World number one Rafael Nadal faces a likely Australian Open semi-final with Robin Soderling or Andy Murray as he bids to become the first man in 42 years to hold all four major titles simultaneously.

Soderling and Murray were placed in the top half of the draw yesterday as Nadal chases his fourth consecutive Grand Slam after stringing together wins at the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open last year.

The powerful Spaniard would become the first man since Australian Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four Grand Slam titles at once if he can win the Australian Open, which starts on Monday.

Nadal said, while he was constantly reminded of that possibility, he did not feel the weight of history.

“Everybody asks me this question,” Nadal told reporters. “For me the pressure is the same every tournament and the pressure is my pressure, that I want to play well and do the right things.

“We will see what’s going on, but (I don’t feel) extra pressure.”

Nadal will launch his title bid against Brazilian Marcos Daniel and could face Croatia’s 15th seed Marin Cilic in the fourth round.

Sweden’s Soderling, runner-up to Nadal at last year’s French Open, has Italian Potito Starace first up, while Britain’s Murray faces Slovakian Karol Beck.

Former champion Novak Djokovic was pitted in the bottom half of the men’s draw with four-time champion Roger Federer.

The Serbian third seed, the 2008 winner, is in line for a semi-final with second seed Federer based on the seedings.

Federer has a first-round match against Slovakia’s Lukas Lacko, while Djokovic lines up against Spaniard Marcel Granollers.

The feature first-round matchup is between two-time Grand Slam winner Lleyton Hewitt and Argentina’s 27th seed David Nalbandian, whom the unseeded Australian defeated in the 2002 Wimbledon final.

Women’s draw

In the women’s competition, world number one Caroline Wozniacki faces a likely early test against seven-time majors champion Justine Henin if she is to go on to break her Grand Slam drought at the Australian Open.

In the official draw, Wozniacki is projected to meet the former world number one and last year’s finalist in the quarter-finals.

Wozniacki will launch her fourth Australian Open campaign against the world’s top doubles player Gisela Dulko of Argentina, and could face Belgian Yanina Wickmayer in the fourth round.

US Open champion Kim Clijsters was placed in the bottom half of the women’s singles draw away from Wozniacki in the official draw.

Third seed Clijsters, the 2004 finalist, will open against another former Australian Open finalist, Dinara Safina of Russia.

American fourth seed Venus Williams, who has made just one final appearance in her past 11 Australian Opens, was drawn in Wozniacki’s top half of the draw and will take on Italian Sara Errani in the first round.