Australian Open Draw: Federer drawn against Bedene, Nadal meets Estrella Burgos
Top seed Rafael Nadal has been drawn against Victor Estrella Burgos in the opening round of the Australian Open, while reigning champion Roger Federer meets Aljaz Bedene.
Federer defeated Nadal in a memorable five-set final last year to win his 18th grand slam title, before later triumphing at Wimbledon.
Nadal enjoyed a resurgence of his own to succeed at the French Open and US Open, although he has struggled with a knee injury ahead of the tournament.
Seeded down in 14th after not playing competitively since Wimbledon, six-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic is up against Donald Young.
Five-time #AusOpen winner @rogerfederer opens his title defence against Aljaz Bedene pic.twitter.com/YJKAysxXlH
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 11, 2018
Stan Wawrinka, the 2014 winner, meets Ricardas Berankis, while fourth seed Alexander Zverev has been drawn against Thomas Fabbiano. Dominic Thiem, the fifth seed, tackles Guido Pella.
Third seed Grigor Dimitrov and fifth seed David Goffin must face qualifiers whose identities are yet to be determined, while Marin Cilic, seeded sixth, faces Taiwan’s Lu Yen-hsun.
Fresh from winning the Brisbane International, local hope Nick Kyrgios is up against Rogerio Dutra-Silva.
Andy Murray, a five-time finalist in Melbourne, is a notable absentee from the draw after undergoing hip surgery to correct an issue that has sidelined him since the quarter-finals of Wimbledon.
