Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have both been active thus far in 2017. Federer was at the Hopman Cup in Perth last week where he went 2-1 in singles play, defeating Richard Gasquet and Dan Evans while losing to Alexander Zverev. Nadal was active in Abu Dhabi where he won the exhibition title before losing in the quarters of ATP Brisbane to Milos Raonic. The seeds for Federer and Nadal have been determined (provided that there are no withdrawals) as they look forward to their chances at the 2017 Australian Open next week.
Roger Federer is 16 to 1
Federer will be the 17th seed at the event, which is actually a bad spot to be when it comes to seeds.
In his third-round match he could end up facing a higher-ranked player, and that could make getting to the fourth round challenging. It would have been much better for Federer if he had gotten the 16th seed as he would be guaranteed to avoid a higher-ranked player for an extra round. However, the former champ from Melbourne Park did look sharp in Perth, even in the loss to Zverev. There were three tiebreakers in that match and Fed promises to be a very tough out at the 2017 Australian Open. For betting odds, Federer is considered the 6th favorite with most sportsbooks (ie. 16 to 1 with bet365).
Rafael Nadal is 12 to 1
Rafael Nadal, who is 12 to 1 with bet365, will be the 9th seed at the 2017 Australian Open.
That's also a tricky spot to be in as Nadal could face a higher-ranked player in the fourth round. If he had been seeded one spot better, then he would be guaranteed an easier route to the quarterfinals. Nadal's recent loss to Raonic can be taken with a grain of salt. Raonic was the better-rested player as he did not do well in Abu Dhabi.
Furthermore, the Canadian had a bye through the first round of Brisbane. By the time he and Nadal met, Raonic had far less recent wear and tear slowing him down.
The draws for Grand Slam tournaments are always interesting and this season will be no exception. A good draw for Federer would see him slated to face either Roberto Bautista-Agut or Lucas Pouille in the third round.
Bautista-Agut is playing sharp, but a good run in a Grand Slam has eluded him in his career. Pouille has done well in majors. However, he picked up an injury to his right foot in Brisbane last week and, while it's not serious, it will have affected his preparations for the Aussie.
A good draw for Nadal would see him share a path to the quarters with either Dominic Thiem or Gael Monfils. Thiem isn't as strong a hard courter as he is on clay. Monfils has been quiet to start the season and might be rusty to start the Aussie. A great development for both Nadal and Federer would be if someone in the top eight actually pulled out. That would budge their seeds up one valuable spot, in this case giving each player a better draw for an extra round.
