Andy Murray drawn against German teen in Australian Open first round

The 34-year-old is meant to meet fellow Australian James Duckworth, a wild card, in the first round.

“Everything’s really well”, she said before the draw. What’s impressed me it that he’s always getting better – he’s really trying to get in that category with Roger and Rafa. “I’ve had a few days of training so it’s looking good”.

Sharapova starts her campaign against Japan’s Nao Hibino, while world number two Simona Halep, who appears to have shaken off an Achilles problem, will play a qualifier. The 28-year-old withdrew from the Brisbane International without hitting a ball after hurting her forearm in practice, but she told reporters in Melbourne this week that she was now healthy as she attempts to win her second Australian Open title, after lifting the trophy in 2008. “That is what I like to do”. “When I say ideal, it is not one thing in particular”. Then in the best of the projected quarters I think I’m going to pick Nadal who gets revenge for the 2014 final. “A little rest, a little treatment”.

The first Slam of the season will be played at Melbourne Park, and it’s the first real and important test of the season.

Finished runner-up at Doha a year ago, losing to Lucie Safarova in the final, and was a quarterfinal loser three times to a trio of star players – Sharapova at Rome, Serena Williams at Wimbledon and Halep at the U.S. Open….

The German won his first-ever Grand Slam match at Wimbledon, and in August beat Kevin Anderson en route to the quarter-final stage of the Citi Open – just a month before Anderson, now ranked 15th, dumped Murray out of the US Open.

The Belarusian, who won successive Australian Opens in 2012 and 2013, however, stormed to victory in Brisbane last week as she dropped just 17 games over five matches to claim her first title since the Cincinnati Masters in August 2013.

If seedings go as expected, Murray can expect to face big-serving Sam Groth in round two, Portugal’s Joao Sousa after that and home hope Bernard Tomic in the fourth.

The men’s draw will be missing Frenchman Richard Gasquet, with the world number nine the only member of the ATP World Tour’s top 32 not to make Melbourne due to a back injury. Nowadays, outside his commendable performance in the Qatar Open, Djokovic is a crowd favorite and it is safe to bet that he will be able to defend his Australian Open title. However, he never won three back-to-back Slams in the same year.

Local fans will also farewell former world number one Lleyton Hewitt, the two-time grand slam champion signing off with a record 20th appearance in the men’s draw.

Forced to practise under a closed roof on Rod Laver Arena, defending champion Novak Djokovic led a glittering parade ahead of Monday’s start to the first grand slam of the season.

The American, who is slated to meet No 5 seed Maria Sharapova in the quarter-finals, declared she is fit after pulling out of the Hopman Cup last week with a recurrence of the knee injury which cut short last season.