Andy Murray and Serena Williams will defend their title in the upcoming 2013 US Open and their path to their respective second-straight titles will be known after the draw scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 22.
Murray, who was seeded third in the men's competition behind Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, struggled in recent competitions, suffering a third round exit in Montreal, followed by a quarter-final loss to Tomas Berdych in Cincinnati.
But despite his recent struggles on the hardcourt, the 2012 US Champion and this year's Wimbledon titlist reiterated that he is not concerned at all, saying that he is moving far better now than he was during the Montreal Masters.
"I'm feeling good. I am moving much, much better than when I first came back in Montreal. That's always a positive sign because, even if you're not hitting the ball particularly well, you can get through matches with good movement and gradually work yourself into a rhythm," Murray said in an interview.
Murray admitted that there is no time to relax though, knowing how tough this year's field is. The 26-year-old London native said that Djokovic poses a huge threat to his title, as well as Nadal, who reached the finals in 11 of 12 tournaments he participated in after recovering from a knee injury.
Meanwhile, Serena Williams also knows that she will have to brave a tough road in her pursuit for her second-straight and fifth-overall US Open title.
Williams, who was named as the top seed in the women's competition, has been on a roll this year, winning in 77 of 81 total matches over the past 14 months. Two of those defeats came against second-seeded Victoria Azarenka, but the 17-time Grand Slam winner declared that she is ready to defend her title.
"I'm definitely prepared. I'm definitely ready for New York. I definitely had more matches than I could want, but I'm definitely prepared for the US Open," Williams said in an interview.
Draw Schedule, Live Streaming Info, And Results
Live streaming of the 2013 US Open draw will be available at USOpen.org, while the results will be available on the US Open draw page starting Thursday.
The tournament will run from Aug. 26 to Sept. 29 at the Flushing Meadows in Queens, N.Y.
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