There is less than a month to go now until the US Open gets under way and the talk has begun surrounding who will come away from Flushing Meadows happier than all the others. The last Grand Slam of the year could potentially see some of the most riveting tennis since the start of 2011 in both the men's and women's draws.
Djokovic's outstanding year has meant he has flown to the no.1 spot in the ATP rankings, overtaking both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, and now even has a hefty lead which he could increase at the US Open. It will take a very special performance by anyone if they wish to stop him winning his third major title of the year.
In the women's draw life is becoming more and more interesting as Serena Williams won the Stanford Bank of the West Classic on Sunday 31st July. Along with world no.1 Caroline Wozniacki, defending champion Kim Clijsters and newly crowned Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova, it is a mouthwatering prospect we are about to sink our teeth into.
Djokovic Unbeatable?
We do need to remember there was one occasion when Djokovic did lose. Federer's victory over him in the French Open Semi Final could easily have been a turning point in both player's seasons. Federer though was unable to build on his victory, not only losing the resulting final to Nadal but also falling too early for his liking against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at Wimbledon. However, the 16 time Swiss Grand Slam champion has won a major every year since 2003, and with his particularly special memories at New York when he won from 2003-2008 straight, this could perhaps denote the best opportunity he has for a victory in 2011.
Nadal will be Djokovic's biggest threat for sure. The two have been far in a way the best players this season and both have hard-court records to be proud of. Djokovic won the Australian Open in January whilst Nadal is the reigning champion at the US Open. With Djokovic around 2,000 ranking points ahead of the Spaniard already, if he was to do better than Nadal at the US Open he will secure an even greater lead.
The other obvious candidate is Andy Murray. A loser to Federer in the final in 2008, Murray has almost the game to win a Slam but hasn't quite put the icing on the cake. He needs to find his best form if he wants to stand any chance, but a victory over Nadal in the 2008 Semi Final and wins against Djokovic in Cincinnati and Miami hard-court finals in the past means there is a chance, even if it is slim, he can prosper.
As for the rest of the field it will take a monumental effort to come close to any of these four. Juan Martin Del Potro somehow did the unthinkable in 2009 when he beat Nadal and Federer on his way to lifting the title. Injuries have plagued him since though and he isn't quite yet in shape to repeat this. Watch out for the French trio of Monfils, Tsonga and Simon who may all be on a charge, whilst young American Ryan Harrison is another to keep a close eye on, even if he has no real chance of winning. The 19 year old has been making huge strides and could flourish similar to how Bernard Tomic did at Wimbledon.
Serena Getting Back into Shape at the Right Time
Since Serena Williams had her unfortunate accident standing on glass last year, no-one has successfully taken women's tennis by the scruff of the neck. Kim Clijsters has won the US Open the past two years but she has had injury concerns of her own which meant she had to miss Wimbledon and world no.1 Wozniacki has only shown glimpses that she should be seriously considered.
In fact after Serena's win in Stanford she has jumped to being the favourite with the bookmakers, closely ahead of both Clijsters and Kvitova. Wimbledon may have been one step too soon for the American, but she now seems to be back playing super tennis. She also has three past US Open crowns and there is no reason why she shouldn't be able to add a fourth on what we have seen from her in the last week.
Maria Sharapova was slightly disappointing in the Wimbledon final but will need to put that aside quick if she is to be considered for the US title. Her loss to Williams at Stanford may also buckle some of her shaky confidence. As for Wimbledon champion Kvitova she hasn't played much tennis since so it is with a hint of unknown that she plays her warm-up events for New York. Her best performance at the US Open was back in 2009 when she reached the fourth round. However expect her to go far beyond this next month, as she has a massive chance to extend her newly built Grand Slam cabinet.
