Fresno State Athletics
Luczak and Nadal Square Off at Australian Open
1/15/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Jan. 15, 2010
FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State great and 78th-ranked Peter Luczak drew a dream match for the first round of the Australian Open, when he faces one of tennis' all-time greats and No. 2 Rafael Nadal in Melbourne, Australia.
It took a little while for the news to sink in for Luzack.
"I was just boarding the plane to Melbourne when my mate called me," Luczak told Mike Steere of australianopen.com of how he found out who his first round opponent would be. "He had to tell me about 10 times before I would believe him."
Nadal will be the highest-ranked opponent Luczak has faced since meeting then-No. 2 Andre Agassi in 2003. This will be Luczak's first match against a Top 10 opponent since he faced David Nalbandian of Argentina in the 2008 Australian Open.
"I've just got to give it everything," Luczak said according to australianopen.com. "I have got nothing to lose. I have to go for my shots, and if it comes off then that would be great."
Luczak currently resides in Australian and said expects a lot of friends and family in attendance to support him.
First round play starts on Monday, but the official schedule will not be released until Sunday.
