In the upper half, the first week schedule is more difficult than the second week.
In the lower half, the second week schedule is more difficult than the first week.
To sum it up in one sentence, this is an extremely balanced yet extremely extreme draw. A quick glance at it is enough to make professionals' brains go wild.
Zone 3/4, "Federer VS Wawrinka"——
Death zone.
In fact, the breath of a storm could have been smelled from the matchups in the quarterfinals. Just when people thought that the Swiss derby would be the biggest highlight of this division, the names that Gawain picked out continued to refresh people's perceptions, so that the Serbian and British reporters in the media center all shut their mouths.
Take a breath of cold air.
Federer will face Isner in the round of 16, and Wawrinka will face Simon in the round of 16. These two matches can already feel the confrontation and impact, but the real highlights are yet to come:
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Monfils. Troicki. Karlovic. Vesely.
A series of names easily set Zone 3/4 on fire. Putting aside the others for now, no one can underestimate the three French musketeers: Tsonga, Monfils and Simon.
In terms of explosiveness, impact and threat, Tsonga and Monfils are the best among the top 16 seeds. Now they have joined Simon in the same division. The Swiss derby quarter-finals between Federer and Wawrinka are full of variables, and both players will need to undergo severe tests.
Of course, if these players want to get in front of Federer or Wawrinka, they also have their own tests to pass, it's not that simple.
It can be said that the real test of this division starts from the third round, gets into the main topic in the fourth round, and becomes more and more dangerous as time goes on.
Of course, that’s not all.
Overall, the matchups in the first two and three rounds still lack some highlights, the only exception being Federer's first-round draw.
The situation is slightly different from that of Nadal and Murray. Federer's first-round opponent is L-Mayer of Argentina, whose impact does not seem to be that strong, but at last year's Shanghai Masters, Mayer had five match points when facing the Swiss king.
Not only the Swiss media, but also Federer's supporters around the world couldn't help but sigh when they saw this draw -
This is, without a doubt, the Death Zone.
People can't help but think of Djokovic in April and May. After losing the French Open final, he took a short break from the court to rest and adjust, and then embarked on the Wimbledon title defense journey under tremendous pressure. In the end, he defeated Federer with an unparalleled performance to defend the title, which was truly breathtaking.
Now Federer seems to be in the same situation. After losing the Wimbledon final at the peak of his confidence, he took a short break from the court and bid farewell to tennis temporarily. After resting for nearly two months, he regained his motivation. His performance in Cincinnati, where he defeated Murray and Djokovic without losing a set, was perfect.
Maybe... Federer will also copy Djokovic's path and win his 18th Grand Slam title in New York? As a result, a bucket of cold water was poured directly on him, and a death zone draw was placed in front of him, which made people laugh and cry.
Not to mention the Swiss media, even Yu Jia and others smiled bitterly.
Is it fair to say that Gao Wen's luck in drawing lots is a blessing? From all indications, the first three zones have their own challenges. Does this mean that Gao Wen drew a good lot for his 4/4 zone?
Not necessarily.
Other zones have their own challenges, and Zone 4/4 has its own circumstances.
Strictly speaking, balance and traps are the biggest highlights of this year's draw; they are also the main theme throughout the entire season. From the Challenger League to the Youth Storm, and even to Djokovic's fluctuations and Murray's recovery, the ATP does present a situation of a hundred schools of thought contending.
For Gao Wen’s fans, Gao Wen’s luck in the draw is neither good nor bad, which is a bit ridiculous.
It is precisely because of this that the neutral fans celebrated collectively, giving Gawain a thumbs-up and shouting "May the European Emperor live forever!"
Zone 4/4, “Gawain VS Berdych”.
Judging from the matchups in the quarterfinals alone, Gawain has drawn a very good lot. Berdych has been in poor form recently, and his slump has continued from the grass court season to the US Open series, where he has performed very badly. In addition, Gawain always performs well against Berdych, so once they meet, Gawain should have a greater chance of winning.
However, this is not the case.
Gowen's opponent in the round of 16 is Goffin, and Berdych's opponent in the round of 16 is Gasquet. The latter two players are both tough players who have been on the rise recently. Their strength, form and confidence are at a small peak. They are also representatives of the Challenger League and the Youth Storm.
Moreover, there are no giants in this division, and the top seed Gao Wen still lacks some deterrent power. Coupled with the unexpected injury, his dominance is further shaken. It is unknown how he can perform in New York this time, which is an encouragement to other competitors.
Be it Goffin or Gasquet, as well as players ranked around 20th or 30th in the world such as Agut, Tomic, etc., all can see hope, especially after seeing the performance of Chardy and Dolgopolov in the US Open series, maybe they can all burst out with more energy.
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These players are the real danger.
It can be seen at this point that, as a whole, the draws for the second week in the lower half, including the round of 16, quarterfinals, and semifinals, are all very tough, and it can almost be said that every game is a tough battle, which also echoes the upper half; but fortunately, the other non-seeded players in the first three rounds are not strong overall.
In this division led by Gao Wen, the low-ranked and unseeded players generally lack some impact, and there are not many players worth mentioning.
What really deserves attention are the two veterans who are entering the end of their careers, Hewitt and Fish.
Hewitt has not yet announced his retirement plans, but every time he comes to a Grand Slam, the topic of retirement has become an unavoidable focus of the press conference.
Hewitt's first Grand Slam trophy in his career was the 2001 US Open. His first breakthrough in a Grand Slam was also at the 2000 US Open. The last time he broke through the third round of a Grand Slam was at the 2013 US Open. All the good memories are related to this place.
Returning to his lucky place this time, Hewitt also hopes to make it to the third round again after two years. Judging from the draw, he has some chances.
Fish, who is affectionately called "Big Fish" by fans, has already confirmed that he will retire after the end of this year's US Open. This will be his last tournament.
As one of the representatives of the golden generation of American tennis, Fish's retirement will also herald the complete end of this generation of players. Next, American tennis will need the generation of players born after 1995 to take up the banner. It is conceivable that this year's US Open will usher in a sad moment.
Unlike Hewitt who is still eager for victory, Fish is just looking forward to stepping into the US Open for the last time to put an end to his career. As for winning or losing, it is no longer the point. What is important is a farewell, a period, and a last look back.
The topic's popularity inevitably focused on these two veterans.