Complete Australian Open Projections

ROUND of 16

1. Rafael Nadal vs. 24 Richard Gasquet

Nadal will look strong early but struggle as it goes on. Serra and Haas could give him trouble. Gasquet is shaping back up again, and he will play Hewitt/Gonzo winner in a good match in round of 32.

NADAL wins in 4

12. Gael Monfils vs. Mario Ancic

Monfils is my favorite player in the world, and I like his draw. Youzhny will not be easy in round 2, but round 3 shouldn't be too hard. Ancic is a very solid pro, and I don't love sixth seed Gilles Simon. Karlovic may be a threat to Ancic, though.

MONFILS wins in 4

4. Andy Murray vs. 14. Fernando Verdasco

No one will come that close to either of these two until they meet each other. This is the weakest section in the draw. Nishikori may be the hardest roadblock for Andy and Verdasco may struggle some with Stepanek. This should be a good match between two fresh players.

MURRAY wins in 4 (may go 5)

Ernests Gulbis vs. 5. Jo-Wilfred Tsonga

I love James Blake, but Ernests Gulbis is a stud in the making. This round of 32 match will be one of the best, but Gulbis moves on. Tsonga has a light draw, but anyone he meets in round of 32 will not be too easy. This should be a great match, but I like to take it...

TSONGA in 5

7. Andy Roddick vs. 21. Tommy Robredo

Tough section here. Andy's rival Kohlscreiber awaits in the round of 32, but Sam Querrey may take him down. Nalbandian is overrated and has been struggling; I like Bellucci over him in the second round. This would be a good match, but this will be a good year for Andy.

RODDICK in 4

23. Mardy Fish vs. 3. Novak Djokovic

The top half of this section is very interesting. I like Baghdatis for a bounce back and Soderling is solid, but Mardy has finished it out. If Djokovic doesn't get to this match, I would be stunned. Nieminen may be the toughest matchup, but he is inconsistent. Mardy would do well to get here and win a set and he will.

DJOKOVIC in 4

Bernard Tomic vs. 19. Marin Cilic

Very interesting section of the draw. A lot of players could come out of here, and there are a lot of question marks. Del Potro is the best player, but he is tired. Mueller vs. Lopez is a great match in round 1; Tipsarevic and Isner will play well but they have tough first round draws as well. I like Tomic's game and the Aussy will make a run, but...

CILIC in 5

15. Stan Wawrinka vs. 2. Roger Federer

Weak part of the draw, Two wildcards are Ginepri and Safin, who will give both a run. Safin if healthy may beat Roger, but I don't think he is ready to play. Berdych is solid as well. Wawrinkais a good player, but I have more faith in Safin to beat Federer so...

FEDERER in 3

QUARTERFINALS

1. NADAL vs. 12. MONFILS

I like this matchup for Monfils. Nadal will be tired and the crazy athlete from France will power on.

MONFILS in 4

4. MURRAY vs. 5. TSONGA

Another tough drag out battle for Andy. If Tsonga serves well he will be in this match for a long time.

MURRAY in 4 because of his speed and consistency

7. RODDICK vs. 3. DJOKOVIC

I will be rooting hard for Andy but, if he couldn't beat him in New York when he was hurting, how will he do it here?

DJOKOVIC in 4

19. CILIC vs. 2. FEDERER

This is my upset of the tournament. Cilic matches up really well with Roger and the heat may get to him like it does down there some times. In a classic...

CILIC in 5

SEMIFINALS

12. MONFILS vs. 4. MURRAY

Monfils and Murray are both sky rocketing now. I like Gael to threaten Nadal in France, but here Andy is on a mission. This will be another war and Monfils may pull it out if he plays great. But I like...

MURRAY in 4

3. DJOKOVIC vs. 19. CILIC

Cilic could win this match if he serves up big time, and Djokovic may come in off some tough matches. But Marin will be tired as well after his five-setter with Roger. This will be a good match but...

DJOKOVIC wins in a 4th set tiebreaker

FINALS

4. MURRAY vs. 3 DJOKOVIC

They are the favorites in this tournament, but I think it will be the final. Both will have there struggles but they are both healthy and hot going in. Last year's champ will come up short, though...

ANDY MURRAY WINS IN 4 SETS

LADIES

I think Serena will beat Venus in the semi's and Jankovic in the finals, but I am rooting for my Girl Ana Ivanovic!!