Unbeaten in four months, three-time and defending champion Novak Djokovic has firmed as Australian Open favourite after being handed the kindest draw of the big guns.
While world No.1 Rafael Nadal was thrown into a first-round showdown with unseeded dangerman Bernard Tomic and Andy Murray and Roger Federer were slated to clash in the quarter-finals, Djokovic was handed a much more straight forward path.
The Serb opens against Slovakia’s world No.90 Lukas Lacko and is drawn to meet 15th seed Fabio Fognini – who withdrew injured from this week’s Sydney International – in the fourth round.
Djokovic’s first serious test is likely to come in the quarter-finals against eighth seed Stanislas Wawrinka, the in-form Swiss who took the four-time Open champion to 12-10 in the fifth set of a fourth-round classic in Melbourne last year.
The world No.2 is seeded to run into Spanish world No.3 David Ferrer in the semi-finals.
Djokovic has arrived in Australia on the back of a 24-match winning streak and hasn’t tasted defeat since losing the US Open final to Nadal.
“Winning over 20 matches in a row in last two months, (I have) great confidence for the start of the season,” Djokovic said at Friday’s draw.
Following the lead of Murray, who appointed Ivan Lendl as coach before the 2012 Australian summer, Djokovic has Lendl’s contemporary Boris Becker in his camp this year, while Federer has turned to Stefan Edberg.
“It’s an honour to have Becker alongside all other team members. It’s great to see other legends of tennis coming to help,” Djokovic said.
Presuming Nadal sees off Tomic, one of the most feared unseeded opponents in the 128-man draw, he will meet either Australian teenager Thanasi Kokkinankis or Dutchman Igor Sijsling in the second round.
The Spaniard is projected to face Frenchman Gael Monfils in the third round and Japanese 16th seed Kei Nishikori or resurgent former world No.1 Lleyton Hewitt in the last 16.
World No.5 Juan Martin del Potro is seeded to meet Nadal in the quarter-finals, with Murray or Federer likely to be waiting in the semis.
Murray, who hasn’t played a competitive match since undergoing back surgery after the US Open, has the most arduous draw of the frontline contenders.
Opening against Japan’s world No.112 Go Soeda, the Wimbledon champion will probably need to beat Federer, Nadal and Djokovic in successive matches to hoist the trophy.
Seeded sixth this year, four-time champion Federer plays Australian wildcard James Duckworth in the first round with his first big challenge expected to come against French 10th seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the fourth round.
