Nadal in Djokovic’s Half of Draw at U.S. Open

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Nadal in Djokovic’s Half of Draw at U.S. Open

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal could meet at this year’s U.S. Open semifinals, but there’s much to do before then.

More: See the Complete 2016 U.S. Open Men's Singles Draw Here

Djokovic, a two-time and defending champion in New York, will play his first competitive match since falling to Juan Martin del Potro at the Olympics against Poland’s Jerzy Janowicz. The Serb could then face one of the five people that has defeated him in 2016 in the second round—Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic.

If the seeds hold Djokovic would face Martin Klizan of Slovakia in the third round and either John Isner or Richard Gasquet in the round of 16.

Djokovic told reporters on Friday that his wrist has continued to bother him as he prepares for 2016’s final major. "The wrist hasn't been in ideal state for last three-and-a-half weeks," Djokovic told the media after today's US Open draw ceremony. "I'm doing everything in my power to make sure I'm as close to 100 percent as possible during the course of this tournament—at least for beginning."

Djokovic’s potential quarterfinal opponent would be Marin Cilic of Croatia, who currently owns a 0-14 lifetime mark against the World No. 1.

The four quarterfinals, if the seeds hold, would feature as follows:

[1] Djokovic vs. [7] Cilic
[4] Nadal vs. [5] Raonic
[8] Thiem vs. [3] Wawrinka
[2] Murray vs. [6] Nishikori

2010 and 2013 U.S. Open champion Nadal will open his bid for a third title with a first-round encounter with Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan.

Nadal could face compatriot Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the third round if the seeds hold, and he could face either Roberto Bautista-Agut or Lucas Pouille in the round of 16.

Nadal is slated to face Canada’s Milos Raonic in the quarterfinals if the seeds hold. No. 5 seed Raonic will square off with the dangerous and talented Dustin Brown in the first round.

In the bottom half of the draw 2nd-seeded and 2012 U.S. Open champion Andy Murray will face Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic. Murray could face 30th-seeded Gilles Simon in the third round and either 22nd-seeded Grigor Dimitrov or 16th-seeded Feliciano Lopez in the round of 16.

Unseeded Juan Martin del Potro has also landed in the bottom half of the draw and will begin his U.S. Open by facing his compatriot Diego Schwartzman in the first round. Del Potro, a silver medalist at the Rio Olympic Games, could face American Steve Johnson in the second round, with the winner possibly facing 11th-seeded David Ferrer in the third round.

“Johnson was playing very well in the Olympics,” ESPN’s Brad Gilbert told Tennis Now in a phone interview this morning. “That could be a popcorn second-round match.”

Gilbert thinks that if Del Potro can pass the Johnson test, it could mark the beginning of a solid U.S. Open run. “If he were to get through that I could easily see him—as long as he stays healthy—navigating for a good run,” he said. “Johnson second round is not going to be easy… I have that as a popcorn second-round match.”

Johnson became the top-ranked American with a trip to the quarterfinals at Cincinnati last week. The American will open against Evgeny Donskoy of Russia. “I think it’s taken him a long time to be comfortable with where he is and what he’s doing. This is a guy that won so much in college that I think he struggled coming out on tour and not winning as much,” said Gilbert. “But his serve, forehand and movement give him a legitimate chance to be a Top 15 player.”

No. 3 seed Stan Wawrinka and No. 8 seed Dominic Thiem are the potential quarterfinalists in Del Potro’s section if the seeds hold.

27th-seeded Alexander Zverev and 14th-seeded Nick Kyrgios are also in this very loaded quarter of the draw.

In Murray’s section, sixth-seeded Kei Nishikori will open with Germany’s Benjamin Becker and would face 12th-seeded David Goffin if the seeds hold.

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