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The U.S. Open announced its seeds on Tuesday, with the whole field seeded according to ranking. There were no surprises on the men’s singles side as all 32 seeds were seeded by ranking when the U.S. Open tournament committee released its men’s singles seeds on Tuesday. See all 32 seeded men's singles player below:

U.S. Open Seeds: Men's Singles pic.twitter.com/asfwrtTmuN

— TennisNow (@Tennis_Now) August 21, 2018

Defending champion and World No.1 Rafael Nadal is the top seed while five-time champion and World No.2 Roger Federer seeded second. 2009 champion Juan Martin del Potro is seeded third and Alexander Zverev is seeded four.

Two-time champion Novak Djokovic is seeded sixth and will be drawn to face one of the top four seeds in the quarterfinals.

Djokovic’s placement won’t be the only big mystery to be revealed at the U.S. Open draw ceremony on Thursday at 2 P.M.—fans are also eager to know where wild card Stan Wawrinka and unseeded Andy Murray will be placed in the draw. Both players could potentially end up facing a top seed in the first or second round.

The World No.26 is the only singles player to get seeded higher than her current ranking at this year's U.S. Open. Serena Williams received a seeding bump of nine spots form the U.S. Open seeding committee and thus will be seeded 17 at this year’s tournament.

Williams, a six-time U.S. Open champion, is the only player in either the men’s singles or women’s singles draw to be seeded above her ranking.

It’s great news for the American, who will now avoid a Top 8 player in the first three rounds of the tournament. Had Williams been seeded in accordance with her ranking of 26 in the world, she would have been seeded to face a player ranked No.1 through No.8 in the world in the third round.

As it stands now, if Williams advances to the third round she would be slated to face a No.9 through No.16 seed.

Here are the current U.S. Open women’s singles seeds:

U.S. Open seeds: Women's Singles pic.twitter.com/pfXAw1JP9W

— TennisNow (@Tennis_Now) August 21, 2018

“After balancing a variety of factors, including her return to competition following the birth of her daughter, her recent hard-court performance this summer and recognition of her achievements at the US Open, the USTA has moved Serena Williams’ seeding nine spots, from 26 to 17," said Managing Director of Corporate Communications Chris Widmaier. "We feel this is the appropriate decision, one that recognizes Serena and is fair to the remaining seeded players.”

Main draw play at this year’s U.S. Open begins on Monday August 27. The tournament is celebrating the arrival of a second roof on the newly rebuilt Louis Armstrong Stadium.

Forbes reports that eight of the world's Top 10 highest-paid female athletes are tennis players. Serena Williams heads Forbes’ list of the highest-paid female athletes of 2018, despite the fact that the American has only earned $62K of prize money in the 12-month period that ended on June 1, 2018.

The highest-paid female athletes of 2018:

1. Serena Williams
2. Caroline Wozniacki
3. Sloane Stephenshttps://t.co/F78SXGpz8J pic.twitter.com/yviyRsA2Tj

— Forbes (@Forbes) August 21, 2018

Tennis players make up eight of the Top 10 on the list, with Indian badminton player P.V. Sindhu seventh on the list and American race car driver Danica Patrick coming in at nine.

Here are where the eight tennis players rank in the Top 10.

1. Serena Williams — Total earnings: $18.1 million ($62k Prize money, $18m endorsements)

2. Caroline Wozniacki — Total earnings: $13 million ($7 million prize money, $6 million endorsements)

3. Sloane Stephens — Total earnings: $11.2 million ($5.7 million prize money, $5.5 million endorsements)

4. Garbine Muguruza — Total earnings: $11 million ($5.5 million prize money, $5.5 million endorsements)

5. Maria Sharapova — Total earnings: $10.5 million ($1 million prize money, $9.5 million endorsements)

6. Venus Williams — Total earnings: $10.2 million ($4.2 million prize money, $6 million endorsements)

8. Simona Halep — Total earnings: $7.7 million ($6.2 million prize money, $1.5 million endorsements)

10. Angelique Kerber — Total earnings: $7 million ($3 million prize money, $4 million endorsements)

Williams has more than a dozen sponsors, including Nike, JPMorgan Chase, Lincoln, Gatorade and Beats. According to Forbes, only 16 athletes made more than Williams over the past 12 months from endorsements–she made twice as much off the court as any other female athlete.

Forbes reports that Sharapova is still down more than 50 percent after the fallout from her 16-month suspension for taking a banned substance. The Russian ranks fifth this year at $10.5 million, but only only earned $1 million in the time period.

It's official: The promising German has added Ivan Lendl to his team. Alexander Zverev has officially added Ivan Lendl to his coaching team. The 21-year-old announced the news in an Instagram post on Tuesday.

 

Welcome to the team Ivan Lendl

A post shared by Alexander Zverev (@alexzverev123) on

Aug 21, 2018 at 12:04pm PDT

The German was last seen working with Lendl before the start of the U.S. hardcourt swing in Florida. When asked, he said it was just a few days, nothing more, and added that he’d keep us posted if any news broke.

We have yet to hear much from either party, but did get this tweet from Jerry Solomon, Lendl's manager.

#IvanLendl on @sascha_zverev: “Sascha has a unique set of skills and a great work ethic so I am looking forward to helping him achieve his goals.”

— Jerry Solomon (@JerrySolomon_SG) August 21, 2018

That news is now broken, and a new era for the promising German begins. Zverev, who won the Citi Open title before losing in the quarterfinals at the Rogers Cup and the first round at the Western and Southern Open, is 43-13 on the season with three titles.

Lendl, who owns the record for most consecutive U.S. Open finals reached as a player, coached Andy Murray to all three of his Grand Slam titles during two coaching stints with the British star.

The Frenchman shows why he's one of the game's underrated shotmakers–again.

Novak Djokovic got the win over Adrian Mannarino on Wednesday at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati, but it’s the Frenchman who gets shot of the day honors as a result of this imaginative sequence that featured a running reverse scoop shot that eventually led to a put-away forehand for Mannarino.

It was a beautiful display of creativity from the Frenchman, who is really on of the more underrated shotmakers in the game.

All in a day's work, right @AdrianMannarino?

👏#CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/WuXQikYXRl

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 15, 2018

Stars will shine in New York, day or night.
Fila stars will shine, day and night, in New York City this month.

Fila unveiled its 2018 US Open apparel.

Cahill: More On-Court Coaching

Former US Open finalist Karolina Pliskova, Ashleigh Barty and Timea Babos will wear the Fila women’s heritage collection, which features shimmering stars and glamorous stripes.

Karolina Pliskova will wear the Heritage Star Dress, inspired by a similar 2003 Fila New York City showstopper once worn by Jennifer Capriati.

The Fila men’s legends collection will be worn by sponsored players Marin Cilic, John Isner, Sam Querrey, and Diego Schwartzman.

The legends collection features a smooth color combination of saturated green contrasted by gray and white, a nod to the brand's archives. Cilic, the 2016 US Open champion, will wear the t-shirt.

John Isner will wear the green, gray and white polo shirt.

The collection boasts pinhole mesh ventilation, high-performance articulated shoulder seams, side seams, draw cords and zippers in contrasting colors.

The legends collection offers two short sleeve crew styles, two polo style shirts and a long sleeve crew; each top pairs with the legends short, available in both gray and white. It's worn here by Sam Querrey.

Photo credit: Fila

Six-time US Open champion will sport black, one-shoulder dress.
Serena Williams will make a major fashion statement at the US Open this month.

The six-time US Open champion will wear a black, one-shoulder dress designed by Virgil Abloh for Nike.

Simona: Sloane Makes Me Better

Vogue Magazine posted images of Serena's US Open outfit here.

Serena's name is stiched onto the sleeve of the dress and on the customized NikeCourt Flair sneakers she'll wear in New York.

Abloh's quotation graphic, the word "logo", appears above the Nike swoosh logo on the dress.

“When I first tried on the dress, I felt very strong and feminine at the same time," Williams told Vogue Magazine. "It has all the really strong elements, from the leather to that really cool stretchy material.

"I felt so feminine in the tutu, which is probably my favorite part of it. It really embodies what I always say: that you can be strong and beautiful at the same time."

 

“QUEEN” @off____white

A post shared by Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) on

Aug 13, 2018 at 10:50am PDT

A limited edition of Serena's dress and jacket will be available at select Nike locations in the U.S. beginning in late August, Vogue Magazine reports. 

Photo credit: Nike

The Greek freak wants to put in the hard yards down the road. Stefanos Tsitsipas didn’t get the win on his 20th birthday and instead lost to Rafael Nadal 6-2, 7-6(4) in the Rogers Cup final. But the loss was not in vain because the Greek says he learned a valuable lesson from falling to Nadal on Sunday.

Tsitsipas says that the thing that stuck out most to him about the final is how big the gap between himself and Nadal is right now.

"And the patience that Rafa has is amazing. He never cracks. He will always grab you like a bulldog and always will have you–he will always make you suffer on the court."

Stefanos Tsitsipas on playing Nadal

📸@tennis_shots pic.twitter.com/1xAV9e6kLo

— TennisNow (@Tennis_Now) August 13, 2018

“How much gap there is between him and me in our games, and how much more I need to—I don't know,” Tsitsipas said. “I don't want to be rude, but bust my ass more on the court.”

The Greek became defeated four Top 10 players en route to his first Masters 1000 final, but in the end his takeaway was that he needs to work even harder to get where he wants to go.

Credit Tsitsipas for having the presence of mind to recognize his deficiencies and to view his defeat as a chance to further his development. Not all players would come away from a groundbreaking run to a final with such perspective, and it shows that Tsitsipas may indeed have what it takes to make good on all the potential he has shown in 2018.

What does he need to do in order to get to the next level?

“Work more hours and become stronger and more solid baseliner,” he said. “And withstand pressures, physical pressures on the court that to [Nadal] it just seems like nothing special. That's the big difference between my game and his game.”

Tsitsipas has talked often about how he has watched Federer and Nadal closely, looking for clues to their success. He demonstrated a very good read on what makes Nadal so special and shared his observations after the final.

“And the patience that Rafa has is amazing,” he said. “He never cracks. He will always grab you like a bulldog and always will have you—he will always make you suffer on the court. And it is amazing what he has built as a player. I mean, he was … normal like all of us, and he managed to become this beast, this monster that he is today.”

Tsitsipas will rise to No.15 in the ATP rankings on Monday, up 12 spots thanks to his performance in Toronto. But he knows the hardest work has yet to be done. Thanks to Nadal, he was given a first-hand glimpse of what it might take, and he was paying attention like a good student.

“I need to work much more,” Tsitsipas concluded, “and hopefully I can reach his level one day.”

The Spaniard doesn't live for practice, he lives for improvements. Does practice make perfect? From Rafael Nadal’s perspective there is no perfection, only the quest for improvement. And that’s what the Spaniard says gets him out of bed in the morning.

“I think things are not easy, never, at all even if you are very good,” 32-year-old Nadal told reporters after winning the Rogers Cup on Sunday.

"It's about always improving. So if you want to keep having the same success than you had 10 years ago, you need to add things to your game. So that's why I wake up every morning…"

— Rafael Nadal

📸@tennis_shots pic.twitter.com/CNCqBSMGGR

— TennisNow (@Tennis_Now) August 13, 2018

Nadal admits that he may have lost a step—okay maybe a tenth of a step—over the course of his 16-year professional career, but he says that he can make up with that by adding to his game in other ways.

It’s a challenge he has embraced emphatically throughout his career, and it explains the rapid rise of his backhand over the last few seasons, and his ability to do more with the drop shot than ever before.

He doesn’t just practice, he aspires.

“And my way to understand my career and this sport in general is if my career already is for 16 years, during this 16 years, I am sure that I lose things when comparing when I was 18 or 19 years old,” he said. “So if I lose speed sometimes, if I lose this energy that when you are younger, we need to add other things on my game.”

“So it's about always improving,” says Nadal. “So if you want to keep having the same success than you had 10 years ago, you need to add things to your game. So that's why I wake up every morning.”

Nadal says when he’s done improving, he’ll be done playing.

“And I don't understand go on court to practice,” he said. “I go on court to improve something. That's the way that I understand my career, the way that I understand the sport. … And when arrive the day that that not happens, that's going to be the day that I take a boat and I go to go fishing. That's it.”

The World No.1 wants to remain fit for the U.S. Open.
Rafael Nadal has played his last U.S. Open warmup match. The World No.1 has announced his withdrawal from this week’s Western and Southern Open at Cincinnati.

World No.1 Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from #CincyTennis citing personal reasons.

"I am also sad for those amazing fans in Cincy who always gave me great support. I am sure I’ll see them next year.”

Wishing our 2013 champion the best! pic.twitter.com/u2fYNBAyZq

— Western & Southern Open (@CincyTennis) August 13, 2018

Nadal, who claimed the Rogers Cup title on Sunday by defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2, 7-6(4), hinted that this might be the case after the final.

“I really just finished, do pictures with all the staff here,” Nadal said when asked about his impending decision. “I need to come back to speak with my team, to speak with the people who are close to me and really make a decision about what is going on in the next week and the next couple of weeks.”

Nadal admitted that there is a lot to consider when it comes to a big decision such as this, including Spain’s upcoming Davis Cup semifinal against France in Lille on September 14-16.

“As you know, I only want to play,” he said. “I want to be everywhere. I love this sport. I don't like to miss events. But at some point if I don't stop for myself, my body stop me. So that's the experience that I have. So I have to talk with the people who are next to me and make a decision about the next week and about the schedule until the end of the season.”

Not long after, Nadal announced his withdrawal. He released the following statement:

"I am very sorry to announce that I won’t be playing in Cincinnati this year. No other reason than personally taking care of my body and trying to keep as healthy as I feel now. I am very thankful to my friend Andre Silva, Tournament Director of the Cincinnati tournament, who after speaking to him on the phone understood what I said to him and understands the situation. I am sure the tournament will be a success and I wish him and his team all the best.”

He added: "I am also sad for those amazing fans in Cincy who always gave me great support. I am sure I’ll see them next year and I am sorry I won’t be with them this year.”

Top-seeded Nadal will be replaced by a lucky loser in the draw.