Defending US Open champion Novak Djokovic attended the tournament’s draw ceremony Thursday afternoon. And while you might expect tennis’ stars to avoid getting wrapped up in the analysis of where players land, Djokovic says that is not the case.

“I think most of the players study the draw, to be honest. Even if they say, ‘Well, I’m just looking at my next match’, but you still look at your section and who is in there and… you scout. You see how they’re playing, you have your team as spies so to say overviewing all the courts and potential opponents,” Djokovic said. “At least in my case, and I think most of the players, look at the draw further than the first round. But of course most of the attention goes to only the next challenge, the next match and how to overcome it.”

The big news from the draw was that third seed and five-time champion Roger Federer was drawn into Djokovic’s half, meaning the two could battle in the semi-finals. But despite saying he plans to study the draw, a light-hearted Djokovic did not want to know where the Swiss was placed during the ceremony.

“Don’t tell me, please,” said Djokovic, cracking a laugh and drawing chuckles from the crowd in front of Arthur Ashe Stadium. “I’m going to study when I go backstage. I need my alone time.”

Djokovic will be the leading favorite regardless of his draw based on form. The World No. 1 has claimed four of the past five major titles, only missing out at Roland Garros this year. Djokovic dropped a set in each of his first two matches at last year’s US Open, but then rounded into his best form, winning his final 16 sets of the tournament. The pressure of being defending champion is not fazing him much, though.

“You have that additional pressure obviously and expectations, but I guess over time you get used to it. The more you win, the more you get used to it,” Djokovic said. “But at the same time it is always a paramount challenge in a way, to defend a Grand Slam title and be one of the top players that are candidates to win a title.”

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Djokovic also triumphed at the most recent Grand Slam championship, lifting the trophy at Wimbledon. There, the Serbian outlasted Federer in a classic final that went to a fifth-set tie-break at 12-12. Afterwards, the 32-year-old took some time off with his family to relax and reset after the exhilarating fortnight.

“You can reset, refresh and then get ready for the continuation of the season and your career,” Djokovic said. “I’ve been very fortunate to be in this particular situation many times in my career, so that helps. But obviously the final against Roger in Wimbledon was probably Top 2 most exciting, toughest matches I was ever part of and it took me some time really to reflect on everything.”

The biggest question entering the US Open draw was where third seed Roger Federer would fall. The answer: the five-time Flushing Meadows titlist is on the top half, setting up a potential semi-final showdown with top seed Novak Djokovic.

The Swiss will play a qualifier in the first round and could meet 15th seed David Goffin in the fourth round. He is seeded to meet former finalist Kei Nishikori in the quarter-finals.

Djokovic will play Roberto Carballes Baena in the first round and could face former champion Stan Wawrinka or 2017 finalist Kevin Anderson in the fourth round. He may face a significant hurdle in the second round if Sam Querrey beats Juan Ignacio Londero. Djokovic leads Querrey 9-2 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series — including a win in Cincinnati — but the American won their last match at a major at Wimbledon in 2016.

A potential blockbuster is looming for the three-time US Open titlist in the quarter-finals against fifth seed Daniil Medvedev, who just won the biggest title of his career at the Western & Southern Open. Medvedev has beaten Djokovic twice this season, including in the Cincinnati semi-finals. The World No. 1 leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 3-2.

View The 2019 US Open Men’s Singles Draw

Second seed Rafael Nadal opens his campaign against Australian John Millman, who last year stunned Roger Federer in the fourth round. Nadal, a three-time champion, could meet another dangerous Aussie in Thanasi Kokkinakis — who also upset Federer last season (in Miami) — in the second round and fellow Spanish lefty Fernando Verdasco in the third round. John Isner and former champion Marin Cilic are potential opponents for the Spaniard in the fourth round.

A year ago, Nadal contested one of the best matches of the season against Dominic Thiem here in Flushing Meadows, with both players bludgeoning the ball for four hours and 49 minutes in the quarter-finals until the legendary lefty prevailed in a final-set tie-break. They are seeded to meet in the semi-finals this year.

Sixth seed Alexander Zverev, who opens against Moldovan Radu Albot — with whom the reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion practised Wednesday — is the highest-ranked player in Nadal’s quarter.

For the second straight year, #NextGenATP Canadians Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov will meet in the first round. Auger-Aliassime cracked the Top 20 of the ATP Rankings this week for the first time, and both Felix and Shapovalov reached the semi-finals in Miami earlier this season.

Eighth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas opens against Russian Andrey Rublev, who upset Federer last week in Cincinnati. The Greek star battled past Rublev in five sets at last year’s Next Gen ATP Finals. Tsitsipas has a tough draw ahead of him, with Citi Open champion Nick Kyrgios potentially looming in the third round, and newly-minted Top 10 player Roberto Bautista Agut and Italian Matteo Berrettini — who has won two ATP Tour titles this year — potential fourth-round opponents for him.

Federer won five consecutive US Opens from 2004-08 and built a 40-match winning streak at the event before his surprise defeat to Juan Martin del Potro in the 2009 final at Flush Meadows.

Djokovic is the defending champion and also won the US Open in 2011 and ’15. Nadal is also a three-time US Open champion, taking the title in 2010, ’13 and ’17.

Speaking after his late-morning practice session with Dominic Thiem Federer told ESPN that he would be otherwise occupied when the draw is made. “I don’t watch the draws, I don’t like it,” Federer said. “I’d rather just get through it and see where I fall. Players getting through to the quarters or the semis, that’s really for you guys to debate. My focus really lies in the first couple of rounds.” 

Andy Murray will compete at next week’s ATP Challenger Tour event in Manacor, Spain, the tournament announced on Thursday.

In search of more match play in his return from right hip surgery, Murray will return to the Challenger circuit for the first time since 2005. Held at Rafael Nadal’s academy on the island of Mallorca, the tournament is set to embark on a second edition.

It will be Murray’s third professional tournament since kicking off his singles comeback last week at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. This week, he competed at the Winston-Salem Open, falling to Tennys Sandgren in Monday’s night session.

In what will be one of the more highly-anticipated Challenger appearances in history, the Scot is poised to return to the circuit in search of matches and confidence. He’s not alone. In 2018, Kei Nishikori did the same in his return from a wrist injury, claiming the title in Dallas en route to qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals.

Murray is 14 years removed from his last visit to the ATP Challenger Tour, when he reached the quarter-finals in Mons, Belgium in 2005. He owns two titles at the level, having lifted a pair of trophies on U.S. soil in Aptos and Binghamton earlier that year.

The 32-year-old is back in familiar territory in Mallorca, returning to the Rafa Nadal Academy for the first time since 2016. That year, he had the opportunity to train at the facilities in preparation for the North American hard-court swing.

The Rafa Nadal Open by Sotheby’s will begin on Monday. You can watch free live streaming throughout the week at ATPChallengerTour.com.

Jamie Murray/Neal Skupski will face top seeds Marcelo Melo/Lukasz Kubot in a blockbuster semi-final on Thursday at the Winston-Salem Open.

Brits Murray/Skupski squeezed past Austrians Oliver Marach/Jurgen Melzer 4-6, 7-6(5), 10-7, and Melo/Kubot won all four break points and beat Brits Daniel Evans/Jonny O’Mara 6-2, 6-2.

Friday’s other semi-final will feature American wild cards Nicholas Monroe/Tennys Sandgren, who also were perfect on break points (3/3) to upset second seeds Rajeev Ram/Joe Salisbury 6-3, 6-3.

The Americans will meet Sander Gille/Joran Vliegen. The Belgians saved a match point while serving at 5-6, Deuce in the second set, but eventually beat Luke Bambridge/Ben McLachlan 2-6, 7-6(4), 10-7.

Bambridge/McLachlan were nearly perfect on their first serve as well, winning 95 per cent (38/40) of those points.

Top seed Benoit Paire of France held off the Next Generation of French talent on Wednesday at the Winston-Salem Open, but just barely.

#NextGenATP Frenchman Ugo Humbert, 21, served for the match at 6-5 in the second set, but Paire broke and rolled in the tie-break and third set, advancing 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-3 to make the quarter-finals of the ATP 250 event.

“I’m really happy to win against him,” Paire said of Humbert, who’s currently ranked No. 62. “When you play against a young player from your country, you want to win. It’s good for the confidence.”

The 30-year-old Paire, who was 1-5 in Winston-Salem before this week, will next meet 11^th seed Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain, who beat Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego 7-6(7), 6-0. The Spaniard avenged his semi-final loss to Sonego at the grass-court Turkish Airlines Open Antalya and will try to reach his third semi-final of the season (Hamburg) against Paire.

#NextGenATP Canadian Denis Shapovalov won two consecutive matches for the first time since reaching the Miami Open presented by Itau semi-finals in March (l. to Federer), dismissing fellow #NextGenATP player Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia 6-2, 6-3. The 20-year-old Shapovalov won 80 per cent of his service points and saved four of six break points against the 19-year-old Belgrade native, who cracked the Top 50 of the ATP Rankings at No. 49 this week.

“Miomir is a very tough opponent. I’ve played him a lot in the past. We’ve had some crazy battles,” said Shapovalov, who leads their tour-level FedEx ATP Head2Head series 1-0. “I’m really happy with the way I’m playing.”

The Canadian is currently working with former World No. 8 Mikhail Youzhny, who retired last September at his home St. Petersburg Open. The two will continue working together at next week’s US Open on a trial basis. Shapovalov will next face the winner between sixth seed Sam Querrey of the U.S. and Russian Andrey Rublev.

#NextGenATP American Frances Tiafoe moved into the quarter-finals after only eight games when Serbian Filip Krajinovic retired down 2-6, and Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz also advanced before two sets were complete because Spain’s Feliciano Lopez retired down 3-6, 1-3.

Tiafoe and Hurkacz will face off for a place in the semi-finals; Tiafoe leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 2-0, including a four-set win at last year’s Next Gen ATP Finals.

Aussie John Millman and Steve Johnson of the U.S. will meet for the fourth time in the quarter-finals (Johnson leads 3-1). Millman beat Robin Haase 6-3, 6-4, and Johnson overcame #NextGenATP Norwegian Casper Ruud 6-2, 7-6(5).

Spain’s Pedro Martinez earned the upset of the day on Wednesday at US Open qualifying. The 22-year-old from Alzira stunned 10^th seed Tommy Paul of the U.S. 6-4, 6-4 to make the last round of qualifying at the season’s final Grand Slam tournament.

Martinez had three match points at 5-3 in the second set on Paul’s serve, but the American, No. 112 in the ATP Rankings, saved all three and had a break point on Martinez’s serve at 5-4. The Spaniard, however, erased it and clinched his sixth match point. He saved all four break points for the match.

The 22-year-old Martinez qualified at Roland Garros in May for his first Grand Slam main draw appearance. He is coached Javier Ferrer, brother of legendary Spaniard David Ferrer, who retired at the Mutua Madrid Open in May after a 20-year career that saw him reach a career-high of No. 3 in the ATP Rankings and win 27 ATP Tour titles.

Martinez will face another American in 18-year-old Jenson Brooksby for a place in the US Open main draw. The 6’2” teenager from California upset Japan’s Yuichi Sugita, who won the 2017 Turkish Airlines Open Antalya, 7-6(4), 7-6(3).

Two South Koreans also advanced to within a win of reaching the main draw. Hyeon Chung, the 29^th seed on the comeback from a back injury, routed Italy’s Stefano Napolitano 6-2, 6-3 and will meet ninth seed Mikael Ymer. The #NextGenATP Swede dismissed Argentina’s Facundo Bagnis 7-5, 6-4. Ymer earned his first Grand Slam win at Roland Garros.

Third seed Soonwoo Kwon of South Korea also advanced in straight sets, beating Germany’s Oscar Otte 6-2, 6-4 and will meet Canada’s Steven Diez, who beat Japan’s Yosuke Watanuki 6-2, 5-7, 6-0.

Veteran Nicolas Mahut will not celebrate a 14^th main-draw showing in New York. Germany’s Dominik Koepfer beat the 37-year-old Frenchman 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-3.

The USTA has announced seeds for the 2019 US Open, which begins Monday in New York. 

World No. 33 Fernando Verdasco is the last player seeded at 32, benefitting from the withdrawal of 2009 US Open champion and World No. 16 Juan Martin del Potro due to injury.

The US Open draw will be made Thursday at noon EDT.

The seeds are…

1. Novak Djokovic, Serbia
2. Rafael Nadal, Spain
3. Roger Federer, Switzerland
4. Dominic Thiem, Austria
5. Daniil Medvedev, Russia
6. Alexander Zverev, Germany
7. Kei Nishikori, Japan
8. Stefanos Tsitsipas, Greece
9. Karen Khachanov, Russia
10. Roberto Bautista Agut, Spain
11. Fabio Fognini, Italy
12. Borna Coric, Croatia
13. Gael Monfils, France
14. John Isner, United States
15. David Goffin, Belgium
16. Kevin Anderson, South Africa
17. Nikoloz Basilashvili, Georgia
18. Felix Auger-Aliassime, Canada
19. Guido Pella, Argentina
20. Diego Schwartzman, Argentina
21. Milos Raonic, Canada
22. Marin Cilic, Croatia
23. Stan Wawrinka, Switzerland
24. Matteo Berrettini, Italy
25. Lucas Pouille, France
26. Taylor Fritz, United States
27. Dusan Lajovic, Serbia
28. Nick Kyrgios, Australia
29. Benoit Paire, France
30. Kyle Edmund, Great Britain
31. Cristian Garin, Chile
32. Fernando Verdasco, Spain

PLANTING THE SEEDS: Getting to know the 32 seeded men’s singles players at the 2019 US Open — one line at a time.

• [1] Novak Djokovic: Bids to become 1st repeat champion at US Open since Federer won 5 straight tiles from 2004-08.
• [2] Rafael Nadal: Celebrates 750 consecutive weeks in Top 10 on 9 September. Trails only Connors’ streak of 789 weeks.
• [3] Roger Federer: Owns 34-9 record at US Open since winning 40 straight matches at tournament from 2004-09.
• [4] Dominic Thiem: Defeated World No. 1 in 3 straight seasons (d. Murray in 2017, Nadal in 2018 and Djokovic in 2019).
• [5] Daniil Medvedev: Reached 3 finals in 3 weeks during US Open Series, highlighted by ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati title.
• [6] Alexander Zverev: Upset No. 1 Djokovic for biggest win of career and biggest title of career at 2018 Nitto ATP Finals.
• [7] Kei Nishikori: 2014 US Open finalist is 23-6 in 5th sets with 8 straight wins. Owns 6-1 record in 5th sets at US Open.
• [8] Stefanos Tsitsipas: Beat Djokovic, Federer and Nadal before 21st birthday — quickest anyone has beaten entire Big 3.
• [9] Karen Khachanov: Entered Top 10 on 10 June to become 1st Russian in Top 10 since No. 10 Youzhny on 7 Feb. 2011.
• [10] Roberto Bautista Agut: Reached Australian Open QF and Wimbledon SF in 2019. Began career 0-9 in Grand Slam 4R.
• [11] Fabio Fognini: On 10 June, became oldest player (32) in ATP Rankings history to break into Top 10 for 1st time.
• [12] Borna Coric: Owns 8 wins vs. Top 5, including 2018 Halle final over Federer in Swiss’ last match as World No. 1.
• [13] Gael Monfils: Posted career-best 15-3 start to season before suffering left ankle injury. Enters US Open at 26-11.
• [14] John Isner: Highest-ranked American at US Open for 8th straight year. Broke left foot in 2019 Miami final (l. to Federer).
• [15] David Goffin: 2019 Cincinnati runner-up became 1st Belgian to compete in an ATP Masters 1000 final (l. to Medvedev).
• [16] Kevin Anderson: 2017 US Open finalist has been limited to 5 events this season due to right elbow and knee injuries.
• [17] Nikoloz Basilashvili: Captured all 3 of his titles at ATP 500 events (2018 Hamburg, 2018 Beijing and 2019 Hamburg).
• [18] Felix Auger-Aliassime: On 27 May, became youngest player (18) in Top 25 since Hewitt (18) on 25 October 1999.
• [19] Guido Pella: Advanced to 1st ATP Masters 1000 QF at 2019 Monte-Carlo and 1st Grand Slam QF at 2019 Wimbledon.
• [20] Diego Schwartzman: Earned 30+ wins in 3 straight seasons, reaching QFs at 2017 US Open and 2018 Roland Garros.
• [21] Milos Raonic: Posted 20+ wins for 9th straight season despite struggling with back and right knee injuries in 2019.
• [22] Marin Cilic: Owns 30-17 record in 5th sets – tied with Djokovic and Federer for most 5th-set wins among active players.
• [23] Stan Wawrinka: Won 2016 US Open title at age 31 and remains oldest champion at event since Rosewall, 35, in 1970.
• [24] Matteo Berrettini: Saved 3 MPs to defeat Schwartzman and reach Grand Slam 4R for 1st time at 2019 Wimbledon.
• [25] Lucas Pouille: Earned consecutive 5-set wins over Chiudinelli, Bautista Agut and Nadal to reach 2016 US Open QF.
• [26] Taylor Fritz: On 5 August, became youngest American (21) in Top 25 since Roddick (21) on 31 May 2004.
• [27] Dusan Lajovic: Captured Umag title in July to become 13th first-time champion on ATP Tour in 2019 (also 13 in 2018).
• [28] Nick Kyrgios: Saved 3 MPs vs. Nadal en route to Acapulco title and 1 MP vs. Tsitsipas en route to Washington title.
• [29] Benoit Paire: Seeking 1st Grand Slam QF after reaching 4R on 4 occasions, including 2015 US Open.
• [30] Kyle Edmund: Beat fellow Brits Norrie and Evans to reach lone 2019 SF at Eastbourne. Struggled with left knee injury.
• [31] Cristian Garin: Saved 5 MPs vs. Chardy en route to Houston title and 2 MPs vs. A. Zverev en route to Munich title.
• [32] Fernando Verdasco: Appearing at 66th straight Grand Slam event — 2nd all-time behind Lopez’ 71 (active streak).

– With assistance from Joshua Rey