The first round draw of any Grand Slam event always creates some mouth watering clashes. This years Australian Open is no different and the pick of the first round must be between David Nalbandian and Lleyton Hewitt. Most bookmakers that offer Tennis betting tips have Nalbandian down as the favourite, backed up by his solid display in Sydney this week where he finished runner-up to Ferrer.
Nalbandian has a great all round game and will punish Hewitt if he is given any short balls. He is stronger than the Aussie former world number 1 and i think if he keeps his concentration he should be able to get through to the next round. However Nalbandian did implode against Ferrer in the Sydney final and I'm sure Hewitt is aware that he is prone to the odd lapse in concentration.
Hewitt will have the crowd behind him in this clash. He is most definatley past his very best on tour, yet you could never count him out of a match like this. He places the ball well which will help him contain Nalbandians power and with a huge crowd cheering him on, Hewitt could well get pumped up for this match.
Head to Head Hewitt actually leads 3-2, but the last of those wins came in 2005, when Hewitt was still at the top of his game. Nalbandian won the last time they met which was in Sydney in 2009. The match was close 7-6 7-5, and expect the same this year in Melbourne. Purely on form I will pick David Nalbandian
Match Prediction: Nalbandian to win
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