Nadal is top seed for Open

Associated Press

NEW YORK

Seeking to complete the career Grand Slam, Rafael Nadal will be the top-seeded man when the U.S. Open starts next week, while Roger Federer will come to Flushing Meadows seeded second.

Nadal, who won the French Open and Wimbledon this year, is seeded first at the U.S. Open for the second time in three years. He has never made it past the semifinals.

The women’s seedings have been delayed one day because of a rainout of Sunday’s final at the Rogers Cup in Montreal.

On Monday, world No. 2 Carolina Wozniacki defeated Vera Zvonareva to win that tournament.

It appears Wozniacki, who lost to Kim Clijsters in last year’s final, will get the top seed at the U.S. Open because Serena Williams, the world’s top-ranked player, has withdrawn while recovering from surgery to repair cuts on her right foot.

Also missing from New York will be defending men’s champion Juan Martin del Potro, who remains sidelined with a lingering wrist injury.

Del Potro defeated Federer in last year’s final, ending his string of five straight U.S. Open titles.

Federer, who won the Australian Open this year, is seeking his 17th Grand Slam tournament title.

Del Potro, meanwhile, is only the third U.S. Open men’s champion in the 42-year Open era who won’t be on hand to defend his title.

Seeded third for the men is Novak Djokovic, followed by Andy Murray at No. 4. Robin Soderling, Nikolay Davydenko, Tomas Berdych and Fernando Verdasco round out the top eight.

At No. 9, Andy Roddick is the highest seeded American man.

With a trip to the semifinals in Cincinnati last weekend, Roddick jumped back into the world’s top 10. Earlier this month, Roddick fell to No. 12 and it marked the first time since the rankings began in 1973 that no American man was in the top 10.

The draws for the tournament come out Thursday.