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8/30/09 9:51 PM | Ricky Dimon
The 2009 U.S. Open begins on Monday, with Roger Federer once again the favorite. This time, however, several legitimate title contenders stand in his way.
The U.S. Open has not exactly been "open" in recent years.
Roger Federer has won it a whopping five straight times and has done it with relative ease. When asked two weeks ago during the early rounds of the Masters Series Cincinnati who the Open favorite was, Rafael Nadal replied, "When one player won the last five years he's the favorite, no?"
Yes, he--Federer--is the favorite, especially after going on to win the Cincinnati title. A sixth straight New York slam, however, is far from a foregone conclusion. Every one of the top six players in the world can reasonably argue that he is a serious championship contender.
In addition to winning five consecutive titles, Federer won his first French Open this spring and followed that up with his sixth Wimbledon crown. After a disappointing start to his 2009 campaign, the top-ranked Swiss is on fire.
Andy Murray, the new No. 2 player in the world, won the Masters Series Montreal title and reached the semifinals in Cincinnati. Sure, ranking-wise he benefited from Nadal's summer absence, but he also earned the second spot by being the most consistent player on tour this year.
Nadal is still rusty after being sidelined in between the French Open and Montreal, but he does not have as much wear and tear on his knees heading into the season's final Grand Slam as he often does. A semifinal appearance in Cincinnati shows the Spaniard is making progress.
Djokovic has flown under the radar with Federer, Murray, and Nadal stealing headlines. The fourth-ranked Serb's dominant win over Nadal in Cincinnati proves he is right there with the rest of the top players in the world. And unlike Murray, Djokovic has the experience of winning a major (2008 Australian Open).
Andy Roddick is in resurgent form this season under new head coach Larry Stefanki, and he took Federer to 16-14 in the fifth in the Wimbledon final after stunning Murray in the semifinals. The U.S. Open is the time to shine for the fifth-ranked American, who won it in 2003.
For the second year in-a-row, Juan Martin Del Potro storms into New York as one of the hottest players on tour. He repeated in Washington, D.C. and finished runner-up to Murray in Montreal. The 20-year-old Argentine also reached his first slam semifinal at the French Open.
Of the top four seeds at the Open, Federer and Nadal did well to avoid any other member of the "Big 6" in their quarters of the bracket when the draw was revealed on Thursday. For the second straight U.S. Open, Murray is with Del Potro and Djokovic is slated to meet up with Roddick. Meanwhile, potential quarterfinal opponents for Federer and Nadal are Nikolay Davydenko and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, respectively.
While the top six, when healthy, have been dominant this season, it's not all about them. In-form players who could crash the party include Sam Querrey (U.S. Open Series winner), Robin Soderling (can catch fire at any time as he did in Paris), Fernando Verdasco (New Haven champion) Fernando Gonzalez, and Tommy Haas.
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Davydenko has no shot of winning the entire tournament. He has a shot to make a run, but no shot at the title. Tsonga perhaps.
RickyDimon , 8/30/09 11:41 PM
forget the predictions ricky - lets talk personal - who do YOU want to win?
maxi , 8/31/09 12:05 AM
and why?
maxi , 8/31/09 12:12 AM
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hi ricky,
i absolutely agree with you (in terms of USO being "wide open") - i never go for one of those 'favourite' bet type discussions - just watched a sky preview of the USO (its all very exciting), but murray took up 1/3 to 1/2 of the interviews - (understandable), a 5 minute slot with fed, hardly anything for rafa (poor), and nothing on novak, a 2 minute slot for roddick - it's all very uneven right now -
I just think that EVERYONE in the top 8 has a shot - i really do - i understand the build up and the tension, it adds to the moment - but i just wanna see them all play round by round, and i just reckon that as rafa is "under the radar", as is "novak", these guys are just gonna be smiling sweetly. I like roger's mindset - he is the one to "go for" - he been in this position many times - so am looking to him to draw on his experience and go for broke - (with every match) - saving enough energy for when he earns his place in the final. Nothing is easy in my books - all players need to have their wits about them - i cannot wait.cannot wait.
maxi , 8/30/09 11:04 PM