Photo courtesy of CNNSI.com
It's tennis fans most exciting time of the year: the start of the 2009 US Open tennis tournament. All eyes are fixed on the grounds of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center for what promises to be two wildly entertaining weeks of world class tennis. This year's field will feature all of the usual favorites (Federer, Nadal, et al) as well as several strong contenders gunning for their first Grand Slam title, and a few dark horse candidates worth keeping your eye on.
Here we will break down each player's chances for success over the course of the fortnight beginning with the favorites:
Roger Federer - Is there anything left for the mighty Fed to accomplish? Fifteen major championships to his credit - good for solo possession of the all time record, and the defending champion of the past five US Opens, you have to wonder at this stage in the game where he will draw motivation from. A sixth consecutive title would be another record he would hold to himself, and after having systematically mowed down both Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic en route to claiming the Cincinnati Masters title I wouldn't bet against him here.
Andy Murray - Entering the dreaded realm of "Best Player Never to Win a Major". Murray has surrounded himself with a fantastic supporting team this year, and the results have paid huge dividends on the court. Has usurped Rafael Nadal as the world #2 and took home the Rogers Cup title in Montreal earlier this month. Can be passive at times - often preferring to play cat and mouse tennis with his opponents which can get him into trouble, but still anything less than a semi-final appearance here would be surprising.
Rafael Nadal - Oh, what a difference a few months can make. After having reduced Federer to tears following their five set Australian Open final - the kind of tears which clearly reflected the "I have no idea how I'm ever going to beat this guy again" mindset, and storming his way through the clay court season, it all started going wrong for Rafa in Madrid. Losing in the final on his beloved clay surface to the Fed, then a shocking upset to Robin Soderling in the third round of the French Open, followed by a summer spent on the sidelines with wonky knees leaving him unable to defend his Wimbledon title, Rafa is still finding his form heading into this years Open. With his athleticism, foot speed, and world class mental toughness however, it would surprise no one if he were the last man standing when the dust settles - even if he is standing on shaky knees.
Novak Djokovic - The Joker has flown under the radar a bit this year, at times having shown flashes of his world class game reaching the finals of four Masters series events and winning two events (Belgrade, Dubai), but has been somewhat absent on the grand stage. Playing well, but not quite in the discussion of being a real threat to take home the title. He looked to be in top form at Wimbledon before crashing out in the quarters to a red-hot Tommy Haas, and I look for Djokovic to reach the quarters or the semis here so long as he can win back the crowd support he lost last year after his (in)famous post-match comments following his match with Andy Roddick.
And speaking of Roddick, A-Rod heads the list of strong contenders poised for a breakthrough. History is often pitiless to losers, but his epic Wimbledon five setter against Federer probably won him more fan support than he's ever enjoyed at any point in his career. Having hired Larry Stefanki as his coach early in the year, Roddick shed 15lbs. and improved his previously shaky net game as well as his backhand to the degree that he now appears to have very little weakness or vulnerability anywhere in his game. He desperately wants to add another major title to his resume and would love nothing more than to do it in front of the home crowd. Other contenders worth watching are:
Juan Martin Del Potro - The 6'6" Argentinean with the huge bomb of a serve, backhand, and inside-out forehand plays well on hard courts, having taken home the Legg Mason title in Washington DC earlier this month, then immediately following it up by reaching the final of the Rogers Cup before running out of gas in the third set against Andy Murray. If his fitness level is where it should be, watch out for the big man.
Sam Querrey - It's been the Summer of Sam, beginning with a finals appearance in Newport, RI and then catching fire over the next several weeks claiming the US Open Series points title. Along the way, Sam laid claim to the LA Tennis Open title and reached the finals in Indianapolis as well as the Pilot Pen in New Haven, CT this past week. With the points series title, Querrey will take home an additional 15k-1m depending on how he fares over the next two weeks. How's that for motivation?!
As for the dark horses worth keeping an eye on:
Nikolay Davydenko - Has quietly had a solid summer working his way back from a foot injury to a #8 world ranking. Looks to be in good form and will likely survive into the second week.
Fernando Verdasco - Has had a very up and down year. Began the year with a memorable run to the Australian Open semis, where he went toe to toe with Rafael Nadal for five incredible sets before disappearing into the backdrop for the next several months, only to thrust himself back into the spotlight with a win in New Haven, CT this past weekend.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - Will the real Jo-Willie please stand up?! The hard to predict Frenchman has one of the most athletic, aesthetically pleasing games on tour, but is maddeningly inconsistent with his results. He's capable of either pulling off a series of terrific matches and taking down the world's best along the way or crashing out in the first few rounds. Still, he's sure to make it entertaining to watch no matter what happens. And finally, for sentiments sake we have a couple of farewells you don't want to miss:
Marat Safin - The mercurial Russian and 2000 US Open champ is calling it quits after this season, and this is his swan song in Flushing Meadow. Whether he sticks around beyond the first round is anyone's guess, but here's hoping that he smashes at least one racquet on his way out the door. Perhaps one of the most uniquely gifted head cases the game has ever known. Marat, you will be missed. And speaking of players who will be missed, the man Pete Sampras once labeled "The Magician";
Fabrice Santoro is also hanging it up after the Open, drawing an end to a career that has spanned twenty years. His unique blend of slices, dices, two handed forehands, and drop shots, have driven the top players in the world absolutely crazy for the past two decades (perhaps no one more so than the above-mentioned Safin who holds a dismal 2-7 career record against the Frenchman), and the game is not likely to see his brand of tennis ever again. Au revoir, Fabrice. It has been an absolute joy to watch you torment your opponents over the years and we wish you the best of luck in retirement. There you have it folks.
Time to sit back, kick your feet up, and settle in over the next two weeks for the 2009 US Open Tennis tournament, our sports' version of the Super Bowl. Enjoy!
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