( CNN ) -- They 've met in three of the past four men 's grand slam finals but after Thursday 's draw , Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic ca n't face each other on the last day of tennis ' U.S. Open . World No . 1 Djokovic and Murray , a winner in two of the last three majors he has played in , were placed in the same half of the draw while giants Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer could meet in the quarterfinals . Murray ended Britain 's 76-year wait for a men 's singles winner at a grand slam and opened his own grand slam account when he toppled Djokovic in the 2012 final in New York . Murray potentially must beat Djokovic and Nadal to repeat -- and he has never overcome the duo in the same fortnight at a major . Nadal 's recent surge -- he claimed back-to-back titles in Montreal and Cincinnati leading into New York -- and Murray 's slump since capturing Wimbledon saw the Spaniard reclaim the No . 2 ranking . As a result , Nadal and Djokovic could n't be put in the same section . If the seedings hold , Nadal would battle not Murray but David Ferrer in the semifinals . Nadal owns a 20-4 record versus his countryman but has had it tougher against Murray , 13-5 . While 12-time grand slam champion Nadal and 17-time winner Federer have tangled in the finals at the three other majors , they have never faced off in any round at the U.S. Open . Nadal downed Federer in three sets in the quarterfinals of the Cincinnati Masters last week and is unbeaten on hard courts this season . Knee troubles ruled him out of Flushing Meadows in 2012 . At No . 7 , Federer is at his lowest ranking in 11 years . Williams , Azarenka lead women 's field . In the women 's draw , world No . 1 Serena Williams and No . 2 Victoria Azarenka appear to be on a collision course , especially since Maria Sharapova pulled out of the tournament due to a shoulder injury . Azarenka has played in the past three hard-court grand slam finals , winning the Australian Open twice and losing a heartbreaker to Williams at the 2012 U.S. Open . She could n't serve out the match . Azarenka edged Williams in Cincinnati on Sunday in a third-set tiebreak . In an intriguing first-round encounter , Williams begins against Francesca Schiavone . Although the Italian is slumping , she , too , is a grand slam champion and reached the U.S. Open quarterfinals three years ago .
Novak Djokovic could beat Andy Murray in the semifinals at the Australian Open . Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal face a potential quarterfinal showdown in New York . Serena Williams begins against another grand slam winner , Venus Williams . Former winner Maria Sharapova pulled out of the tournament with a shoulder injury .