28 August,2009 10:05 AM IST | | AFP
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal could meet in a US Open singles final, but defending champion Serena Williams and her sister Venus Williams cannot, according to the US Open draws revealed on Thursday.
The draws had Federer and Spanish star Nadal on opposite sides of the bracket, something not assured for the first time since 2005 in Slams where both men played because Britain's Andy Murray is ranked second.
Swiss World No 1 Federer seeks an unprecedented sixth US Open title in a row after winning a record 15th career Slam title last month at Wimbledon.
"I'm still motivated," Federer said. "I'm still excited about playing."
Nadal, who is fighting off a knee injury, is in the same half of the draw as Murray for the year's final Grand Slam event which starts on Monday. Nadal and Federer had been 1-2 in the rankings for the past four years until this month.
Serena Williams is ranked second to Russia's Dinara Safina even though the US star has 11 Grand Slam titles to none for Safina. Williams has won three of the past four Slams but could face her sister in an emotional Open semi-final.
| Serena Williams |
"Obviously I'm going to have a tough tournament coming up," Serena Williams said. "Venus and I are going to play the doubles. So I'm going to do the best I can do and just try to relax when I'm out there."
American Devin Britton, the US college champion, will be the first foe for Federer on the Flushing Meadows hardcourts.
Serbian Novak Djokovic and American Andy Roddick, who could meet in a quarter-final, are in Federer's half of the draw.
Roddick pushed Federer to 16-14 in the fifth set of last month's Wimbledon final before falling as the Swiss star claimed his record-setting 15th career Grand Slam title.
"I think he believes again he can win big tournaments," Federer said. "He was so close at Wimbledon. It has changed him. I think he has improved as a player in the past year or two. I also see him going deep into the tournament again at the Open."
On the opposite side of the bracket, Murray and Nadal could meet in the semi-finals. Murray could face Argentina's Juan Martin Del Potro in the quarter-finals.
Murray opens against Ernests Gulbis of Latvia and could face big-serving Ivo Karlovic in the third round.
Nadal, coming back from a knee injury, is set to open against France's Richard Gasquet.
On the women's side, Serena opens with compatriot Alexa Glatch and could meet Austria's Sybille Bammer in the third round. Her top-seeded rival in the bracket quarter is Russian No 7 Vera Zvonareva.
Venus could meet Belgian former World No 1 Kim Clijsters in the fourth round of the same half of the bracket and might have to get past eighth seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus to reach a potential semi-final sibling showdown.
Clijsters, in only the third event of her comeback after two years off to start a family, opens against Viktoriya Kutuzova of Ukraine.
Safina's half of the bracket is filled with fellow Russians. Sixth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova and potential third-round opponents Maria Sharapova and Elena Dementieva also figure in the top seed's half of the draw.
