2012 US Open men's draw, a look at the top and bottom half of the draw

The 2012 US Open men’s draw has finally been released! I cannot wait for the the final major of the year to start! Will Novak Djokovic be able to defend his 2011 title? Will Roger Federer get revenge for his two semifinal losses from 2011 and 2010? Will there be a first time champion or will the world see a past champion be crowned once more? The closer we get to the 2012 US Open, the more we begin to hear about predictions for each round. The qualifying players have no finished their matches so the main draw is incomplete. Below is a look at the top and bottom half of the 2012 US Open men’s draw.

The 2012 US Open men’s seeds:

1. Roger Federer*	17. Kei Nishikori
2. Novak Djokovic*	18. Stanislas Wawrinka
3. Andy Murray	19. Philipp Kohlschreiber
4. David Ferrer	20. Andy Roddick*
5. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga	21. Tommy Haas
6. Tomas Berdych	22. Florian Mayer
7. Juan Martin Del Potro*	23. Mardy Fish
8. Janko Tipsarevic	24. Marcel Granollers
9. John Isner	25. Fernando Verdasco
10. Juan Monaco	26. Andreas Seppi
11. Nicolas Almagro	27. Sam Querrey
12. Marin Cilic	28. Mikhail Youzhny
13. Richard Gasquet	29. Viktor Troicki
14. Alexandr Dolgopolov	30. Feliciano Lopez
15. Milos Raonic	31. Julien Benneteau
16. Gilles Simon	32. Jeremy Chardy
* Player has won a major title

Nothing really out of the ordinary with the seeded players. It’s nice to see all the hard work that American, John Isner has put in is paying off with the #9 seed. Last year, Argentine, Juan Monaco was unseeded; now Monaco has shot up the rankings to capture the #10 spot.

Roger Federer’s 2012 US Open draw

2012 US Open men's top half of the draw — 2012 US Open men’s top half of the draw

As the #1 seed, and 5 time US Open champion, Roger Federer has one of the easiest paths to the semifinals. Federer will not face much of a challenge until the round of 16, where he could potentially meet American Mardy Fish. Unfortunate for Fish, Federer owns the American on hard courts. The two most recently met in Cincinnati, two weeks prior to the 2012 US Open, with Federer edging out the American in straight sets. In the quarters, the maestro could have a meeting with Spaniard, Nicolas Almagro. This quarterfinal match, if it happens, should be a cakewalk for Federer; Roger leads Almagro 8 to 0 in their head to head meetings.

Roger Federer’s 2012 US Open semifinal could be where it’s crunch time. There is a very good possibility that he will face Olympic gold medalist, Andy Murray. As you all know, Andy Murray beat Federer in the Olympic finals at Wimbledon. This is where the tournament gets super exciting. Will Roger get revenge on Andy for giving him a straight sets beating on his best surface? Or is this the year that Murray lives up to the expectations and makes his way to his maiden major title? I’m hoping that Federer will be out for blood. He has lost 2 consecutive semifinal US Open matches in a row (after having match points to boot!). I bet money that Federer is hungry for a US Open final appearance and will not let anything, or anybody, get in his way.

If Roger Federer can reach the 2012 US Open final, he will likely meet his US Open nemesis, Novak Djokovic (2011 US Open Champion). As it stands this year, Federer has been stomping on the Serbian, with wins at Wimbledon and most recently in Cincinnati, handing the #2 a warm bagel. Both of their last meetings were on hard courts, although, Djokovic has won their previous two meetings at Flushing Meadows. I’ll have to wait and see how both men play in their early rounds.

Novak Djokovic’s 2012 US Open draw

2012 US Open men's bottom half of the draw — 2012 US Open men’s bottom half of the draw

The #2 seeded player and 2011 US Open champion, Novak Djokovic was given a noticeably tougher draw. His draw doesn’t get tricky until the quarterfinal, where he has a very good chance of meeting 2009 US Open champion, Juan Martin Del Potro. This match could be very tight, if a confident Delpo shows up, he could be lethal on the forehand side. If Djokovic shows any sign of fatigue or pain, he could be in some serious trouble. There’s also a good possibility that Djokovic will be seeking Olympic revenge, where JMDP took out the Serbian to capture the Bronze medal. I’m sure that the loss he endure stung a little bit, and like Federer, will be out there to seek revenge.

Djokovic will likely face the other top 10 Spaniard, David Ferrer in the semifinals. The five foot nine, scrapper has had plenty of 2012 success, winning 5 titles in 2012 (Aukland, Buenos Aires, Acapulco, s-Hertogenbosch, and Bastad). The scrapper has been in the top 10 since October 2010, yet has never been to a major final. I personally don’t think that Novak Djokovic will have any issues with Ferrer, it will be tight but I don’t think it’s going to be anything for him to worry about.

I still haven’t fully predicted the 2012 US Open winners or losers, I just wanted to quickly talk about the top and bottom halves of the draw. Don’t worry, more 2012 US Open predictions to come!

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G.O.A.T

Based in sunny Southern California, raised in Argentina & USA; lover of all things tennis, USRSA Master Racquet Technician (MRT), ATP/WTA Pro Level Stringer; reviewer of tennis strings, tennis racquets, and any interesting tennis gadgets I come across. Plays NTRP 4.5 singles and some doubles. Singled handed backhand with a wicked affection for cured meats and Asado.