2010 U.S. Open Draw: Rafael Nadal And Roger Federer Could Meet In Final

2010 U.S. Open Draw: Rafael Nadal And Roger Federer Could Meet In Final

It used to be a given that Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer would be on opposite ends of the draw. But in the brave new tennis world that saw Federer -- albeit briefly -- slip to third in the world, it was no longer guaranteed. However, with Federer fresh off consecutive finals, including a win at Cincinnati, Nadal and Federer are set up to potentially meet in another Slam final at the 2010 U.S. Open, per the recently released draw.

Top-seeded Rafael Nadal is undoubtedly the biggest winner, with few real threats in his quarter of the draw. Fellow countrymen Fernando Verdasco, David Ferrer (who did end Nadal's run at the 2007 U.S. Open) and Feliciano Lopez are the three highest seeds in the bracket, giving Nadal a good chance to at least equal his best result at Flushing Meadows and make the semifinals.

No. 2 Federer should have an equally open path, at least to the quarterfinals. If the seeds hold true, Federer could have a rematch with No. 5 Robin Soderling, who broke Federer's DiMaggio-esque streak of making 23 consecutive Grand Slam semifinals in the quarters of the French Open this year.

No. 3 Novak Djokovic, No. 6 Nikolay Davydenko and No. 9 Andy Roddick figure to fight it out in a crowded bracket, while No. 4 Andy Murray will have hard-hitting Czech Tomas Berdych to worry about in his quarter of the bracket.

For the full bracket, go here.

For more on the upcoming U.S. Open, check out The Daily Forehand.