Federer, Nadal friendly rivals at Aussie Open

MELBOURNE, Australia - Roger and Rafa were behaving like best mates at Rod Laver Arena - high-fiving, hugging, shaking hands and laughing at each other's jokes on the eve of the Australian Open.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal had time for fun Sunday at the "Rally for Relief" to raise money for victims of the fatal floods in Australia's northeastern Queensland state. It'll be a completely different story if they're back on the same court for the final Jan. 30.

Federer is the defending champion. Nadal has won the three major singles titles since and is aiming to become the first man since Laver in 1969 to win four straight majors. It's being dubbed the "Rafa Slam."

The pair played on opposite sides of the net, then played together against Kim Clijsters and Sam Stosur in front of a capacity crowd of 15,000 that paid to watch a host of tennis stars in the fundraiser.

Novak Djokovic and Andy Roddick wore microphones and joked with the crowd, playing alongside and against the likes of Caroline Wozniacki and Victoria Azarenka in the celebrity hit-and-giggle exhibition. It raised more than $1.8 million Australian (approximately $1.78 million U.S.) through ticket sales and donations.

Neither Federer nor Nadal wore a microphone when they played a little later. It was mostly smiles, but there were glimpses of competitive intensity when they faced each other in mixed doubles.

Federer, a winner of 16 major singles events, used his court craft to bring Nadal to the net, then beat him with a backhand passing shot. The muscular Spaniard replied on the next point, leaping high and smashing an overhead winner beyond Federer's reach. After each of those winners, each smiled broadly at the other.

Federer said Nadal had "an incredible run through the French, Wimbledon, U.S. Open. It's hard to maintain. But he's going to be for sure ready for this. I'll follow it very closely. If I get a chance, I hope I can stop him."

The year's first major began earlier today with 2008 women's champion Maria Sharapova beating Thailand's Tamarine Tanasugarn in the opening match on center court, 6-1, 6-3. Later, Wozniacki started her first major as the No. 1-ranked player with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Argentina's Gisela Dulko.