"He only needs a little help from the politics against a guy he didn't beat for the last 10 years on hardcourt" - Tennis fans react to Rafael Nadal's draw after Novak Djokovic withdraws from 2022 US Open

Tennis fans were left divided after the official draw for the 2022 US Open was announced. Rafael Nadal was given a relatively easy draw, just minutes after Novak Djokovic's withdrawal over his anti-vaccine stand.

While many were happy that Nadal had received a straightforward path, some fans claimed that Djokovic missing out on the season-ending Major made things even easier for the Spaniard.

Rafael Nadal will be gunning to win his fifth US Open title when the season-ending Grand Slam gets underway at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York on August 29.

A 22-time Grand Slam winner, Nadal will meet Australian wildcard Rinky Hijikata in the first round. Other notable players in the Spaniard's quarter are seventh seed Cameron Norrie, 14th seed Diego Schwartzman, 19th seed Denis Shapovalov and home favorite Frances Tiafoe, the 22nd seed.

If Nadal wins his first match, he will meet either Aslan Karatsev of Russia or Fabio Fognini of Italy in the second round. He could then run into Serbia's Miomir Kecmanović in the third round before locking horns with Frances Tiafoe or Diego Schwartzman in the fourth.

Nadal could be up against seventh seed Cameron Norrie or Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals, with Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner potentially lying in wait in the semifinals. Danill Medvedev or Stefanos Tsitsipas could stand between Nadal and his fifth US Open title in the final.

After the draw was announced, social media went into overdrive as fans discussed all the potential match-ups and clashes. But there was also plenty of negativity surrounding Djokovic's withdrawal over non-tennis issues.

"Wow, and he only needs a little help from the politics against a guy he didn't beat for the last 10 years on HC. Nadal must be proud," one fan tweeted.

Another said this was a massive opportunity for Nadal to surge ahead on the Grand Slam count.

"Djokovic out of the US Open. Nadal with a massive opportunity to increase his Slam count lead by 2. Djokovic's participation in AO 2023 still up in the air. Nadal could be up 24-21, with the French Open to come," he tweeted.

Here are some of the other reactions to Rafael Nadal's 2022 US Open draw.

Rafael Nadal is unbeaten at Majors this season

Rafael Nadal and Iga Swiatek at the Tennis Plays For Peace exhibition match at the US Open.

Rafael Nadal has been on a roll at the Majors lately; he is yet to lose a Grand Slam match this season, and has a win-loss record of 19-0. That includes triumphs at the Australian Open and Roland Garros as well as a run to the last four at Wimbledon, where he had to withdraw because of a torn abdominal muscle.

Despite having an injury-plagued 2022 campaign, the World No. 3 has lost only four of his 39 matches this year, and won four titles. Nadal also has a fabulous record at Flushing Meadows, winning 64 of 75 matches played with four titles.

Perhaps most strikingly, Nadal has won 19 of his last 20 matches in New York, including two titles.