Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer will headline Day 1 action at the Australian Open. The former champions are set for respective openers on Monday against Mikhail Youzhny and Yen-Hsun Lu.
Mikhail Youzhny vs. Rafael Nadal
Nadal will be facing a familiar foe on the other side of the net when the third-ranked Spaniard kicks off his Australian Open campaign on Monday afternoon. Youzhny has toppled Nadal on four previous occasions and was once considered a thorn in the side of the 14-time Grand Slam champion. They split their first six meetings at three wins apiece between 2004 and 2007 before Youzhny also picked up a win in the 2008 Chennai final. That 6-0, 6-1 result, however, can be attributed entirely to the fact that Nadal had battled Carlos Moya for three hours and 54 minutes one day earlier.
Head-to-head: Nadal 11-4
Fast forward to 2015 and this is not the same Youzhny. The former world No. 8 compiled an 18-23 record last season that has him ranked 49th. He lost his Doha opener two weeks ago in easy straight sets to Nikoloz Basilashvili. Nadal did the same in Doha, where he was stunned by Michael Berrer 1-6, 6-3, 6-4. Thus questions remain in the wake of disappointing second half of 2014 that was plagued by a wrist injury and appendicitis. The good news for the 2009 winner in Melbourne is that Youzhny has a lost both a step in foot speed and sizzle on his groundstrokes. The 32-year-old will no longer be able keep Nadal on the defensive and far behind the baseline with his flat, punishing shots.
Pick: Nadal in 3 losing 11-14 games
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Yen-Hsun Lu vs. (2) Roger Federer
Federer and Lu will be squaring off for the third time in their careers when the two veterans are featured during Monday’s night session at Melbourne Park. They were supposed to meet a third time last summer in Halle, but Lu handed Federer a walkover. The 33-year-old Swiss has won both of their previous encounters without dropping a set. He prevailed 7-5, 6-3, 6-2 in the 2009 Wimbledon first round and 6-3, 7-5 at the 2012 Shanghai Masters.
Head-to-head: Federer 2-0
Like Youzhny, Lu is not exactly the easiest of first-round opponents. Chinese Taipei’s top player registers at 47th in the world and he has already won three matches this year–two in Chennai and one in Auckland. Maintaining momentum from an outstanding fall, Federer’s preparation for the Happy Slam was just about ideal. The four-time Australian Open champion captured the Brisbane title with respective semi and final wins over Grigor Dimitrov and Milos Raonic before taking this past week off. Federer generally heats up in majors after a few rounds so Lu could hang around for a while, but the favorite should not be seriously troubled.
Pick: Federer in 3 losing 11-14 games
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