Federer and Murray seeded second and third in Australia

Andy Murray has been confirmed as the third seed for the upcoming Australian Open.

The British number one, who won his maiden grand slam at last year’s US Open and yesterday retained his Brisbane Open title, is looking to win at Melbourne Park for the first time after finishing runner-up in 2010 and 2011.

Top seed in the men’s draw is world number one and two-time reigning champion Novak Djokovic, with Roger Federer second, David Ferrer fourth and Tomas Berdych fifth. Rafa Nadal, the world number four, pulled out of the tournament last week through illness.

The top women’s seed is Victoria Azarenka, followed by Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, Agnieszka Radwanska and Angelique Kerber, matching the ATP world rankings.

The Australian Open takes places between January 14-27.