Rafael Nadal will begin his quest for a ''Rafa Slam'' with a first-round match against Marcos Daniel of Brazil at the Australian Open.
The tournament draw held Friday put Nadal in the top half along with Andy Murray and Robin Soderling, providing tough potential opponents en route to a possible final against No. 2 seed Roger Federer. Third-seeded Novak Djokovic and Federer are both in the bottom half of the draw.
Nadal is bidding to become the first man in 42 years to win four straight Grand Slam tournaments. He won 2010 titles at the French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open.
In a match involving the 2002 Wimbledon finalists, unseeded Lleyton Hewitt will take on David Nalbandian in the first round. Hewitt beat Nalbandian that year.
On the women's side, top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki will face Gisela Dulko of Argentina in the first round, while 2010 finalist Justine Henin has drawn a qualifier. Fourth-seeded Venus Williams was placed in the top half with Wozniacki and will play Sarah Errani of Italy in the first round.
Serena Williams, the defending champion, will not play due to her recovery from a foot injury.
U.S. Open champion Kim Clijsters, the No. 3 seed, will play Dinara Safina of Russia in a match featuring two former No. 1 players. Safina has been hampered for much of the last year with a back injury.
