Murray handed a tough draw in Australian Open

Andy Murray has been given a tough draw in the Australian Open, which starts on Monday. If the world number five is to win his first Grand Slam he could need to beat three of the four men above him in the rankings - Rafa Nadal, Juan Martin del Potro and finally Roger Federer.

Murray, who is seeded fifth in the tournament, ended up in the bottom half of the draw and although he only faces a qualifier in the first round on Monday, should he progress beyond the opening stages things will get a lot harder.

He is likely to come up against Frenchman Gael Monfils, the 12th seed, in the fourth round but after that he is scheduled to meet Nadal, the defending champion, in the quarter finals. Up next would be del Potro in the semis and then finally a final against Federer beckons.

Murray was upbeat about his chances earlier in the week, despite the news that he had fallen out of the top four in the world. He looked impressive at the Hopman Cup mixed doubles event, where he played alongside Laura Robson, and a warm-up tournament in Kooyong.

Even before the draw he commented: "If you get to the quarter-finals you're going to have to beat the best players anyway."

Murray's mixed doubles partner 15-year-old Robson did not make the tournament, losing out in qualifying, but two British women have made it through. British number one Elena Baltacha and Katie O'Brien both face players ranked below them in the first round.

The women's defending champion Serena Williams is in the same half of the draw as her sister Venus, which means an all-Williams final cannot happen. But the pair could meet in the semis.

The wildcard in the women's draw is Justine Henin, the former world number one, who only returned to the game at the start of the year, 18 months after she announced her retirement. Although unseeded she has returned with a bang and made the final of a tournament in Brisbane last week, where she was beaten by fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters.

Henin could face Russian Elena Dementieva in the second round and Clijsters in the quarter finals. ·