Jumpin' Januaries, Batman

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

There's a story over here that Nadal's struggling with an injury.

I gather the feeling here is that Nadal's withdrawal from Sydney was precautionary. It does leave him a little under-prepared however. Safin could be another possible Federer-slayer. He feels he still has unfinished business from last year, and is determined I think, to prove he can still beat Federer.

Both Safin and Federer have stated Hewitt is a threat, but I think they're just playing mind games - Hewitt's on the downward slope these days. Which is fine by me - he was fun for a while, but one tires of his antics, and the intensity of his game has gone off the boil somewhat.

How far do you think Andy Murray can go then? He's seeded 15, but I wouldn't have thought his game suits the conditions? The Oz seems better for players like Nalbandian, Roddick, Blake, Baghdatis, Nadal, Federer ... these would be the ones I expect to see in the quarters.

Still, it should be a doozy of a tournament