Olympic men's singles medalists (from left) Fernando Gonzalez, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have high hopes for the U.S. Open. Behrouz Mehri/Getty Images

Here are some initial musings and reactions to the U.S. Open draw, which was held Thursday morning.

Men's top seeds

1. Rafael Nadal: Though he's never even played deep into week two at the U.S. Open, the hottest player in the sport -- and new No. 1 -- has to be considered the favorite. Provided he has the stamina after Beijing, there's a real opportunity for Nadal to live up to his new ranking. If Rafa can win a third Slam to complement his Beijing gold, he'll have turned in one of the all-time great seasons.

2. Roger Federer: It's jarring to see Federer as a second seed. This is his last chance to win a Slam in 2008 and salvage a year that, by his standards anyway, has been dismal. But is he up to it? The four-time defending champ hasn't won a hard court event all year, he's visibly tired, and now he's dealing with an annoying interloper: self-doubt. (Plus, he got unlucky and has to face Djokovic in the semis.)

3. Novak Djokovic: The Serb has been lost a bit in the Nadal-Federer passion play. But he's won the previous hard court Slam and beat Nadal in Cincy under Open-like conditions. Nadal, of course, won the rematch in Beijing, but we still like Djokovic to win and thicken the plot further.

4. David Ferrer: There's a big drop-off after the first three seeds, but Ferrer was a semifinalist last year. If he lives up to his seeding again, it will be an achievement.

5. Nikolay Davydenko: The Key Biscayne winner -- and semifinalist in 2007 -- is capable of big results on hard courts, but admits to lacking a passion for tennis at the moment. A nice draw will enable him to play for a few rounds.

6. Andy Murray: Probably the best contender after the Big Three. Murray had been playing the best tennis of his career heading to Beijing. He was a flop at the Olympics but, aided by a reasonably kind draw, is a good bet to stay fashionably late in New York. We're predicting semis.

7. David Nalbandian: Nalbo has devolved into one of those maddening players, capable of beating anyone, losing to anyone -- and seldom seeming to care much either way.

8. Andy Roddick: Big opportunity with Federer reeling and Nadal and Djokovic surely fatigued from Beijing. But Roddick's summer gambit (code name: Olympic bypass) backfired as he lost every event this summer and comes to New York lacking both a coach and momentum. The good news for fans: he drew Fabrice Santoro in round one. Roddick ought to win that but Ernests Gulbis lurks in round two.

9. James Blake: One wonders what he took away from Beijing: the upset of Federer or the disappointment of losing to Gonzalez. Blake's underwhelming Slam results are, of course, old news. But take a look at his draw: Beyond the intriguing first rounder against Donald Young, the quarters sure look like a reasonable destination.

10. Stanislas Wawrinka: Major Stan (Valcheck) has virtually no profile in the U.S. but that could change with a nice first week of tennis. In the wide open Murray-Del Potro-Ferrer quadrant.

11. Fernando Gonzalez: Gonzo is fresh off a silver medal. Which, if history is any indication, suggests he's due for a crash. Interesting to see if there's any fallout from his incident with Blake, who's a darling in Queens.

12. Richard Gasquet: The chronic severe stress fracture of confidence is always a concern, but the Frenchman has the native talent to play with anyone.

13. Fernando Verdasco: Love the big forehand and he has proven himself on hard courts.

14. Ivo Karlovic: As always, Dr. Ivo is the player no one else wants to face. When his serve is dialed, he can beat anyone, Federer included. When it's off, he's in trouble, as was the case in New Haven last week.

15. Tommy Robredo: Nice guy. Chronic underachiever in Slams.

16, Gilles Simon: One of the hotter players post-Wimbledon -- and among the legion of Federer-beaters -- the little-known Frenchman has a good chance of a deep run.

Seeds 17-32

Juan Martin del Potro: JMDP has been smoldering over the past six weeks. Provided he hasn't peaked too soon, put him on the short list of players to watch.

Nicolas Almagro: Still unclear: Is he a Spaniard in the model of Ferrer (industrious, overachieving grinder) or Robredo (pleasant guy, but a mediocrity off of clay)?

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga: Playing in his first Slam since the Aussie breakthrough. If the body holds up, we've already seen what he's capable of doing on hard courts.

Marin Cilic: After JMDP and Gulbis, one of the more exciting younger players around.

Paul Henri Mathieu: Under Mats Wilander's tutelage, PHM is projecting confidence.

Dark Horses

Ernests Gulbis: Lanky Latvian is a future top tenner.

Tommy Haas: Too fragile to win, but always dangerous for one match.

Marat Safin: Like buying insurance at the blackjack table.

Janko Tipsarevic: Strong big match player, though he has an annoying habit of following an upset with a vacant performance.

Marcos Baghdatis: Has he ever recovered from that Agassi match?

First-round matches to watch

Andy Roddick v. Fabrice Santoro: Another night session with Fabrice Santoro. All is right with the world.

Donald Young v. James Blake: The footspeed special.

Vince Spadea v. Marat Safin: We can hear the free-styling already. "Marat gave me the garrot."

Tommy Haas v. Richard Gasquet: Lots of talent for a first rounder.

Tomas Berdych v. Sam Querrey: Big chance for Querrey's awaited breakthrough.

Blue plate upset special: Haas def. Gasquet
Doubles winners: Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic, piggy-backing their Wimbledon title.
Semis: Nadal v. Murray, Djokovic v. Federer
Final: Nadal v. Djokovic
Champion: Djokovic

Women top seeds

1. Ana Ivanovic: Serb has done little of note after winning the French Open, pulling out of Beijing with an arm injury. Mental toughness is still a question, but if A.I. is semi-healthy, she has a real chance to win her second Slam of 2008. Such is the degree of flux in women's tennis right now.

2. Jelena Jankovic: The cut-and-paste for women's tennis applies: her health and fitness will be a huge factor. Jankovic's speed and defense should serve her well on hard courts, but she still needs to prove herself deep in a Slam. But one worries about the physical impact of slugging out seven hard-court matches in heat.

3. Svetlana Kuznetsova: The 2004 champ is on the short list of contenders, particularly since she's a past winner. But she consistently disappoints in the big matches. Unclear if she truly believes she can win.

4. Serena Williams: With Sharapova M.I.A., Serena might well be the biggest drawing card on the women's side. But it's worth noting that she hasn't so much as made the U.S. Open semifinal since 2002, the year she won. Overdue for success at the Open and, to her credit, knows it. Will this be the year?

5. Elena Dementieva: She won in Beijing and -- with some help from jetlag medication -- there's little reason she can't double her pleasure in New York. Say what you will about her serve, the rest of her game is solid. And now that's brimming with confidence -- and the rest of the field in disarray -- we're predicting a breakthrough here.

6. Dinara Safina: Perhaps the hottest player in the women's game over the past four or five months. Mental demons appear to be a thing of the past and the improved fitness will pay dividends. Needs to prove she's champion material but unquestionably on the short list of contenders.

7. Venus Williams: As always, pick against her at your own peril. But not a lot of follow-up after her smashing Wimbledon. Probably worth noting too that she hasn't won a major off grass since 2001. If she and Serena meet in the quarters -- and how unlucky they're in the same quadrant -- look for lil' sis to advance.

8. Vera Zvonareva: Lacks the weapons to compete for Slams. And while the tear ducts no longer get such a workout, she has the capacity to self-destruct. Still, she's a dangerous player coming off a bronze medal showing.

9. Agnieszka Radwanska: Last year, Radwanska -- then a little known, rat-loving Pole -- upset Maria Sharapova. She returns this year as a top 10 seed. Fun player to watch, though, like Zvonareva, her game is in need of more firepower.

10. Anna Chakvetadze: Game is in a mild state of disarray right now. Recently split with coach Robert Lansdorp and, one suspects, she's simply playing out the season before a much-needed break.

11. Daniela Hantuchova: Slovak has been quiet lately. Sure can't argue with her draw -- won't play a top 100 opponent until round three -- but it's hard to see her lasting long beyond the middle Saturday.

12. Marion Bartoli: Marion the Contrarion has played admirably well this summer, recouping some ranking points and holding up surprisingly well on the hard courts. A fun player to watch as well.

13. Agnes Szavay: Hot and cold player is capable of big things but also capable of fading early.

14. Viktoria Azarenka: Like many, we're bullish on Phoenix-based Belarusian.

15. Patty Schnyder: Was it really a decade ago that she beat Steffi Graf? Swiss Miss is always fun to watch but her days of competing for Slams -- brief as they were -- are behind her.

16. Flavia Pennetta: Recovered from romantic breakup, top-ranked Italian is having a quietly successful year. A shame she's in the same quarter as Ivanovic and Safina.

Seeds 17-32

17. Alize Cornet: Extra value is what you get, when you buy Cornet. One of the better young players around.

19. Nadia Petrova: Former top five player has repaired her game of late.

21. Caroline Wozniacki: Dane keeps winning and she has a real chance of top 10 by year's end.

23. Lindsay Davenport: At full health, she's a threat. Unfortunately for her, the body isn't holding up as she'd hoped.

25. Shahar Peer: Israeli has regressed a bit this year, but she'll get plenty of fan support in New York.

29. Amelie Mauresmo: Vectors are pointing in the wrong direction. Still, she was the No. 1 player in the world just two years ago.

Dark Horses

Na Li: Chinese veteran coming off a strong Olympics performance. First match against Shahar Peer should be a good one.

Jie Zheng: Can Wimbledon semifinalist make it two solid Slams in a row?

Bethanie Mattek: American playing best tennis of her career. And the outfits are always worth noting.

Sabine Lisicki: Flavor-of-the-month has a nice opportunity to make a splash.

Tamira Paszek: Giant-killer is a future top tenner.

First-round matches to watch

Ana Ivanovic v. Vera Dushevina: If top seed is off it could be a long day.

Serena Williams v. Kateryna Bondarenko: Williams will win, but not the first-round patsy she'd surely hoped to face.

Venus Williams v. Sam Stosur: Play it again: Williams will win, but not the first-round patsy she had surely hoped to face.

Blue plate upset special: Tamira Paszek def. Maria Kirilenko
Doubles winners: Lisa Raymond and Sam Stosur -- provided the Williams sisters don't take a last-minute wild card.
Semis: Dementieva v. Azarenka, Safina v. Serena Williams
Final: Dementieva v. Serena Williams
Champion: Dementieva