The US Open of Tennis begins today in New York. After careful analysis of the draw, the following is a list of potential must see matches in the upcoming fortnight. Mark them in your calendar now!


Third Round (Beginning Saturday September 5)

Roger Federer (1) vs. Lleyton Hewitt (31)

Two Grand Slam champions will face off very early in the tournament due to Hewitt’s low ranking at 31st. If nothing else, the Aussy should provide a strong early test to Federer’s fitness.


Round of 16 (Beginning Monday September 7)

Andy Roddick (5) vs. Fernando Verdasco (10)

Verdasco has guts of steel, as he showed at the 2009 Australian Open, playing in the semi-final against the eventual champion, Rafael Nadal, in what would go down as the longest match in the tournament’s history.

Rafael Nadal (3) vs. Gael Monfils (13)

Frenchman Monfils is very fast, and Nadal’s fitness is an unknown. We will find out a lot about Rafa’s status during this match.


Quarter Finals (Beginning Wednesday September 9)

Novak Djokovic (4) vs. Andy Roddick (5)

This is must see TV. The pair faced off in the quarter-finals last year, and it ended with Djokovic being booed off the court by the New Yorkers.

Rafael Nadal (3) vs. Jo-Wilfred Tsonga (7)

Being the third seed makes the road to the final a lot tougher, and Nadal’s shaky knees may not be able to carry him that far. Tsonga is a powerful hitter who will pose all sorts of problems to Rafa.

Andy Murray (2) vs. Juan-Martin Del Potro (6)

So far in his career, Del Potro has been described as an inconsistent underachiever. But he’s only 20, and if he’s underachieving, he can only improve. This will be a great test for last year’s finalist, Murray.


Semi Finals (Saturday September 12)

Andy Murray (2) vs. Rafael Nadal (3)

If all goes according to plan, next Saturday will be brilliant. Andy Murray will square off against Rafael Nadal in a battle of 2 versus 3. If Nadal is healthy, this will be an epic.

Roger Federer (1) vs. Andy Roddick (5)

About 305 million Americans and I are hoping that Roddick defeats Djokovic to set up this rematch of the Wimbledon final. Federer and Roddick have played some unforgettable matches at Flushing Meadows over the years, and this will match will be a classic.


Finals (Sunday September 13)

The predictions stop here. Whoever plays in the final, we will all be watching.

Tennis’ fourth and final Grand Slam of the year begins in just one week’s time, on Monday August 31st. The men’s field is showing the most parity it has in years, with Roger Federer’s age catching up to him, and a group of young, talented individuals who can challenge. Here is a preview of the contenders:


Andy Roddick: #5 Seed

A-Rod is enjoying a wonderful comeback season, in which the highlight so far has been his epic championship match against Roger Federer at Wimbledon. He has been working with a new coach, Larry Stefanki, since December, whose first order of business was ordering Roddick to rid himself of that spare tire he carried around his waist. After those 15 lbs. were banished, he began retooling Roddick’s skillset.

In his favour:

Before Stefanki, Roddick was one dimensional: all power all the time. Unfortunately, against the variety of Nadal, Murray, and Federer, his game had no chance.

At Wimbledon, he showed that his new game can be both unpredictable and very consistent. He should be even better, having a few more months under his belt with the new coach.

Opposing forces:

At the end of the day, one man stands in his way. Roddick, playing the way he did at Wimbledon, can beat anyone right now, except for that one guy who has always had his number…


Novak Djokovic: #4 Seed

Djokovic has to grow up. After losing to hometown favorite, Andy Roddick, in the quarter finals last year, Djokovic turned on the audience for cheering against him. Dumb idea, riling up a group of upset New Yorkers. It will be interesting to see the way they greet him this year.

In his favour:

He did beat Rafa in the semi-final of the Cincinnati Masters last week to reach the final. And he has won a Grand Slam – the 2008 Australian Open.

Opposing forces:

Lots. He’s too quick to make excuses and too quick to blame injuries. Definitely has the skill to be the best in the world, but he needs to get his head straight.


Rafael Nadal: #3 Seed

In his first action of the summer two weeks ago at the Rogers Cup, Nadal was defeated by Juan Martin Del Potro in the quarter-finals. Last week, in Cincinnati, he made it to the semi-final before losing to Novak Djokovic.

In his favour:

He is in Federer’s head: Roger knows that Nadal is the one guy who can stare him down at a Grand Slam event and not be intimidated. In fact, Nadal’s energy and snarl probably scare the hell out of Fed, though he’d never admit it.

Opposing forces:

Knees of a 40 year old. Pundits always predicted that the way he pounds the pavement would catch up to him, and it may have already done so at the age of 23. He’s not yet moving the way he could before. His strokes also show some rust, but hopefully he will be able to shake it off in the long 2 week tournament, before facing the big guns.


Andy Murray: #2 Seed

After Cincinnati, Murray gained the title of world number two. It’s the first time in 3 years that anyone besides Nadal or Federer has been in the top 2.

Murray is definitely the best player to not yet have won a Grand Slam, but he’s still young at 22.

In his favour:

He won the Rogers Cup in Montreal 2 weeks ago. He has a winning record against Federer: 6-3 all-time. And the hard courts of New York are his favorite surface.

Opposing forces:

Himself. He succumbed to the pressure during last year’s US Open final and did not play well, losing in straight sets to Federer. He has a history of negatively imploding when the chips are down, though he has been working extensively to fix this in the last year.


Roger Federer: #1 Seed

The Fed Express is aiming to win a record 16th tennis Grand Slam at the 2009 US Open.

In his favour:

After winning the Cincinnati Masters tournament last week, beating the world’s (then) 3rd ranked player, Andy Murray, in the semi-final, and the 4th ranked player, Novak Djokovic, in the final, he looks to be in good form.

If he does it, we’ll likely see some waterworks and an annoying speech similar to the one he gave after the Cincinnati final:

“That's the special part, especially winning for the first time as a dad," Federer said. "It gets me going emotionally a little bit, because I know it's been a wonderful summer”

Opposing forces:

Nadal, Djokovic, Murray, Roddick. Someone! Anyone! Please spare us from this torture!

With only three days remaining until the 2009 Wimbledon final, two gargantuan story lines hang overhead. Most of the world is watching Roger Federer to see if he will set the all-time record for tennis Grand Slam Championships with his 15th, but the host, Great Britain, will not be on side. The Britons’ hopes and dreams have been saddled on homegrown Andy Murray’s shoulders, and with good reason.

The fourth seeded 22 year-old Murray sports a 6-2 record against the first seed, the most lopsided record any current player can claim on Federer. Murray has only once before met the Swiss superstar in a Grand Slam final, and this came at the U.S. Open final last year. Unfortunately, after beating the world’s best player, Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals, Murray succumbed to the pressure of playing in his first Major final, failing to play his best, and losing the match in straight sets.

The locals are perhaps hoping that the set-back was a touch of fate, as it prepared him to win his first Major tournament in a much more dramatic fashion – on his home court in front of his own people. Murray, in an interview with Ian Baker from the official Wimbledon website, certainly thinks so,

“I feel like I'm ready to win a Grand Slam now, whereas last year I might not have been. But I understand how difficult it is.” If he manages to do so, it would make Andy Murray the first British man to win at Wimbledon in 73 years, since Fred Perry accomplished the feat in 1936. In England, there is a sentiment that the win would be as important to their country as when they captured Football’s World Cup in 1966.

Murray’s story has become larger than life in Britain, and the pressure on him is enormous. One can’t help to wonder how he will respond as he looks into the crowd and hears thousands chanting his name. Neil Harmann of the Times Online asked him about reacting to the pressure, and Murray replied,

“It is on the court where I feel most comfortable. I really don’t feel the weight of expectation, it’s the last thing you are thinking about when you are hitting your first serve of the match. When it comes down to it, playing in front of 15,000 people on Centre Court at Wimbledon is what I want to do, that’s the part of your job you enjoy the most.”

Murray’s head appears to be in the right place as he heads into his Friday semi-final match against the sixth-seeded American, Andy Roddick. The resurgent Roddick will provide a formidable foe and he could be just the medicine to round Murray’s game into form, so that he is ready to face the formidable Federer in the final. The British certainly hope it is.