Nadal heads seedings for US Open

Nadal has won two Grand Slams this year

Rafael Nadal will be the top seed at a Grand Slam for the first time in his career at next week’s US Open following his elevation to world number one.

Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic follow him, with Scot Andy Murray seeded sixth. Ex-world number one Lleyton Hewitt has pulled out with injury.

Ana Ivanovic is women’s top seed, with Jelena Jankovic, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Serena Williams next.

The singles draws for the tournament will be announced on Thursday.

Nadal officially became the new world number one on Monday, ending Federer’s record reign of 237 successive weeks.

Federer was the top seed at the last 18 majors.

Murray will be looking to overcome his disappointing early exit from the Beijing Olympics and rediscover the form that took him to success at the Cincinnati Masters.

The British number one’s best effort in New York was in 2006 when he reached the fourth round.

Hewitt will miss the rest of the season after having arthroscopic surgery on a long-term hip problem.

“Surgery was always the last resort, but unfortunately that’s what it came down to,” the 27-year-old Australian said.

“I am also shattered that I can’t lead the Australian Davis Cup team in Chile (in Santiago from 19-21 September) in our bid to rejoin the world group, and hope that the boys can still come through with a great win.

“I am looking forward to playing again in January in my home country, and using that as a springboard to compete at my best again on the world stage for at least a couple of more years.”

The most notable absence on the women’s side is world number six and 2006 champion Maria Sharapova, who announced earlier this month that she is missing the event to recover from a shoulder injury.

Moyes nears new Everton contract

Everton manager David Moyes is “very close” to signing a new contract with the club and expects to do so within the next fortnight.

Moyes, 45, admits that trying to sign new players recently has delayed him from agreeing terms on a new deal.

“I want the best for Everton and don’t want to let the players down,” he said.

“I have told them that there will be more players coming to help them along the way. I want to make sure that is done before anything else.”

He added: “That is more important to me just now. But [the new contract] is very close.”

“Hopefully in the next week or so I will get it tied down and get it done.”

Moyes, who joined Everton as manager in 2002, confirmed in mid-July that he had opened talks on a new contract with chairman Bill Kenwright.

The Scot has 12 months left on his current deal but made it known that he wanted assurances on this summer’s transfer budget and the club’s future direction.

Everton, who finished fifth in the Premier League last season, are yet to make a major signing this summer – though Sporting Lisbon claim they have turned down an £11.8m offer from the club for Portuguese midfielder Joao Moutinho.

Moyes submitted an ambitious five-year plan to owner Kenwright that was designed to build on the club’s last campaign but it remains to be seen how much cash he has to spend.

“Every manager wants to get as much as he can and I’m no different but I do think I’ve always been supported and I’ll always be grateful for that,” Moyes told the Liverpool Echo on 14 July.

“When I took this job I knew that there were not vast sums of money.”

Everton are on the verge of selling striker Andrew Johnson to Fulham, in a deal which could eventually rise to £13m.

The England international had a medical with the London club on Tuesday.