Halfway through the U.S. Open of tennis, some very interesting stories have developed. Here are the top 5:

5. Venus Williams: I don’t often discuss women’s tennis, because the seedings seem to mean absolutely nothing, and any attempt at predictions is a crapshoot. Still, at the end of the U.S Open, we expect to see the Williams sisters battling it out, so Venus’s fourth round loss to Kim Clijsters is big news.


4. Kim Clijsters: She had a child in February 2008 and only returned to tennis 2 months ago at Wimbledon. In Sunday’s matchup against Venus Williams, it was clear why she was once the number 1 player in the world, and past U.S. Open champion. She did to Venus what Venus does to so many others, dominating her with power and aggressiveness, and in the end it was Venus who had no response. Comeback stories are always fan favourites, and she will be the Cinderella story of this tournament if she keeps it going.


3. Novak Djokovic: The 4th seed found it much too difficult to eliminate American Jesse Witten, who is ranked 276th in the world. The real negative for Djokovic, though, is that instead of embracing the fans in New York, and celebrating his success with them, he continues to act like he is against all of them. Upon winning a point, instead of smiling and allowing them to rejoice with him, he looks only to his box of supporters, acting like they are the only people encouraging him. Unfortunately, with an attitude like that, no one else wants to cheer for him, and his unpopularity at the U.S. Open continues.


2. Rafael Nadal: He has been hitting and moving very well so far in the tournament, but against Nicolas Almagro, he reaggravated an abdominal strain that first occurred in Cincinnati earlier this summer. If the injury is bad it could hamper him even more than his knee problems, because the core muscles are essential in generating the powerful strokes that Nadal has built his success on.


1. Andy Roddick: In a stunning third round upset, 5th seed Andy Roddick lost to fellow American John Isner on Saturday, ending his 2009 quest to win a second major championship. After nearly winning Wimbledon earlier this summer, much more was expected from Roddick on his favourite surface, but he will have to wait until next season for another shot at a Grand Slam.

photo: courtesy AP

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!

Roger Federer’s record breaking 15th Grand Slam Championship came down to what may have been the toughest match he’s ever won. Though his game was not as sharp as it was four years ago when he dismissed Andy Roddick in straight sets, this version of Roddick is not the same either. In 2005, Federer possessed a seemingly error free game. He used this to demoralize opponents, daring them to bring their best against him, and always having a reply that challenged them to do one better.

But they couldn’t, he was just too good back then. These days, at 27, Federer must work hard to beat the best: Murray, Nadal, and Djokovic. They’ve all shown that they have the skill set to take him on now. The one separating aspect that Federer possesses more than any other tennis player is the factor that allowed him to beat Roddick for his sixth Wimbledon title, his incredible mental strength.

Federer has always had the ability to stick around, to play his best when everything is on the line. In a sport where one man will so often defeat himself, as did Robin Soderling in the French Open final against him, Federer never will. He forces his opponents to either outdo him or suffer the fate of so many others who have faced him – to be dismissed.

For Andy Roddick, who has worked so hard over the last year to make over his game, the reward is that he has put himself back into the top tier of tennis stars. His semi-final match against Murray and the final against Federer showcased a fitter, all-rounded player that we’ve never seen before – one who could go toe-to-toe with the best on the baseline, and one who could hit passing shots and deep, penetrating backhands. And he walked around the court with an air of self belief, not dwelling on past points, or forcing arguments with the umpire. When calls went against him, he accepted it and quickly moved on to trying to win the next point.

Unfortunately for Roddick, he was playing Roger Federer, who, up 15-14 in the fifth and final set – having played the equivalent of seven sets – was incredibly able to maintain the same relentless pressure that he started with four hours earlier. And in the end, Roddick couldn’t find the solution, leaving Federer to claim the title once again.