Nadal likely to be waiting for Murray in last eight

The 22-year-old Scot will be attempting to clinch his first grand slam in Melbourne, but could have to beat three of the world's top four players including world No 1 Roger Federer and reigning Australian Open champion Rafael Nadal, to do so.

On the surface Murray's draw looked simple when he was matched to play a qualifier in his first-round match on Monday while either Marc Giquel or Simone Bolelli, who are both ranked outside the top 50, await in the second round.

The devil, however, is in the later rounds where Murray is set to pay for his ranking dropping to five this week.

The Scot dipped out of the top four for the first time since August 2008 after he opted not to defend his title in Doha and instead compete at the Hopman Cup in Perth where no rankings points were on offer.

Murray has repeatedly stated that his desire to come to Australia and acclimatise to the conditions was the reason for his earlier than usual arrival Down Under and his form in Perth suggested he is on top of his game.

However, by falling to fifth in the rankings Murray opened up the possibility of playing a top-four opponent earlier than expected in the last eight and he could not have wished for a more difficult rival after Nadal was pooled in his quarter of the draw. The Spaniard won last year's title at Melbourne Park.

"If you get to the quarter-finals you're going to have to beat the best players anyway.," said Murray. "There are always some surprises in there and I need to make sure I get there myself first."

Beverley's Katie O'Brien, 23, begins her second Australian Open campaign against Austrian Patricia Mayr, a player ranked three places below her.

"It's not a bad draw," said O'Brien, who is up to a career-high 87th in the standings.

"I haven't played her before but we're the same age and I remember playing under-14 events with her.

"My preparation has been good, even though I would have liked to have won a match or two in Auckland or Sydney. I've been feeling more and more in my stride with every practice session and I feel very comfortable here because I've got lots of good memories of playing well here last year. "