US Open Tennis 2012 Bracket: Breaking Down the Draws for the Top Contenders

With Rafael Nadal out of commission for the final Grand Slam on the 2012 schedule, this year's US Open bodes to be a war of attrition among Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.

And now that the draws have been announced, we can clearly see who could have a relatively easy road to the final, and who will face some tougher tests along the way.

Here's a look at how the cards have fallen for the top contenders. You can see the full bracket in its entirety here. 

Andy Murray

By all indications, Murray is closer than ever to winning his first Grand Slam. He's been playing so well recently, especially against world No. 1 Roger Federer, whom he faced in the Wimbledon final and again in the Olympics final.

At Wimbledon (the one that counted), Murray fell short—but he made up for it a month later, when he throttled Federer 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 to take home the gold medal. And if he and Federer both continue to play as well as they have been of late, we're going to see yet another rematch—but unlike the last two times, it won't be in a final.

If the two make it to the US Open semis, they'll have to fight it out for the right to advance, and perhaps for the right to take on the 2011 defending champ, who doubtlessly breathed a sigh of relief when Murray and Federer ended up on the opposite side of the bracket.

Murray has the opportunity to achieve a huge milestone over the next couple of weeks, and he couldn't be playing better as he aims to finally get there. Now, though—with Federer on his side of the bracket—his odds look a lot longer.  

Roger Federer

This has been a good year for Federer. He won at Wimbledon for the first time since 2009, marking his record-tying seventh Wimbledon title. At the age of 31, he has a whopping 17 Grand Slam singles wins.

But given the way this draw has unfolded, it doesn't seem as though the 2012 US Open will mark his 18th.

It could happen; you never know. Prior to winning at Wimbledon this year, there wasn't a lot of evidence to suggest that Federer had a better chance than Nadal or Djokovic, other than his rich history of utter dominance on those grass courts. Plus, to win that seventh title, he had to take down both Djokovic and Murray in succession—no small feat.

Murray, however, got the best of a Federer who looked gassed in the Olympic final, just two days after enduring a four-hour, 26-minute semifinal matchup against Juan Martin Del Potro.

If Federer has to take on Murray—against whom he is 8-9 in his career— in these semis, getting past him will once again be only the first of two incredibly difficult tests. 

Novak Djokovic

The US Open's defending champion certainly got the luck of the draw this year. While his top competition will likely have to duel with each other in order to reach the final, Djokovic won't have to face the best until last—if he makes it that far, which is no certainty given the way he's played in the last two Grand Slams. 

After reaching the French Open final back in June and losing to Nadal, Djokovic was kept out of the Wimbledon final when he had the misfortune of running into eventual champion Roger Federer in the semis.

It was a similar story in the Olympic semis: Djokovic had to face Murray with a berth to the gold-medal game—and a date with Federer—on the line, and he dropped that match, too.

This is his opportunity to redeem himself. Since losing the bronze-medal match in London, Djokovic has taken home his second consecutive Rogers Cup title, and he lost to Federer in the Cincinnati Open final.

Righting the ship and stealing the final Grand Slam of 2012 offers him the perfect opportunity to bounce back, or else it's going to be a long road to next year's Australian Open.