian Open 2010 or not...

"If Rafa plays like he played Davy in the first set (Doha) he should book SF match vs Delpo?"
...if Rafa plays like that first set...he should book a win in AO... doesn't matter who is opponent in SF and F.

I agree Tsonga is the most difficult for Nole, but since he has not been spectacular lately, Nole will be able to deal with him...Rafa has got big servers in his draw but that should not be that bad. At least he will not get too exhausted playing long points :)

zare,

Delpo is a flat hitter, doesn't give much to work with.

colleen - I was thinking the same thing. I wondered if Mac has been watching tennis lately........

i reckon rafa could run into serious trouble if he has to play john isner. isner is stupidly tall, so can flatten out rafa's topspin shots. bum

Federer can not play both Verdasco and Davy. He can only play the winner of the match Davy vs Nando...

thanks natashao.

Not to look ahead but Fed/Verdasco should be great and we'll get to see how hot Davy really is if he meets Fed again. So Fed's draw is tough as he can face Verdasco 4th, Davy QF, Djoker SF and del Potro?Nadal F. I hope you're really in good shape this year because possibly no straight set victories among that bunch.

Rafa can do a lot with tall players like Isner...slices, corner shots, deep top spin forehands...they usually do not move quickly and Rafa can fight them...

chr- Fed has Simon as his possible round of 16, then EITHER Davy or Verdasco.

which of the Top 8 players WONT make the quarters?

DISCUSS.

FedExpress potentially meets Baghdatis/ Simon or Hewitt in 4th, Davy or Verdasco in QF, Nole in SF, and Rafa/Delpo/Murray in F!

Simon has no chance vs Baghdatis in round 2

erm... i'm gonna say all of them won't make the quarters. that would certainly be interesting :P

seriously... i don't think murray will. delpo maybe depending on his wrist. if i'm right in thinking sod is against tsonga in 4th round, he might struggle. roddick i guess depends on how fit he is. i know he won in brisbane, but 250 point events are different than grand slams. should be no problem for top 3, i'm hoping. and davydenko

which of the top 8 won't make the quarters?

Soderling and Muzza are my 2 guesses. Cilic could take out Del Po, but I wouldn't bank on it.

who is Muzza going to lose to?

Muzza just lost to Robredo on hard courts. I don't think it's safe to assume he'll breeze into the quarters.

i knew it !!!!!!! i knew Rafa was going to have a tough draw.......... seriously Murray in quarters and Delpo in Semi ???????? If he is not gonna be the old Rafa that all of us loved and adored so much in the previous australian open ...... it is really gonna be really really difficult for him to retain the cup....... i just hope he puts the ghosts of his past behind and start as a clean slate with a lot of determination and guts .....

federer will win easy.

I am with cherly regarding Murray. I don't see him a sure thing to get to the quarters. I am going to check out some of the other players and Murray will be on my list. I want to get a sense of where his game is at right now. But if Rafa plays the way he has been, I think he has a great shot at defeating Murray. Of course, that is assuming they both get there and you know what they say about those who assume! :)

-Ask anyone who they would HATE "most" to face in the QF. The answer is Murray.
-Ask anyone who they would HATE to face in the SF. The answer is Delpo.
-Ask anyone who they would HATE to face as a floater in the 3rd round. The answer is Isner.

Rafa's got them all. He could face Isner in the 3rd round and Karlovic in the 4th round in succession!

I think Rafa could go out in the 3rd /4th round or the QF. If he gets past Muzza in a tough 5 set match, he will be wiped out in the SF by Delpo. There's no way in hell, Nadal is beating Murray, Delpo, Federer in 3 consecutive matches. This is a nightmare draw for anyone, let alone Nadal.

Fed couldn't have asked for a easier draw. He's a lock till QF where he should most likely avenge his defeat to the Russian by crushing him in straights. In the SF Djoker doesn't have the wherewithal to take a set off Federer in a slam and they both know that.

So Fed's a lock till the final where he'll face a VERY tired Muzz, Rafa or Delpo.

SF1 Fed vs Djokovic
SF2 Muzz vs Delpo

Final: Fed vs very tired Delpo
W: #16

Interesting first round matchups:
Federer vs Andreev, Gulbis vs Monaco, Gasquet vs Youznhy & Stepanek vs Karlovic

fed has easy way tillQF,where hae has to meet davy or Nando..It would be interesting..I won't be surprised if Roger doesn;t make through SF after almost 6 years,althouh I like him the most..Novak has also an easy draw till QF,where he could meet Soderling or Tsonga(I pick Tsonga),and Novak don\t like to play against him,but I am sure that he will make through SF,where he has 50-50 chances against Roger or Davy or Nando...In the third quarter it's sure that DP and Roddick will play in QFs,chances are 50-50(DP is a little injuired)..ppl,don't make me laugh.Isner has no chance against Rafa...Rafa-Murray Qfs,I don't know what to say...Maybe Rafa,if he plays like he did in Doha..THIS WILL BE THE MOST INTERESTING GS IN ROGER'S ERA,IN LAST 7 YEARS,U WILL SEE:)WATCH THE GOOD TENNIS,CHEERS FROM NIS,SERBIA:)

No body can take Andy Murray before the quarterfinals. I can see that.

I don't think anyone of the top 4-5 guys has an easy draw. If everyone lives up to seeding, then Fed would have to face Davy/Nole/Rafa; Rafa would have Murray/Delpo/Fed; Nole - Soderling/Fed/Rafa; Delpo - Roddick/Rafa/Fed and Murray - Rafa/Delpo/Fed. Pray tell any one of the above draws is easy?

For Rafa, even though big servers like Isner, Karlovic and Ljubicic are in his quarter, I don't think they can beat Rafa in a best of 5 set match. Rafa has all the tools to deal with them - his movements, his passing shots, his volleys etc and etc. I think if Rafa can bring his aggressive form to the match when he has to face Murray, he can overpower Murray. If the match goes the distance, the advantage is with Rafa.
Delpo may have to get pass Cilic first, then Roddick before reaching the semi final. Don't underestimate Cilic, he may cause trouble to Delpo esp when Delpo is not in tip top condition (wrist problem). Cilic may end up reaching the semifinal. All in all, I see a fair enough draw for Rafa.

I believe the top ten guys will have to grind through some of their matches in order to win. Nothing comes easy these days. I have a feeling that attackingtennis is trying to jinx Fed by tipping him to win the whole thing, and he hates people for predicting a Rafa win, so I would not predict the title winner.

What is it that Rafa cannot beat tall guys? Didn't he beat Karlovic, didn't he beat Berdych, and Berdych has been hitting flat forehands all along? Remember, guys like Soderling, Cilic and Delpo caught Rafa when he was at his most vulnerable. I think the real threats to Rafa on a hard court are Davy and Nole, for both have the varieties in their games to trouble Rafa. I'll put Fed and Murray after Davy and Nole, as Fed, from what I see so far, is still not in tip top condition. Murray is impressive but once he faces a big hitting forehand, he becomes tentative and can get blown away sometimes. At least Davy doesn't become tentative and he fights and fights to win. The three tall guys all have big forehands and big serves, but their games are still not all rounded yet, and their movements are not as good as Rafa's.

Interesting Draw but Fed's no cupcake too coz he has too face a lot of players that can beat him.

bad draw for rafa.....but rafa wont be dissapointed,he is a fighter,he will try and give his best,nd if he makes it to the finals.....it will be all the sweeter

VAMOS!

It's a blessing in disguise for Nadal coz if he reaches the final he'll win it because his level will be very high after beating Delpo and Muzz in SF and QF

A first scan looks bad for muzz, but then ... having picked fed, djoker and muzz as my three tournament favourites, I have to be happy that fed and djoker are in the other half. I think fed will be happiest of all though.

I think Rafa's draw would have been lot tougher if he had Davy and Nole in his half. I predict that Rafa will beat Murray in the quarters. it will be very difficult to get past Delpo in the semis BUT atleast he has a better chance against him than Nole. Finals -he would be favoured to win against Fed. All in all - I dont think it is a really bad draw for Rafa. It could have been simpler if he had Roddick instead of Murray in quarters but hell take it

Well, I'm really glad that Andy doesn't have Verdasco, or T'songa come to that, in his side. I don't like jinxes. Am inclined to agree with imjimmy's analysis.
However, let's see who gets to the quarters first, judging by current form and also possible injuries, I don't think anything is guarranteed. How exciting!

I think on this occasion the draw is even all round. OK, Rafa has Karlovic and Isner who are a nightmare for anyone, especially Ivo, but they are beatable otherwise they would be No1 and No 2 in the world; it just means that Rafa will have his work cut out to overcome their blistering serves, but once he gets past his qtr of the draw, I don't think it's that bad.

Rafa and Isner have never played each other, so that will be interesting.

According to the British press/media (please note, I have not said English people) Murray is the one with the daunting draw having the prospect of playing Rafa, Djoko or Federer to win the title.

Vamosssssssssssssss!

The only regret I have about Murray being in Rafa's half of the draw is that when their matches clash, Eurosport will always show Murray's match, and I'm left watching Rafa on the internet, because unlike SKY Sport, Eurosport does not provide choices.

I understand that the bottom half will start first, I haven't actually seen the order of play, but if that's the case then it will make a change for Rafa not to be playing catch-up to Roger.

Carrie, I agree with you! Eurosport did not even bother to show Rafa vs. Sod at FO, and I ended up watching life score only...they did get in during the last 4th set and I was so upset I did not get to see the whole match as I superstitiously thought Rafa would have won if his fans were able to watch it...

Carrie

Yeah your right Nadal will be playing first on Monday.
Here is the article.

It's bottoms up for Day One matches


Friday 15 January 2010
By Tennis Australia
Defending champion Rafael Nadal and Dinara Safina will headline day one action at Australian Open 2010 with the bottom half of both the men?s and women?s draw scheduled to start on Monday 18 January. The full schedule will be available on www.australianopen.com on Sunday 17 January.
At the official draw today tennis legend John McEnroe and Serbian star Ana Ivanovic assisted tournament referee Wayne McKewen place the seeds and reveal the vital match ups for the first major of 2010.

Top seed and 15-time Grand Slam Champion Roger Federer will face Russia?s Igov Andreev in round one, with a possible match up with No.22 seed and Australian No.1 Lleyton Hewitt in the round of 16.

Hewitt will meet a qualifier first up, with the chance of running into dangerous Frenchman and No. 15 seed Gilles Simon in round three.

The rest of the Australian contingent all have tough assignments, with Peter Luczak drawn to face world No.2 and defending champion Rafael Nadal on day one.

?I was just boarding a plane coming back from Sydney and my mate told me I was playing Nadal. It took him five or six times before I believed him, so I've been a bit unlucky with the draws,? Luczak said.

?In Brisbane I had the No.1 seed, in Sydney the No.1 seed and now the No.2 seed again [in Melbourne] but that's the way it goes, I've just got to make the most of it. It should be fun, I'll be playing on centre court so I'll just give it my best shot.?

The draw doesn?t look any easier for big serving Aussie Carsten Ball ? he will meet 2009 semifinalist and No.9 seed Fernando Verdasco from Spain ?or 16-year-old Jason Kubler (Qld) who will make his Grand Slam debut against Croation No.24 seed Ivan Ljubicic.

Bernard Tomic (Qld) will face a qualifier, while fellow wildcards, Nick Lindahl (NSW) and Marinko Matosevic (Vic) are up against Jarko Nieminen (FIN) and Marco Chiudinelli (SUI) respectively.

Top seed and world No.1 Serena Williams will start her title defence against Poland?s Urzula Radwanska, with No. 2 seeded Dinara Safina up against Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK).

Australia?s top player and world No.13 Samantha Stosur (Qld) will play a qualifier, as will wildcard Jarmila Groth (Vic) who is returning from ankle surgery.

Australian No.2 Jelena Dokic will play No.27 seeded Russian Alisa Kleybanova, and Anastasia Rodionova (Vic) meets another powerful Russian, No.3 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Wildcards Alicia Molik (Vic) and Casey Dellacqua (WA) make their Grand Slam comebacks against France?s Alize Cornet and Belarusian Anastasiya Yakimova respectively.

Eighteen-year-old Olivia Rogowska (Vic) meets world No.45 Romanian Sorana Cirstea.

Returning Belgian star and winner of last week?s Brisbane International, Kim Clijsters is up against a qualifier in the opening round, and fellow Belgian and former world No.1 Justine Henin faces another Belgian, world No. 80 Kirsten Flipkens.

Thanks, TopDog.

defending champ plays first in slams, right?

deuce: i dunno if that's the rule, but rafa's side of the draw start on monday, federer's on tuesday

that's a rule for wimb only. not for other slams,no.1 /defending champ anyone can open on the first day

Good for Rafa! And, as carrie says, makes a change, although rain unlikely to disrupt play in Australia!

Deuce, I can't remember if Djokovic played first last year as defending champion.

yep carrie djokovic played first last year ,on day 1.