Today's the day...

Well, two big things happened today:

1) I got my GCSE results

2) The draw for the US Open was released

Well. Obviously one event was ever so slightly more important than the other. But we'll overlook that for the time being...

Because the draws are pretty good! My main worry was that Rafa and Novak would be put in the same half of the draw, like in Beijing, but they aren't - they'll only meet if they both make it to the final (and if they do, my heart will probably give up from the strain being put on it). The main competition Novak has in his half comes from Fed, who has won the previous 4 US opens. Okay. That is a little, tiny bit of a problem. Fed defeated Novak in last year's final. But I'm hoping that Federer's recent troubles (losing at Wimbledon; going out very early in the singles at Beijing) will play in Novak's favour. So far they've met twice this year, once on clay court at Monte Carlo, where Fed won, and once on hard court (like the US), at the Aussie Open, which Nole won (and then went on to win the open). So, maybe, hopefully, this year, to use a bad bad bad pun, the ball will be in Novak's court. Or at least Novak's side of the court.

As for the quarter that Novak's in, there are good ones and bad ones. His first match will be against the Frenchman Arnaud Clement. He hasn't been playing too badly this year, and they've never met on hard court before - it could be a tricky one. Further down the line, Andy Roddick, Tommy Robredo, Marin Cilic and Aussie Open runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga might cause problems, not to mention Fernando Gonzalez, Beijing silver medallist and official CHEAT, and Marat Safin, bringer of Wimbledon doom. Its going to be a tense few weeks for me.

Thinking of Marat Safin, I have finally found the strength within myself to forgive him for the Wimbledon incident. Also I watched him playing and remembered that (when he's not playing Novak), he's great to watch. His personality is just...something else. Does anyone else remember that time when he started mouthing swearwords at the umpire because he had been given a warning earlier for an audible obscenity? He really is something else. Also, his sister Dinara is equally likeable. I was actually pretty disappointed when she lost the Beijing final to Elena Dementieva. I think Dinara could go far - hopefully she'll go far in the US open. Sadly, I can't say the same for Marat. I love your attitude, man, but you'll have to drop out before the fourth round so you don't play Novak. Yes, I've forgiven him, but, hey, I still have my priorities.