The U.S. Open draw ceremony took place on Thursday afternoon in New York, where the Novak Djokovic’s name was always going to be the big story.
And what a story it is: the reigning Wimbledon champion has landed in the same quarter of the bracket as Roger Federer. Although the majority of the section is soft outside of those two all-time greats, Federer could also have to face Nick Kyrgios in the third round.
In the top half, Rafael Nadal and Kevin Anderson are on a collision course for the quarterfinals in what would be a rematch of last year’s title match–won by the Spaniard in straight sets. It will be an all-Spanish affair right away for Nadal, as good friend and familiar foe David Ferrer is his first-round opponent. Round three is arguably the only chance as a stumbling block for either Nadal (vs. Karen Khachanov) or Anderson (vs. Denis Shapvalov).
Perhaps the biggest news in the top half is another first-rounder between Grigor Dimitrov and Stan Wawrinka, who had to go head-to-head right off the bat Wimbledon. The winner of that one could run into Milos Raonic during third-round action. They are all in Juan Martin Del Potro’s quarter, which is also headlined by a potential showdown between the Argentine and Andy Murray in the last 32.
Rounding out the bracket as potential semifinal adversaries for either Federer or Djokovic in the bottom half are Alexander Zverev and 2014 U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic. It is a friendly section for both Zverev and Cilic, although the German could collide with Kei Nishikori in round four.
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