Andy Murray to play Go Soeda in first round

Andy Murray will begin his Australian Open campaign with a first-round clash against Japan's Go Soeda.

The Wimbledon champion is seeded fourth as he plays his first big event since his recent return to competitive tennis following back surgery in September.

But he faces a tough task to reach his fourth final in Melbourne as he finds himself in the same half of the men's singles draw as Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Juan Martin del Potro.

Federer is a potential quarter-final opponent for the three-time runner-up, who is seeded to face world No 1 Nadal in the semi-finals.

But Murray should have a comfortable opener against the diminutive Soeda, who has played in only eight Grand Slam tournaments and has never advanced beyond the second round.

The 29-year-old reached a career-high ranking of 47th in July 2012, but he has now slipped outside the world's top 100.

Nadal, whose only victory in Melbourne came in 2009, will play home hopeful Bernard Tomic and is scheduled to face hard-hitting Argentine Del Potro in the last eight.