Nadal and Ivanovic Are Top Seeds at U.S. Open
Rafael Nadal by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Rafael Nadal is riding high, having arrived in New York last Monday fresh off
an Olympic gold medal and a rise to No. 1 in the rankings. When the U.S. Open starts he will be seeking his third straight Grand Slam tournament title, having won the French Open and Wimbledon earlier this year.
Coverage from the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows begins Monday (Aug. 25, 11 am/ET, USA).
Dethroned No. 1
Roger Federer has had a rough summer, losing to Nadal at the French and
Wimbledon. He seemed extremely enthusiastic, however, when
he won the Olympic doubles title (with Stanislas Wawrinka), so perhaps his confidence has been restored. "I still got my Olympic gold, but in doubles," he said at Saturday's U.S. Open media day. "Honestly the celebration was much more intense. It was very different to winning alone on a tennis court it was very special winning with my teammate."
Now ranked No. 2, he's feeling a little less pressure. "Five years almost I was expected to win every tournament I entered, except maybe towards the end a little bit on the clay," he said. "Rafa will now feel what I had to feel for a very long time."
On the women's side Serbia's
Ana Ivanovic, winner of the French Open, is the top seed.
Serena Williams is the No. 4 seed, and her older sister
Venus is No. 7. They are on the same side of the bracket and could meet in the quarterfinals. Following
Venus' win over Serena at Wimbledon, the sisters' career record is now deadlocked at 8-8.
USA Network has daily coverage at 11 am and 7 pm/ET. CBS takes the weekend daytime slot, and also has coverage of the men's doubles final and women's singles semifinals (Friday, Sept. 5, 12:30 pm/ET), the women's final (Saturday, Sept. 6, 8 pm/ET) and the men's championship (Sunday, Sept. 7, 4 pm/ET). The women's doubles final will be on USA (Sept. 7, 1 pm/ET).
