Nadal, Jankovic head Australian Open seedings

MELBOURNE - World No 1s Spaniard Rafael Nadal and Serbian Jelena Jankovic have been given the top billing in the men’s and women’s singles at the $15.5 million Australian Open tennis starting here Monday.

Organisers issued the list of 32 seeds for the men’s and women’s sections with all but one of the top 32 ranked men, and 30 of the top 32 ranked women seeded.

Russia’s Nikolay Davydenko has withdrawn with a heel injury, while Maria Sharapova is not defending her women’s singles title as she has not recovered from shoulder surgery. China’s Li Na is another absentee in the women’s section from the seedings with a knee injury.

World No.2 Roger Federer, bidding for a fourth Australian title and attempting to equal American Pete Sampras’s record of 14 grand slam titles, was seeded second while defending champions Novaj Djokovic has been seeded third.

In the women’s section, nine-time grand slam champion Serena Williams of the US has been seeded second while Russians Dinara Safina and Elena Dementieva are third and fourth.

Last year’s finalist Anna Ivanovic of Serbia has been seeded fifth. Coincidentally, last year’s men’s finalist Jo Wilfried Tsonga on France has also been seeded fifth.

The official draw will be Friday at Melbourne Park.

Seedings:

Men: 1. Rafael Nadal (ESP) 2. Roger Federer (SUI) 3. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 4. Andy Murray (GBR) 5. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) 6. Gilles Simon (FRA) 7. Andy Roddick (USA) 8. Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG) 9. James Blake (USA) 10. David Nalbandian (ARG) 11. David Ferrer (ESP) 12. Gael Monfils (FRA) 13. Fernando Gonzalez (CHI) 14. Fernando Verdasco (ESP) 15. Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) 16. Robin Soderling (SWE) 17. Nicolas Almagro (ESP) 18. Igor Andreev (RUS) 19. Marin Cilic (CRO) 20. Tomas Berdych (CZE) 21. Tommy Robredo (ESP) 22. Radek Stepanek (CZE) 23. Mardy Fish (USA) 24. Richard Gasquet (FRA) 25. Ivo Karlovic (CRO) 26. Marat Safin (RUS) 27. Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 28. Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA) 29. Dmitry Tursunov (RUS) 30. Rainer Schuettler (GER) 31. Jurgen Melzer (AUT) 32. Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER)

Women: 1. Jelena Jankovic (SRB) 2. Serena Williams (USA) 3. Dinara Safina (RUS) 4. Elena Dementieva (RUS) 5. Ana Ivanovic (SRB) 6. Venus Williams (USA) 7. Vera Zvonareva (RUS) 8. Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) 9. Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) 10. Nadia Petrova (RUS) 11. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) 12. Flavia Pennetta (ITA) 13. Victoria Azarenka (BLR) 14. Patty Schnyder (SUI) 15. Alize Cornet (FRA) 16. Marion Bartoli (FRA) 17. Anna Chakvetadze (RUS) 18. Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) 19. Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) 20. Amelie Mauresmo (FRA) 21. Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP) 22. Zheng Jie (CHN) 23. Agnes Szavay (HUN) 24. Sybille Bammer (AUT) 25. Kaia Kanepi (EST) 26. Ai Sugiyama (JPN) 27. Maria Kirilenko (RUS) 28. Francesca Schiavone (ITA) 29. Alisa Kleybanova (RUS) 30. Aleksandra Wozniak (CAN) 31. Alona Bondarenko (UKR) 32. Tamarine Tanasugarn (THA)