Roger Federer of Switzerland chases down the ball during a training session at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
Roger Federer of Switzerland chases down the ball during a training session at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
Herald tennis reporter Michael Burgess previews day one of the Australian Open in Melbourne.
Don't miss: Rafa Nadal vs Mikhail Youzhny. The 2009 champion is struggling back to form, but always plays with a fierce intensity. Nadal's been handed a tough first round draw, with former top ten Russian Youzhnya difficult opponent who has bested him before. Intriguing clash in prospect.
Don't bother: Maria Sharapova vs Petra Martic Could be particularly one sided. The Russian is in red hot form, beginning the year with a title in Brisbane after lifting four trophies last year, including the French Open. Martic has done well to fight her way through qualifying but the world No184 ranked Croatian should be thoroughly outclassed by Sharapova.
Worth a watch: Roger Federer vs Yen-Hsun Lu. We should say always worth a watch when it comes to Federer. Although it seems like he will go on forever, he actually won't, so don't miss another opportunity to see the Swiss magican in action. It's a tough draw on Lu but the 2014 Heineken Open finalist should give a decent account of himself.
Also worth a look: Ana Ivanovic vs Lucie Hradecka The Serbian glamour girl is in good form, after making a run to the final in Brisbane. But Ivanovic can be vulnerable at the start of grand slams and Hradecka is coming off a good ASB Classic run, where she reached the second round from qualifying. A three set possibility.
Special moment for India: The lowest ranked male player in the field, World No 317 Yuiki Bhambri, takes the court today against Andy Murray after achieving grand slam qualification for the first time.
Aussie, Aussie, Aussie: A number of locals in action today, including Bernard Tomic, Sam Groth and Nick Krygios. Krygios - who reached the Wimbledon quarter finals last year - is grabbing most of the headlines over here. The new covered arena at Margaret Court should be humming by the time the 19-year-old walks on court against Federico Delbonis tonight.
Outside court highlights: Cult hero Marcos Baghdatis is in action on court 13, while rising Croatian star Borna Coric takes his bow on court 15. And spectators out on court 19 will be treated to both 14th seed Kevin Anderson and 15th seed Tommy Robredo.
