US Open Tennis draws announced

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US Open Tennis draws announced

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The last grand slam of the season will kick off from August 29 at Flushing Meadows.

26 August,2011 02:53 pm

A special draw ceremony to finalize this years playing schedule was held at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.It was attended by US Open mens singles defending champion Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard helped draw the numbers for the womens singles play.While speaking to tennis analysts and former tennis players - Patrick and John McEnroe of ESPN, Nadal reflected on his return to New York. Nadal won the US Open for the first time in 2010, helping him become only the seventh player to win all four Grand Slam events.But Nadal returns to the U.S. Open this year as number two, with Novak Djokovic seeded world number one. The Serbian has already won this seasons Australian Open and Wimbledon titles and is the overwhelming favourite to win the last grand slam of 2011, starting at Flushing Meadows on Monday (August 29), to wrap up the top spot for the end of year rankings.25-year-old Nadal says he is in good physical shape while conceding that Djokovic will be a formidable opponent. Nadal has had a few injuries this season, including a muscle tear at the Australian Open and a foot injury at Wimbledon, where he lost to Djokovic. And more recently in Cincinnati, Nadal burned the tips of two fingers of his right hand, while grabbing a hot plate with his right hand.The hand injuries were not obvious on Thursday as Nadal played a bit of indoor tennis with children under the age of ten. The play was part of a 10 and Under Tennis clinic with children from the local Queens area. The clinic is part of theReturning the Love initiative, where the US Open - in conjunction with the players - are trying to reach out to and welcome surrounding community organizations.After posing for photographs with the children, Nadal spoke briefly with reporters.Reflecting on his less-than-stellar summer, Nadal was introspective and emphasized that it was not possible to win every time. He conceded that he hadnt played very well in the last two tournaments. Nadal also congratulated Djokovic on his winning streak this summer.While on the womens side, the return of American Serena Williams provided an element of suspense and intrigue to the womens draw, weakened by the absence of injured Belgian Kim Clijsters, who won the title the past two years.Williams, the dominant figure in womens tennis over the past decade, has won the US Open three times but the former world number one was relegated to 28th seed after her ranking tumbled during her long absence from the game, because of health problems.Williams fared well in the draw. If results go according to seedings, she could face Italys Francesca Schiavone in the quarter-finals and world number one Caroline Wozniacki in the semis.But before the tournament even starts on Monday, the threat of hurricane Irene impacting New York is playing on the minds of US Open attendees.