Djokovic favourite for Oz Open
WORLD number one Novak Djokovic’s bid for a third successive Australian Open title has been given a boost with a relatively smooth draw in the first grand slam of the season.
The 25-year-old Serb kicks off his title defence with a first round tie against unseeded Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu in the draw announced yesterday and faces no major hurdles until a potentially dangerous quarterfinal against fifth-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych.
In a top half of the draw free of ‘Big Four’ rivals Roger Federer, Andy Murray and the absent Rafa Nadal, a possible semi-final clash with fourth seed David Ferrer looms for five-times grand slam winner Djokovic, who beat the tenacious Spaniard in the quarterfinals last year.
“I think realistically, three can win,” Australia’s former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash said at the draw, referring to Djokovic, second seed Federer and third-seeded Murray.
“You’ve got to say Novak, you’d expect him to be the favourite ... but Andy Murray is hitting his peak.”
Former world number one Federer faces a tough first week in his bid to add to his record 17 grand slam titles, however.
The four-time champion will also play an unseeded Frenchman in Benoit Paire in his opener but is likely to face former top-10 player Nikolay Davydenko of Russia in the second round before another potentially tricky clash with local hope Bernard Tomic in the third.
Big-serving Milos Raonic of Canada, the 13th seed, is then an unpalatable prospect in the last 16, with athletic Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in with a good chance to meet the Swiss in the quarter-finals.
US Open champion Murray will start his campaign against unseeded Dutchman Robin Haase but the Briton is likely to have one eye on Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro, who looms as a possible quarter-final opponent.
The towering Del Potro, who upset Federer to win the 2009 US Open but has since struggled with injuries, could threaten Murray’s hopes of a second grand slam title after enjoying a solid season in 2012 with four titles.
In the women’s draw, Serena Williams will start her bid for a sixth Melbourne title against Romania’s Edna GallovitsHall, with a potential quarter-final clash against former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova.
The 31-year-old Williams, favourite to win her 16th grand slam singles title and third in a row after her Wimbledon and US Open triumphs last year, would then be in line for a showdown with defending champion Victoria Azarenka. — Reuters