World No.1 Raphael Nadal has been drawn in the same half of the US Open as the the third-seeded Roger Federer with the draw revealed Friday at the South Street Seaport District of Manhattan, meaning they would meet in the semifinals.
The two tennis icons have never met at the Open, incredibly, but with all the injuries and their current solid form, this is expected to be the first time and while Nadal leads 23-14 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, Federer has won their past four clashes – including three hard-court meetings in 2017 at the Australian Open, the BNP Paribas Open and the Miami Open presented by Itau.
Meanwhile, Federer, suffering from a back ailment after losing in the Finals in Montreal nearly two weeks ago, has a dangerous first-rounder against 19-year-old American upstart, Frances Tiafoe, in the first round.
The Swiss Maestro will have to roll through possibly another American in the fourth round in Wimbledon semifinalist, Sam Querrey. However, Querrey, a 17th seed, must first battle talented Nick Kyrgios in the third round.
Federer has dominated Nadal this year in his renaissance, beating him for the Australian Open crown and knocking him off in two top ATP events in Indian Wells and Miami. Federer is gunning for his 20th Slam title — a record — and third of the year.
The Swiss superstar, who has the best winning percentage on hard courts (23-2, .920) this year of any player according to the FedEx ATP Performance Zone, is seeking to lift a third major trophy this year to add to his Australian Open and Wimbledon runs. If he does so on 10 September, it would mark Federer’s 20th Grand Slam championship crown.
