Federer Oz Open favourite

Melbourne - Roger Federer's emphatic Qatar Open win has propelled him to joint favourite for the Australian Open alongside the ailing Rafael Nadal, an online bookmaker said Monday.

The reigning Open champion's odds have firmed to 2/1, according to sportsbet.com.au, while top-ranked Nadal's lengthened slightly after he complained of illness.

Since the weekend, Federer's odds had shortened from 9/4 to 2/1 while Nadal's odds stretched from 9/5 to 2/1, said spokesperson Haydn Lane.

On Saturday, Federer demolished Russia's Nikolay Davydenko for his second title in a row after clinching the ATP World Tour Finals against Nadal in December.

Meanwhile Nadal said he was unwell and would delay travelling to Australia after slumping to Davydenko in the Qatar semis.

Outside the top two, Britain's Andy Murray and Serbian Novak Djokovic are priced at 6/1, while Swede Robin Soderling has risen to 16/1 after winning the Brisbane International on Sunday.