Roger Federer was toiling away cross-town at Kooyong, trying to win an exhibition tournament just two days from the start of the Australian Open, where a victory will enable him to equal Pete Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slams.

Novak Djokovic, the defending champion at Melbourne Park, was on a plane from Sydney, where he lost to Finland's Jarkko Nieminen in a tournament semi-final the night before, blowing a chance to overtake Federer for the number-two ranking.

The guy they are both chasing, top-ranked Rafael Nadal, was taking it relatively easy yesterday, having a morning practice session with the other member of the Big Four of men's tennis, resurgent Andy Murray of Britain.

Rafa wondered if perhaps he was not taking it too easy.

"I think I am OK," Nadal said, not sounding so sure. "But I was for two months outside of competition. So, maybe I need a little bit more matches to get the rhythm."

Number one

Nadal was asked, for what he said was the 100th time in the past three months, whether being number one has made any difference to him.

He ended Federer's 237-week reign at the top in early September after beating the Swiss star last year at the French Open and Wimbledon and later taking home the Beijing Olympics gold.

"One number doesn't change anything," Nadal said. "I was very happy to be number two. I am very happy, for sure, to be number one. Every year, the season starts from zero for everybody."

Not so much for Murray, at least in the expectations department. The Scotsman lost to Federer in the US Open final, beat Nadal and Federer in an exhibition tournament two weeks ago in Abu Dhabi and defeated Andy Roddick and Federer in Doha, Qatar, last week.

Public excited

The British public is excited, no doubt spurred on by London bookmakers who are offering better-than-even odds that Murray will win at least one Grand Slam title this year, and 5-1 that he will be number one by the end of 2009.

The odds of him winning all four Grand Slam tournaments this year have been cut from 500-1 down to 66-1, but Murray appears nonplussed by the extra attention, saying he expected it.

"For me, it's obviously a good thing," Murray said. "I think when you do become a contender for a Slam, obviously the seeding and stuff helps with your draws and whatnot. It gives you - it gives me anyway - that little bit of extra confidence. Obviously, the US Open was a great run for me. I learned a lot ... Hopefully, I can keep it going here."

Murray opens against Andrei Pavel of Romania in the same half of the draw as Nadal, who plays Christophe Rochus of Belgium in the first round. Djokovic is set to play a qualifier, while Federer's start of a very tough draw has him playing Andreas Seppi of Italy.