Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have been drawn in the same of the draw for the season’s final Grand Slam, the US Open.
Federer will open up his campaign against American Frances Tiafoe and could face the dangerous Nick Kyrgios as early as the fourth round, while a meeting with Rafa Nadal could come in the semi-finals.
New World Number One Nadal will play Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic in the opening round in a quarter of the draw that contains Grigor Dimitrov.
Andy Murray – knocked off the top of the rankings this week – will face Tennys Sandgren in his opening match and, should he make it to the latter stages in New York, will avoid Federer and Nadal until the final.
With the physical demands of modern-day tennis taking its toll the tournament will start without four of the top 11 in the ATP rankings, including defending champion Stan Wawrinka who ended his season early with a knee injury.
Twice champion Novak Djokovic (elbow), 2014 runner-up Kei Nishikori (wrist) and Milos Raonic (wrist) are also absent while 2012 champion Andy Murray and 2014 winner Marin Cilic have been sidelined since Wimbledon by injuries.
Federer, looking to win three grand slam titles in the same year for the first time since 2007, withdrew from Cincinnati with a back niggle and while Nadal, who returned this week to world number one, is fit, his form of late has been patchy.
All the more reason that Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem and Nick Kyrgios - to name but three - will be relishing seizing a golden opportunity in the Big Apple.
Of those Germany's 20-year-old Zverev looks the best bet to shake it up after rising to sixth in the world after beating Federer in the Rogers Cup in Montreal - the biggest title so far for the six-foot-six-inch powerhouse.
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