Australian Open Draw Out - ATP

Looking at the men's draw for this years Australian Open, we're in for a good one.

Upper Half of the Draw
Nadal gets the BIG Names, Half the city of Paris, three compatriots and four Argentines.. and a very long road to the Final.

Murray and Tsonga look primed for a Quarterfinal match-up at Rod Laver Arena. But Tsonga may first have to pass an impromptu exam sometime in the 3rd or 4th Rounds with veterans Blake and/or Schuttler.

Lower Half of the Draw
Djokovic, not playing his best tennis, comes to the Australian Open as the defending Champion and could face Jarkko Niemenen in the 3rd round. He lost to Jarkko in straight sets at the Medibank International in Sydney last night. But, if everything goes according to plan, Novak will await the winner of Nalbandian/Roddick in the Quarterfinals. This match-up is sure to be a healthy check-up before a potential rematch of last year's Semifinal with Roger Federer.

Federer has two former champions, Carlos Moya and Marat Safin, both nowhere near their former best. Facing little to no resistance, Fed could walk his way right into the Championship match simply by passing his first hurdle in the Semifinals.

Novak denied!

I guess the old adage of "the 3rd times a charm" doesn't hold true for Nole! And to top things off, he lost yet again to a tricky lefty! Federer can breath a sigh of relief, as his No. 2 ranking is still intact. Congrats to Jarkko, on a hard-fought, smart match against the world No. 3. At 27, this is his first win over a Top-5 player. Fun match to watch!

Thanks to channelsurfing.net for providing FREE, live streamed matches from Sydney.