The Spaniard, who won the tournament in 2009 and missed last year's opening Grand Slam through injury, faces a testing first round encounter against the world number 52.
In the draw made here today, Nadal was seeded to face Argentine fifth seed Juan Martin del Potro in the quarters.
Serbia's world number two Novak Djokovic, bidding for his fifth Australian crown and fourth in a row, was drawn to face Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka in the last eight.
Djokovic must first play Slovakia's Lukas Lacko in the opening round in the bottom half of the men's draw.
Wimbledon champion Murray will play Japan's Go Soeda first-up. Federer, a four-time winner in Melbourne, meets Australian wild card James Duckworth in the opening round and could face Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the fourth round.
Spanish third seed David Ferrer was drawn to face Czech seventh seed Tomas Berdych in the other quarter-final.
Unseeded Australian Lleyton Hewitt was in Nadal's side of the draw and faces Italian 24th seed Andreas Seppi in the first round.
You’ve reached your limit of {{free_limit}} free articles this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
Already subscribed? Log in
Subscribe to read the full story →
Smart Quarterly
₹900
3 Months
₹300/Month
Smart Essential
₹2,700
1 Year
₹225/Month
Super Saver
₹3,900
2 Years
₹162/Month
Renews automatically, cancel anytime
Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans
Exclusive premium stories online
Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors


Complimentary Access to The New York Times
News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic
Business Standard Epaper
Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share


Curated Newsletters
Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox
Market Analysis & Investment Insights
In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor


Archives
Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997
Ad-free Reading
Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements


Seamless Access Across All Devices
Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app
