Rafael Nadal picture-fest

To celebrate Rafael Nadal's return to the Grand Slam, here's a bunch of photos of him during the first round match against Richard Gasquet at the US Open.

And not forgetting a couple of shirtless photos too during changeover break.

(Images Julian Finney/Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

US Open Day 3 Wrap-up: Rafael Nadal sails through without knee problem, bye-bye Safin, Santoro

Those who are curious about Rafael Nadal's knee probably have the answer now.

He's indeed okay and he can play well too!

Kicking off his US Open campaign, Nadal encountered no apparent trouble in winning the first round 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 over Richard Gasquet.

Maybe you might say Gasquest wasn't a fit opponent...

It's probably too early to predict Nadal's road to final but one thing for sure, Nadal said he has never felt so fresh.

Nadal's rival, Roger Federer, who is bidding for a 6th consecutive US Open championship—and 3rd Grand Slam title in a row this year— has no problem in overcoming Simon Greul with a 6-3, 7-5, 7-5 victory.

Waiting for Federer next is two-time Grand Slam winner Lleyton Hewitt, who defeated Juan Ignacio Chela 6-3, 6-3, 6-4.

Venus Williams may have a wide patches of white tape on her left knee but still, she can easily overcome Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-4, 6-2.

Kim Clijsters continues to play by knocking off no. 14-seeded Marion Bartoli 5-7, 6-1, 6-2.

With over a billion Indians following her every move on the tour, Sania Mirza displayed horrible tennis after being bageled twice by Flavia Pennetta.

Other seeded women sent home included Samantha Stosur, in a shocking defeat to Vania King, who won 7-5, 6-4; former world no.1 Amelie Mauresmo, who lost to Aleksandra Wozniak; Agnieszka Radwanska, who was defeated by Maria Kirilenko; and Anabel Medina Garrigues.

There were no men's seeded losers today.

Marat Safin and Fabrice Santoro said goodbye to Grand Slam tennis with first round exits.

Both of them are retiring at the end of the season.

Safin, the 2000 US Open champion, lost to Jurgen Melzer 1-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 while Santoro, appearing in his record 69th major tournament, was beaten by Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.

US Open men's singles results from New York on Thursday (prefix denotes seeding)

1-Roger Federer (Switzerland) beat Simon Greul (Germany) 6-3 7-5 7-5
9-Gilles Simon (France) beat Daniel Gimeno (Spain) 6-4 7-6(3) 6-3
18-David Ferrer (Spain) beat Alberto Martin (Spain) 7-5 5-7 6-3 6-3
Philipp Petzschner (Germany) beat Sergiy Stakhovsky (Ukraine) 7-6(3) 6-7(6) 6-4 4-6 6-3
6-Juan Martin Del Potro (Argentina) beat Juan Monaco (Argentina) 6-3 6-3 6-1
Robby Ginepri (US) beat Andrei Pavel (Romania) 5-7 6-2 6-4 6-0
Daniel Koellerer (Austria) beat Rui Machado (Portugal) 6-2 6-4 2-6 6-2
32-Nicolas Almagro (Spain) beat Steve Darcis (Belgium) 6-2 6-4 2-6 7-6(8)
Jose Acasuso (Argentina) beat Marcos Daniel (Brazil) 6-2 6-4 6-3
3-Rafael Nadal (Spain) beat Richard Gasquet (France) 6-2 6-2 6-3
Thomaz Bellucci (Brazil) beat Lu Yen-Hsun (Taiwan) 6-4 6-2 6-3
Pablo Cuevas (Uruguay) beat Chris Guccione (Australia) 6-4 7-6(4) 6-0
24-Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spain) beat Fabrice Santoro (France) 6-4 6-3 6-3
Nicolas Kiefer (Germany) beat Michael Llodra (France) 6-3 6-4 6-4
Juergen Melzer (Austria) beat Marat Safin (Russia) 1-6 6-4 6-3 6-4
Andreas Beck (Germany) beat Evgeny Korolev (Russia) 6-3 6-4 2-6 2-6 6-4
13-Gael Monfils (France) beat Jeremy Chardy (France) 6-1 6-4 6-3

US Open women's singles second round results from New York on Thursday (prefix denotes seeding)

2-Serena Williams (USA) beat Melinda Czink (Hungary) 6-1 6-1
Vania King (US) beat 15-Samantha Stosur (Australia) 7-5 6-4
Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (Spain) beat Angelique Kerber (Germany)
Kim Clijsters (Belgium) beat 14-Marion Bartoli (France) 5-7 6-1 6-2
26-Francesca Schiavone (Italy) beat Stefanie Voegele (Switzerland) 6-4 6-4
8-Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) beat Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (Czech Republic) 6-2 6-1
Maria Kirilenko (Russia) beat 12-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) 6-4 2-6 6-4
3-Venus Williams (US) beat Bethanie Mattek-Sands (US) 6-4 6-2
Kirsten Flipkens (Belgium) beat 20-Anabel Medina Garrigues (Spain) 6-1 6-3
7-Vera Zvonareva (Russia) beat Anna Chakvetadze (Russia) 3-6 6-1 6-1
Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia) beat Chang Kai-Chen (Taiwan) 4-6 6-2 6-2
31-Elena Vesnina (Russia) beat Jill Craybas (US) 7-6(6) 6-1
18-Li Na (China) beat Michelle Larcher de Brito (Portugal) 6-1 6-3
Aleksandra Wozniak (Canada) beat 17-Amelie Mauresmo (France) 6-4 6-0
10-Flavia Pennetta (Italy) beat Sania Mirza (India) 6-0 6-0

(Via AP, TVNZ, US Open website)

Tennis WAGs (and a boyfriend) at the US Open 2009

Mirka is back in the player box after gave birth to a set of twin girls back in July.

She looks great and ain't heavy anymore.

Other tennis WAGs (Wives and Girlfriends) watching their men playing on courts for the past three days were Maria Francisca “Xisca” Perello, Jelena Ristic, Kim Sears, Bec Hewitt and Brooklyn Decker.

Xisca - Rafael Nadal's gf

Brooklyn Decker - Andy Roddick's wife

Jelena Ristic - Novak Djokovic's gf

Kim Sears - Andy Murray's gf

Bec Hewitt - Lleyton's wife

So where are the husbands and boyfriends?

Last week, we saw Jelena Jankovic's hunky water polo player boyfriend Mladjan Janovic at her practice.

Not sure if he's still hanging around in NYC.

(Images via zimbio.com)

Elena Dementieva, Sam Querrey officially US Open Series 2009 winners

2009 Olympus US Open Series men’s champion Sam Querrey and women's champion Elena Dementieva were at the photoshoot today.

Both of them are now eligible to compete for the largest payout in tennis history at the 2009 US Open — $2.6 million ($1.6 million for winning the US Open and a $1 million bonus for winning the US Open and the Olympus US Open Series)!

The second and third place finishers will compete for up to $500,000 and $250,000, respectively, in bonus prize money.

(Image via US Open website)