MELBOURNE: World number one Rafael Nadal faces a likely Australian Open semi-final with Robin Soderling or Andy Murray as he bids to become the first man in 42 years to hold all four major titles simultaneously.
Soderling and 2010 finalist Murray were placed in the top half of the draw on Friday as Nadal chases his fourth consecutive Grand Slam after stringing together wins at the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open last year.
The powerful Spaniard would become the first man since Australian Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four Grand Slam titles at once if he can win the Australian Open, which starts on Monday.
Nadal said while he was constantly reminded of that possibility, he did not feel the weight of history.
"Everybody asks me this question," Nadal told reporters on Friday.
"For me the pressure is the same every tournament and the pressure is my pressure, that I want to play well and do the right things.
"We will see what's going on, but (I don't feel) extra pressure."
Nadal's preparation has been hampered by illness and he said it was difficult to gauge how his performances early in the tournament would be affected by the setback.
"It is important to improve every day a little bit. A lot of times I didn't start a tournament playing my best and finished the tournament playing very good," he said.
"Sometimes you start very well, sometimes you don't play that well.
"It's very difficult to say if I'm ready or not ready."
Nadal will launch his title bid against Brazilian Marcos Daniel and could face Croatia's 15th seed Marin Cilic in the fourth round.
Sweden's Soderling, runner-up to Nadal at last year's French Open, has Italian Potito Starace first up, while Britain's Murray faces Slovakian Karol Beck.
Former champion Novak Djokovic was pitted in the bottom half of the men's draw with four-time champion Roger Federer.
The Serbian third seed, who beat Federer in the semi-finals of the 2008 Australian Open and went on to win the title, is in line for a semi-final with second seed Federer based on the seedings.
Federer has a first-round match against Slovakia's Lukas Lacko, while Djokovic lines up against Spaniard Marcel Granollers.
The feature first-round matchup is between two-time Grand Slam winner Lleyton Hewitt and Argentina's 27th seed David Nalbandian, whom the unseeded Australian defeated in the 2002 Wimbledon final.
Australia's Hewitt and Nalbandian have been locked in a fierce rivalry over the years, with matches including Davis Cup clashes and Grand Slam battles.
Hewitt beat Nalbandian in the 2002 Wimbledon final and in their epic 2005 Australian Open quarter-final, in which the Australian won 10-8 in the fifth set.
"It's a long rivalry through Davis Cups and on the tour and obviously they're not known as the best of friends," Hewitt's manager David Drysdale said.
"Both players will be desperately wanting to win this match badly, which is going to make it a hell of a first-round match."
Argentina's unseeded Juan Martin del Potro, who beat Federer to win the 2009 US Open final and is fighting back from a wrist injury, takes on Israeli Dudi Sela in the first round in Nadal's top half.
Read more: Nadal test in bid for Grand Slam glory - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/events-tournaments/australian-open-2011/top-stories/Nadal-test-in-bid-for-Grand-Slam-glory/articleshow/7283229.cms#ixzz1B04sHRyI
Soderling and 2010 finalist Murray were placed in the top half of the draw on Friday as Nadal chases his fourth consecutive Grand Slam after stringing together wins at the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open last year.
The powerful Spaniard would become the first man since Australian Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four Grand Slam titles at once if he can win the Australian Open, which starts on Monday.
Nadal said while he was constantly reminded of that possibility, he did not feel the weight of history.
"Everybody asks me this question," Nadal told reporters on Friday.
"For me the pressure is the same every tournament and the pressure is my pressure, that I want to play well and do the right things.
"We will see what's going on, but (I don't feel) extra pressure."
Nadal's preparation has been hampered by illness and he said it was difficult to gauge how his performances early in the tournament would be affected by the setback.
"It is important to improve every day a little bit. A lot of times I didn't start a tournament playing my best and finished the tournament playing very good," he said.
"Sometimes you start very well, sometimes you don't play that well.
"It's very difficult to say if I'm ready or not ready."
Nadal will launch his title bid against Brazilian Marcos Daniel and could face Croatia's 15th seed Marin Cilic in the fourth round.
Sweden's Soderling, runner-up to Nadal at last year's French Open, has Italian Potito Starace first up, while Britain's Murray faces Slovakian Karol Beck.
Former champion Novak Djokovic was pitted in the bottom half of the men's draw with four-time champion Roger Federer.
The Serbian third seed, who beat Federer in the semi-finals of the 2008 Australian Open and went on to win the title, is in line for a semi-final with second seed Federer based on the seedings.
Federer has a first-round match against Slovakia's Lukas Lacko, while Djokovic lines up against Spaniard Marcel Granollers.
The feature first-round matchup is between two-time Grand Slam winner Lleyton Hewitt and Argentina's 27th seed David Nalbandian, whom the unseeded Australian defeated in the 2002 Wimbledon final.
Australia's Hewitt and Nalbandian have been locked in a fierce rivalry over the years, with matches including Davis Cup clashes and Grand Slam battles.
Hewitt beat Nalbandian in the 2002 Wimbledon final and in their epic 2005 Australian Open quarter-final, in which the Australian won 10-8 in the fifth set.
"It's a long rivalry through Davis Cups and on the tour and obviously they're not known as the best of friends," Hewitt's manager David Drysdale said.
"Both players will be desperately wanting to win this match badly, which is going to make it a hell of a first-round match."
Argentina's unseeded Juan Martin del Potro, who beat Federer to win the 2009 US Open final and is fighting back from a wrist injury, takes on Israeli Dudi Sela in the first round in Nadal's top half.
Read more: Nadal test in bid for Grand Slam glory - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/events-tournaments/australian-open-2011/top-stories/Nadal-test-in-bid-for-Grand-Slam-glory/articleshow/7283229.cms#ixzz1B04sHRyI
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