Federer gets “dangerous” Olympic draw

Swiss world No. 1 Roger Federer will play Russia's Dmitry Tursunov in the first round of the Beijing Olympics tennis tournament, which begins on Sunday.

Spanish rival Rafael Nadal, who will replace Federer at the top of the world rankings in the week after the Olympics, could face a difficult second-round match in the draw announced on Thursday.

Nadal drew Italy’s Potito Starace in the first round, but the 2008 Wimbledon and French Open champion could meet former world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt of Australia or veteran Jonas Björkman of Sweden in the second round.

Federer lost in the second round of the Athens Olympics four years ago, but the Swiss star won’t meet another seeded player until a possible meeting with No. 14 Ivo Karlovic of Croatia in the third round.

Tursunov, currently ranked 35 in the world, won his first ATP tournament in Sydney last January. “He’s a dangerous player,” Federer said of Tursunov. “He hits a very hard ball. He serves well. I’ve known him since juniors. We go way back. He’s a good player.”

Stanislas Wawrinka, the world No.9 and only other male Swiss tennis player in Beijing, drew Canadian world No. 114 Frank Dancevic.