Rafael Nadal won every grand slam last year except the Australian Open. Now, the world No. 1 and nine-time Grand Slam champion is seeded No. 1 down under. Nadal withdrew from Melbourne last year in the quarterfinals due to a knee injury. If the Spaniard were to win, he’d become the first person to sweep every championship title since left-hander and Australian-native Rod Laver did it in 1969.
Australian Open: Rafael Nadal, Caroline Wozniacki Take No. 1 Seeds
However, Laver contests the fact that Nadal is going for a ‘Grand Slam’:
Laver is impressed by Nadal’s run, but contends the calendar can’t be ignored. “He’s got three under his belt, and he’s playing well,” Laver told The Associated Press. “There’s a good chance he could pull it off. But it’s not a Grand Slam, certainly. ... People will say, ‘He’s going for a Grand Slam.’ And I say, ‘No, he’s not doing that.’ That wasn’t the way this whole thing was set up.
”It starts in January and ends in September; starts with the Australian Open and ends with the U.S. Open. Still, what he’s trying to do is a great effort. It’s not a Grand Slam, but it’s a great effort.
Nadal’s opening round match is against Marcos Daniel of Brazil.
Women’s world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki is the first seed for the women’s side of the 2011 Australian Open. Wozniacki will not have to face defending champion Serena Williams, who is out with a foot injury. However, Wozniacki has yet to win a Slam title herself. She has won six titles on the WTA tour in the last year, so some believe her No. 1 ranking is a false one:
"To be honest, there will always be sceptics," she said.
"There's always people saying 'you'll never reach top 10, never reach top five. You'll never become this, that, win a big tournament'. And if you win a grand slam, people will say 'OK, that was just a lucky shot or an easy draw'.
Wozniacki will face Gisela Dulko of Argentina during the opening round of play.
The party down under kicks off Jan. 17.
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