MELBOURNE, Australia — His ranking staggered after an injury-plagued year, Roger Federer found himself in a peculiar position Friday as the Australian Open draw ceremony got underway.
Federer, 35, was seeded 17th, his lowest seeding at a Grand Slam event since the early, unseeded days of his career. But the draw proved relatively kind. Federer, the holder of 17 Grand Slam singles titles, is scheduled to play his first two rounds against qualifiers. If he gets past them, he could face No. 10 Tomas Berdych in the third round. Federer is 16-6 against Berdych and has won their last 11 sets.