World No 1 Novak Djokovic [ Images ] will kick off the defence of his Australian Open [ Images ] title with a first round tie against unseeded Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu after the draw was made for the first Grand Slam of the season on Friday.
- Djokovic bids to extend Melbourne Park supremacy
Seeking a hat-trick of titles, Djokovic has a relatively smooth draw in the tournament starting at Melbourne [ Images ] Park on Monday until the top seed faces a potentially dangerous quarter-final against fifth-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych.
Four-time champion Roger Federer [ Images ] will also play an unseeded Frenchman when the second-seeded Swiss meets Benoit Paire in his opener with a fourth round clash against big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic likely to provide his first major test.
US Open [ Images ] champion Andy Murray [ Images ] will start his campaign against unseeded Dutchman Robin Haase but the third-seeded Briton is likely to have one eye on Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro [ Images ], who looms as a possible quarter-final opponent.
In the women's draw, Serena Williams [ Images ] will start her bid for a sixth Melbourne title against Romania's Edna Gallovits-Hall, with a potential quarter-final clash against former Wimbledon [ Images ] champion Petra Kvitova [ Images ] awaiting her in the draw.
Top seed and defending champion Victoria Azarenka [ Images ] plays another Romanian, Monica Niculescu, while second seeded Russian Maria Sharapova [ Images ] opens against compatriot Olga Puchkova.



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