Australian Open 2012 Draw: Superstars with Toughest Draws

Due to the random nature in which they are chosen, some stars inevitably get saddled with criminally tough draws in Grand Slam events. That is the case in both the men's and women's tournaments at the upcoming Australian Open.

While none of the very top seeds like Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer will have overly difficult roads to the later rounds, there are still some name players in both tourneys that will really have to earn their way through the bracket. Here are three superstars who have the misfortune of having to battle through a difficult slate of matches.

Serena Williams

Due to injuries and a failure to play in some of the less important tournaments, Serena Williams will only be seeded No. 12 in the Aussie Open. It's quite obvious that Serena is far better than her seed suggests. Indeed, she is one of the favorites to win it all, but she was naturally stuck with a tougher draw because of her seed.

Serena should have an easy ride to the third round, but that's where it gets tough. In succession, it seems likely that she will have to face No. 17 Dominika Cibulkova, No. 7 Vera Zvonareva and No. 4 Maria Sharapova simply to get to the semifinals. That isn't to say that Williams is incapable of doing so, but that is a very difficult run of three matches just to get to the final four. There, she may have to contend with No. 2 Petra Kvitova.

Andy Murray

As the No. 4 player in the world, behind Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, it's very easy to forget about Andy Murray. While Murray has yet to capture a Grand Slam title, he is almost always on the doorstep and will eventually secure one if he stays on his current path. With that said, though, it certainly won't be easy to break through at this year's Australian Open.

While Murray's draw may not look loaded at first glance, he has a lot of potential pitfalls. Young American Ryan Harrison won't be a pushover in the first round, nor will Belgian Xavier Malisse after him. Either Alex Bogomolov Jr. or Ernests Gulbis will be next on tap. After that, he will likely have to face the always tough Gael Monfils. While Murray is still a favorite to make the semis, he won't have a single match that he can simply cruise through.

Maria Sharapova

Along with Serena Williams, No. 4 Maria Sharapova looks to be stuck in the toughest quarter in the entire women's tournament. Unlike Serena, who can probably sleepwalk through the first couple of rounds, Sharapova has to face brand-name players from the get go. The intelligent and athletic Gisela Dulko is a player who often lasts fairly deep in tournaments, but Sharapova somehow got stuck having to play her in the first round.

In the third round, a match with Angelique Kerber is likely to await before a battle with the very underrated No. 14 Sabine Lisicki. As previously mentioned, Sharapova then may have to face Serena. If not her, Vera Zvonareva is a possibility. If Sharapova is at her best, she can certainly beat anyone in the world, especially on a hard court. However, she tends to be very inconsistent, so it wouldn't be shocking to see her bow out early.