The 2009 US Open – A Look at the Contenders

Juan Martin del Potro: Here is a player who can’t be overlooked. The young Argentine, still just 20 years old, had a tremendous hard court season in 2008, winning four straight tournaments leading up to the US Open, and 23 straight matches within that span. This is the second longest winning streak by a teenager in the Open Era, behind Rafael Nadal, who of course, won the bulk of his matches on clay.

In 2008, del Potro was stopped short in the quarterfinals by eventual finalist Andy Murray, but nearly won the match. His presence at grand slams since has been solid and steady, and he could easily have a breakthrough at this year’s US Open.

Andy Roddick: Andy Roddick is realistically the only American hopeful at grand slam events, and has remained that way for quite some time. For a long time, Roddick often occupied the 5-8 seeds, although such a high seeding was virtually meaningless given the dominance of top 3 players Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. Federer has since experienced some shakiness, Nadal has struggled with injury, and Djokovic’s mental game has affected his performance, thus opening the door for players like Roddick to make a measurable impact.

Roddick won his only grand slam at the US Open in 2003, but this seems like ages ago in the tennis world. Still, a newly invigorated Roddick (with an emphasis on fitness) made the Wimbledon final, and played an incredible match against Roger Federer, nearly defeating him. Between Roddick’s momentum, his huge serve, and the spirit of the home crowd behind him, Andy Roddick’s chances can’t be discounted at the 2009 US Open.

Andy Murray. Murray seems to be improving his game with each year, and 2009 has been no exception. Stealing the #3 spot from Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray has the poise and skill set to win a grand slam. He went his furthest ever in a slam in 2008 at the US Open, losing to Roger Federer in the final, but a young 22-year-old Murray could easily show us that last year was no fluke.

Rafael Nadal: Very arguably the world’s best current tennis player when healthy, Rafael Nadal has dominated the clay courts, defeated the king of Wimbledon (Roger Federer) at the 2008 final, and did so once again at the Australian Open final earlier this year, giving Nadal grand slam wins on all three surfaces. Since Nadal was the most recent hard court grand slam winner, there’s absolutely no reason he can’t win a US Open. However, two things stand in Nadal’s way: injuries, and a history of struggles at the US Open. Rafael Nadal was forced into sitting out Wimbledon in 2009, and one has to wonder if his loss at the French to Robyn Soderling had anything to do with his recurring knee injury.

Nadal claims to have recovered from his knee injury, but remains untested as far as a grueling two-week tournament like the US Open is concerned. Hard courts should test Nadal’s knees to the fullest, and his track record at the US Open doesn’t help his cause. Nadal’s best finish at the US Open is a seminal finish in 2008, and Nadal lost matches to underdogs (Blake, Youzhny, Ferrer) during the previous three years. Nadal has his back to the wall this year, but can never be counted out.

Roger Federer: Ah, the king. The newly anointed king of tennis won his record-breaking 15th grand slam at Wimbledon in 2009. With some help from an injured Rafael Nadal, perhaps the only player who arguably has Federer’s number, the road was easier for Federer…but still an extremely challenging one given Federer’s struggles in 2008, an increasingly competitive field, and his age of 28. Despite all this, what is most impressive is that Federer has won each of the last five US Opens since Roddick won in 2003. To win five straight Grand Slams positions Federer as the obvious favorite at this year’s US Open. For his sake, let’s just hope he doesn’t meet Nadal in the finals.

This sums up my predictions for this year’s tournament. Can’t wait for it to begin!