KEY POINTS:
World number one Roger Federer will begin the defence of his Australian Open title against Argentine Diego Hartfield in the draw made at Melbourne Park yesterday.
The Swiss, bidding for his 13th grand-slam title, was handed a kind draw in the early stages, although he could face a quarter-final against seventh seed Fernando Gonzalez of Chile, who he beat in the final 12 months ago.
Federer had to pull out of the warm-up event at Kooyong because of a virus but is expected to be fit to play.
Third seed Novak Djokovic is his projected semi-final opponent, but Argentine David Nalbandian, who beat Federer twice at the end of last year, is lurking in the same half.
Second seed Rafael Nadal, number six Andy Roddick, eighth seed Richard Gasquet and number nine Andy Murray are all in the opposite half.
Nadal and Roddick will play qualifiers in the first round, while Murray has a tough opener against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the world No 38 from France.
The women's top seed, Justine Henin of Belgium, takes on Aiko Nakimura of Japan in the first round.
The Belgian, who won the French Open and US Open in 2007, has a seemingly clear path through to the quarter-finals, where she is scheduled to play fifth seed Maria Sharapova.
However, the Russian is likely to face a tough second-round match against former champion Lindsay Davenport.
Davenport, who is unseeded this year, has won three titles in her four events since returning to the tour in September, having had a year off, during which she had her first child.
Serena Williams will begin the defence of her title against Jarmila Gajdosova, a Slovakia-born wildcard now playing for Australia.
The seventh seed, who won her eighth grand-slam title 12 months ago, is scheduled to play third seed Jelena Jankovic of Serbia in the quarter-finals, while Henin would be her likely semi-final opponent.
American Venus Williams, seeded eighth, is in the opposite half and could play Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli, who she beat to win the Wimbledon title last year, in the fourth round.
Williams would then be likely to play fourth seed Ana Ivanovic of Serbia in the quarter-finals.
Tommy Haas pulled out on the eve of the draw because of injury.
SEEDINGS
MEN
1. Roger Federer (Switzerland)
2. Rafael Nadal (Spain)
3. Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
4. Nikolay Davydenko (Russia)
5. David Ferrer (Spain)
6. Andy Roddick (USA)
7. Fernando Gonzalez (Chile)
8. Richard Gasquet (France)
9. Andy Murray (Great Britain)
10. David Nalbandian (Argentina)
WOMEN
1. Justine Henin (Belgium)
2. Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia)
3. Jelena Jankovic (Serbia)
4. Ana Ivanovic (Serbia)
5. Maria Sharapova (Russia)
6. Anna Chakvetadze (Russia)
7. Serena Williams (USA)
8. Venus Williams (USA)
9. Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia)
10. Marion Bartoli (France)
- REUTERS