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Considering her No. 28 seed, Serena Williams is in as sweet a spot as possible after yesterday’s draw for the U.S. Open, which begins Monday.
After her controversial low seed a day earlier by the USTA, all eyes were on whom Williams would wind up with in the third round — destined to play one of the top eight seeds. As it turns out, Serena got lucky, drawing No. 4 Victoria Azarenka, a tough out but one whom Williams whipped two weeks ago in Montreal.
“Poor, poor, poor Azarenka,” said John McEnroe, co-hosting the draw ceremony at the BJK National Tennis Center with his brother, Patrick. “It’s a pretty good setup for Serena. Serena and [Maria] Sharapova are the favorites.”
Later on a CBS conference call, McEnroe and Mary Carillo criticized the USTA for not giving Williams a better seed. The USTA elected to stick with the rankings in seeding Williams, who missed much of the year with a spate of bizarre injuries. (Wimbledon had given Williams the benefit of the doubt and seeded her seventh.)
“Absurd is too strong a word, but I don’t know why they didn’t do it,” McEnroe said. “It’s a disservice to Azarenka to play her in the third round. Nobody would’ve complained if she was top eight minimum.”
The interesting angle in the men’s draw came when No. 3 Roger Federer was placed on the same side as No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic, meaning they would face off in the semis. (No. 2 Rafael Nadal would get No. 4 Andy Murray in the other semifinal).
Djokovic may have to beat Federer and defending champion Nadal back-to-back to win his third Slam of the year and complete arguably the most accomplished year ever. Djokovic is 57-2 entering the Open. In 1984, McEnroe was 59-2 entering the Open and finished 82-3 — the highest winning percentage (.965) in a year.
Citing the depth of men’s tennis, his 57-2 record and Djokovic having won a series of top-level ATP events, McEnroe raved: “Certainly if he runs the table, it will be the greatest year ever.”
Meanwhile, a slimmer Serena is on a tear. Her comeback started slow with a fourth-round KO at Wimbledon. But Williams has roared to two hardcourt titles since. She pulled out of Cincinnati last week mid-tournament because the same toe she injured in a German bar swelled up. But the withdrawal was viewed as precautionary.
“I don’t think this is a good time for me to take a big chance,” Serena said after withdrawing.
In one of her Cincinnati matches, a fan shouted to Williams about her skinny legs.
“I definitely think it’s the most fit I’ve been in general,” said Serena, who battled a sliced-up foot and blood clot before her Wimbledon comeback. “I’ve never used me and skinny in the same sentence.”
With two-time defending champion Kim Clijsters having pulled out, No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki having a rotten summer and Sharapova drawing a tough possible quarterfinal vs. No. 5 Petra Kvitova, who beat her in the Wimbledon finals, the stage is set for a fourth Open title for Serena.
“I don’t think Serena was ever going to care where she was seeded,” Carillo said. “I don’t think it’s ever mattered to her. She’s just going to face anyone across the net from her. It’s all where her state of mind is. She won two of four tournaments this summer and pronounced herself ready to win this again.”
Her injury-wracked sister, Venus, meanwhile is unseeded and could have an early ouster in facing No. 22 Sabine Lisicki in the second round.
Nadal, who attended the draw ceremony, said blisters that ravaged his hand in Cincy after touching a hot plate at a Japanese eatery have mostly healed. Flushing Meadows had never been his tonic until last September when he won his first Open, sealed a “career Slam” and prompted his new autobiography” “Rafa.” Nadal’s hand better be OK because he’s got book signings in Manhattan this weekend.
“It was really an emotional win for me,” Nadal said of the 2010 Open. “I haven’t played my best in the past here. I played one of my best matches ever in The Finals.”
The window may be closing for five-time Open champ Federer, who turned 30 earlier this month and could face Mardy Fish in the quarters. Perhaps this fortnight will be the big breakthrough for Fish, the highest-seeded American for the first time, supplanting Andy Roddick. Fish has never been past the quarters in a Slam.
“Mardy’s never been fit enough to do well in a major,” Carillo said. “Now he is.”
Still McEnroe does not see a dark horse winning the Open.
“One of the top four guys is going to win this thing,” McEnroe said. “It’s (Murray’s) best-ever chance to win a major.”
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USTA spokesman Chris Widmaier said he’s not worried about Hurricane Irene ruining Saturday’s Ashe Kids Day or Monday’s opening day. “We are tracking the weather very closely,” Widmaier said. “As of the latest forecast, we are confient we will get the remainder of the qualifier tournament in tomorrow and are hopeful we will not need to make any adjustments to Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day.”
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It will be Blonde Night at the Garden when the World’s Most Famous Arena hosts its annual tennis event in late February/early March. The Post has learned Maria Sharapova will headline the BNP Paribas-sponsored event and face the U.S. Open’s No. 1 seed, Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark.
The men’s match, according to a person familiar with the Garden’s negotiations, is expected to be Federer vs. Roddick. The newly renovated Garden has not announced the card. Last winter, the Garden tennis card went with a old-timer doubleheader — Andre Agassi vs. Pete Sampras and McEnroe vs. Ivan Lendl.