Tricky draw for Nadal

Following a first-round match against a qualifier,the Spaniard could meet former world number one Lleyton Hewitt and compatriot David Ferrer before a possible quarter-final match against Verdasco or twice French Open semi-finalist Nikolay Davydenko of Russia.

Third-seeded Murray starts his bid for a first Grand Slam title against Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela.

Swiss second seed Roger Federer,chasing the only Grand Slam title to have eluded him,faces Spaniard Alberto Martin en route to a possible fourth consecutive final with Nadal,whom he beat in the Madrid Masters final earlier this month.

Federer has a possible quarter-final encounter against American sixth seed Andy Roddick,beaten in Madrid in their only claycourt meeting in 20 duels.

One of the highlights of Federer’s campaign could be a semi-final with world number four Novak Djokovic of Serbia who,following a first-round match against Ecuador’s Nicolas Lapentti,is looking at a quarter-final clash with Argentine Juan Martin del Potro.

Safina-Ivanovic in line

In the women’s draw,world number one Dinara Safina’s path looks smooth until a possible quarter-final clash with holder Ana Ivanovic of Serbia,her executioner in last year’s final.

Russian Safina,chasing her first grand slam title,will start her campaign against unheralded Anne Keothavong of Britain.

She could then face compatriot Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova,seeded 27th,in the third round and Chinese 15th seed Zheng Jie in the fourth round.

Eighth seed Ivanovic,who has won only two matches on clay this season and is just back from a knee injury,could have to deal with Belarus’s Victoria Azarenka,seeded ninth,in the fourth round.

Second seed Serena Williams,who has yet to win a match on clay this season,looks set to progress smoothly before a potential quarter-final against Russian seventh seed Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Maria Sharapova will play Anastasiya Yakimova of Belarus in her first Grand Slam match since Wimbledon last year. Sharapova returned to the tour this week after missing nearly 10 months with a shoulder injury and is not seeded. (Reuters)

Tough draw for Sania

Sania Mirza will open her campaign against Kazakhstan’s Galina Voskoboeva,who is ranked 95 on the WTA charts. The Indian leads 1-0 in their head-to head standings,with that victory coming on the hard courts of San Diego in 2005. Sania,ranked 91 could meet seventh seed Kuznetsova in the second round,if the Russian can make it past France’s Claire Feuerstein in her first-round match. Sania has never made it past the second round at Roland Garros.