Melbourne, Australia – The men's draw for the 2012 Australian Open was revealed on Friday and former No. 1 greats Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer could meet in the semifinals in Melbourne.
There will not be a repeat of last year's Aussie final, as reigning champion Novak Djokovic and runner-up Andy Murray could only meet in the semis in the top half of the draw. Murray has been the runner-up in the last two finals here.
The current world No. 1 Djokovic will begin his quest for a third Aussie title against Italian Paolo Lorenzi. Fifth-ranked David Ferrer is the highest- quality seed in the Serb's quarter of the draw. Ferrer will face Portuguese Rui Machado in round one.
Also in Djokovic's section is heavy Aussie crowd favorite Lleyton Hewitt. If the wild card Hewitt, the former No. 1 and 2005 Aussie Open runner-up, can reach the second round, he'd face long-time rival Andy Roddick, the 15th seed, in the third. The four-time Aussie Open semifinalist Roddick will open against tough Dutchman Robin Haase next week.
The world No. 4 Murray will open his 2012 Aussie Open against promising 19- year-old American Ryan Harrison.
Last week's Brisbane titlist Murray could face last week's Doha champion Jo- Wilfried Tsonga in the quarters. Tsonga was the Aussie Open runner-up to Djokovic in 2008.
The four-time Aussie champion Federer is seeded third and riding a 20-match overall winning streak. The Swiss maestro will face a qualifier in the opening round in the bottom half of the draw. The 16-time major champ could meet America's best, Mardy Fish, in the round of eight. Fish could have his hands full with tough left-hander Gilles Muller in the opening round.
Former U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro could be Fish's toughest obstacle en route to the quarters, as the two stars could square off in the fourth round Down Under.
The world No. 2 and 10-time Grand Slam winner Nadal, the Aussie Open champ in 2009, will meet a qualifier to start his tournament. The highest seed in his quarter of the draw is seventh-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych.
The Aussie Open will commence Monday in Melbourne.
