As the highest-ranked player in the world, Rafael Nadal has gotten very good at the art of sounding humble. When asked at a pre-tournament press conference if he knew who he would be facing in the first round, he said, "I play against Bjorn Phau first round. Never is easy, no? Never easy the first round of one tournament like this and playing against qualifier who is coming with good rhythm."

Now compare that to last year, when Nadal wasn't the No. 1 player in the world, or even a pre-tournament favorite:

Q. Do you know anything about your first-round opponent?

NADAL: Not much.

Q. Do you know what he looks like?

NADAL: No, sorry.

We've got a major upset watch at Arthur Ashe.

Rafael Nadal and wildcard Alun Jones have won a set each after Nadal only squeaked by to take the first, 7-5.

They've both broken in the third set. Nadal is really struggling and there's some mysterious tape below both his knees. Watch for updates here.

UPDATE: Never mind. Nadal won in four sets, blowing out Jones 6-1 in the 4th. Nonetheless, it looked rough for Rafa and he'll no doubt have something to say about it to the press in a bit.

Here’s Rafael Nadal talking to reporters about 123rd seed Alun Jones of Australia, who he’ll take on this afternoon.

Q. Do you know anything about your first-round opponent?

NADAL: Not much.

Q. Do you know what he hooks like?

NADAL: No, sorry.