Spaniard Rafael Nadal has claimed the well-deserved top seed for the 2009 Australian Open. With the 2008 French Open and Wimbledon trophies in hand and with semi-final appearances in Australia and the U.S. Open, Nadal has all the credentials. He has overcome his nemesis, Number 2 seed Roger Federer, and is no longer intimidated by the former Number 1’s presence.

In the 128 player draw, Nadal will first square away with unheralded Christophe Rochus of Belgium in the opening round. Nadal sports over $20 million in career earnings and a hefty 337-78 singles won-lost record compared to Christophe’s 103-181 career record. Once ranked as high as the world’s 38th player, Rochus sees the matchup as an opportunity to succeed rather than as an unfortunate rub of the draw.

With heavyweights Andy Murray, the fourth seed, the 2008 runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (5), American James Blake (9), Frenchmen Gilles Simon (6) and Gael Monfils (12) lurking in the top half of the draw, Nadal’s march to the finals will meet some hefty roadblocks along the way.

The ever-present Federer sits at the bottom of the draw as the Number Two seed. 24 year old Italian Andreas Seppi (97-114) has drawn Federer in the first round. The lower portion of the draw is filled with intriguing possibilities. Defending Australian Open Champion and popular Serb Novak Djokovic stands as the intimidating number 3 seed and squares away against one of the winners in the ongoing qualifying matches. Hot-serving and seventh seeded American Andy Roddick, Argentineans David Nalbandian (10) and Juan Martin Del Porto (8) and 11th seeded Spaniard David Ferrer are looming in the lower draw.

The field for the Men’s Draw in the 2009 Australian Open is healthy and loaded with talented opponents. With a hefty assortment of Australian competitors, the boisterous local fans are expected to appear in droves. Advance ticket sales have been strong and tournament organizers expect to top last year’s record turnouts.

Australians Carsten Ball, Colin Ebelthite, Chris Guccione, Lleyton Hewitt, Bryden Kelin, Bernard Tomic and Simon Groth will have the Aussie crowds on their feet from the start on January 19th. While Hewitt is considered the top Aussie player, Simon Groth looks to move deep into the field this year. Hewitt has drawn the tough 13th seed, Chilean Fernando Gonzalez in the first round and will need some magic to move on to the second round.

4th Seed and the bookmaker’s favorite is Scotsman Andy Murray. With four consecutive wins over Federer and a recent impressive exhibition win over Nadal, the U.S. Open finalist has his game firing on all cylinders. Murray has drawn the experienced but lightly regarded Romanian Andrei Pavel as a first round opponent. His path to the semifinals appears less daunting than the course for other top players with the stubborn Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga a likely semi-final matchup. Along the way, Murray will probably encounter 14th seed Spaniard Fernando Verdasco whose flashy play can be distracting. The bookmakers like the unflappable Murray who has the game to go all the way.

Defending Champion and 3rd seeded Novak Djokovic hopes his serve stabilizes. His first round match will be against a yet-to-be-determined qualifier but his route to the semis poses some interesting challenges. 16th seed Robin Soderling of Sweden, 10th seed David Nalbandian of Argetina and Andy Roddick (7) mark a treacherous road to the semis.

Potential upsets loom at every stop on the way to the later rounds in this year’s event. The growth of the year’s first Grand Slam Tournament is as impressive as the pace of the Open courts. By Monday, 128 players will be ready to go and the blue Aussie surfaces will be filled with speed and dynamic tennis.