Australian Open Draw Analysis

The moment we have all been waiting for...yes the Australian Open draw is finally out and there could be some interesting and exciting match ups in both the Men's and Women's draw.

First let us take a look at the Men's Draw.

Probably what could be one of the most exciting and anticipated match ups is the possibility that Davydenko could meet up and play Federer in the quarter finals. The odds are against Federer with Davydenko having beaten Federer in there last two match ups. But Federer will need to focus on getting to the quarterfinals first, which will not be an easy task. Federer's first match is against Russian, Igor Andreev, and the last time these two met Andreev stretched Federer to five sets. The next person Federer may face could be Hewitt or Baghdatis both strong competitors. If these players all play Federer as tough as they have in the past Federer may be more worn out than Davydenko. However, having seen both these players play live I think Federer has the edge. He is more consistent while Davydenko tends to make more unforced errors.

On the other side of the draw is Del Potro, the defending US Open Champion, Nadal, Murray and Roddick. Del Potro could face Roddick in the qaurters and in this match up I think that Del Potro will come out on top. He has proved that he is a force to be reckon with on hard court and Roddick is just coming off an injury.

The other qaurter of this half of the draw could include a Nadal, Murray match up. Normally I would predict a Nadal win but lately Nadal has been...well un Nadal like. He actually looks human. Murray on the other hand has seen to mature and has diversified his game. However, I think I am still going to go with Nadal because it's a new year and he has proved that he can win this tournament.

Now, on to the woman's draw.

What makes the woman's draw so interesting this year is the fact that one of the players to watch is unseeded Henin who has just come out of retirement. However, for just coming out of retirement she sure isn't playing like it. She got the finals in Brisbane and lost to her fellow country woman Kim Clijsters in three sets. However, she is going to have a tough draw, potentially having to play Dementieva the fifth seed in the second round. If Henin wins that match, which I think she will, she has much more experience then Dementieva she may have a rematch against Clijsters in what could be one of the most exciting quarterfinals. In this quarterfinal Clijsters has the edge and is overall the better player.

On the other half of the draw are the two William's sisters. Therefore unlike usual we will not have a Williams final, which is a lot to cheer about in my book.

None of this is set in stone but despite the outcome of these matches there is going to be a lot to look forward to in the coming days.