In what will certainly offer a change of pace for tennis fans this year, spectators at the US Open in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. will have the privilege of seeing a new name sitting atop the seedings of the men's singles draw for the fourth and final Grand Slam event of the year.
For the first time since Feb. 2, 2004, Roger Federer of Switzerland will not be the top seed in a major event; that honor is reserved for Rafael Nadal of Spain at this year's Open. After a breakout year for the former world No. 2 Nadal, who rose for the first time to the world No. 1 spot on Aug. 18, the 22-year-old Spaniard enters his first Grand Slam tournament as the seeded favorite to take home his first US Open title.
Nadal has posted a tremendous season that included wins at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, making him the first player since Bjorn Borg in 1980 to ach ieve that feat, while picking up a number of other important tournament wins including a gold medal at the Olympics in Beijing on Aug. 17. The young gun has never looked better, providing ample justification for his recent ascent to No. 1.
That said, any number of roadblocks stand in Nadal's way at the Open, least of all Federer, who now sits as the tournament's second seed after enjoying 237 consecutive weeks as the world's best. Needless to say, Federer is experiencing nothing short of an off year, with only two singles titles to his name in 2008, neither of which are major or ATP Masters Series titles.
Federer came up short in both defending his Australian Open title with a semifinal loss to eventual champion Novak Djokovic of Serbia (seeded third in the world and at the US Open this year) and his Wimbledon title, which he surrendered to Nadal after an epic five-set marathon match in July. The Swiss' questionable performance this year might indicate a greater tumble from the top, but it's impossible to count out his fire and the champion's edge he brings every time he steps
on court.
With 12 major titles to his name to date, four of them coming from the US Open, Federer will almost certainly fight his hardest to salvage at least one critical win out of an otherwise lackluster year. One can only expect the recently dethroned king of tennis to throw his entire body and mind into defending his crown at Flushing Meadows.
While recent history would seem to demonstrate that the newly coronated Nadal will face Federer in the finals
this year, it's worth noting that the Spaniard has underperformed in the
past at the Open, never going beyond
the quarterfinals.
And then of course there is Djokovic, who at 21 has already shown his mettle as the world No. 3 and a Grand Slam winner. With immense talent at his disposal, the young Serb is a contender in any tournament he enters, but Djokovic's maturity remains an issue as his play remains relatively undisciplined compared to proven champions like Nadal and Federer.
Granted that the safest pick to win the Open this year is one of these three, there are a number of other proven players in the field who could rock the boat and readily alter the outcome.
Russian Nikolay Davydenko and Scotsman Andy Murray notched the fifth and sixth seeds, respectively, after posting solid years on the tour. Davydenko overcame Nadal to win the Miami Masters on hardcourt to go along with two other titles this year, while the hot-blooded Murray has continued his upward trend to a career-high world No. 6 ranking on the heels of his first ATP Masters Series win in Cincinnati on Aug. 3, coupled with two other hardcourt wins earlier this year.
Like Djokovic, Murray possesses both youth and talent, and the right combination of those two things at the US Open could spell success for
the Scotsman.
Once again, Americans Andy Roddick and James Blake cracked the top 10 in seedings at Flushing Meadows this year, taking the No. 8 and 9 seeds, respectively. Roddick has witnessed noticeably more success over his career than Blake in the tournament, including a win there in 2003 for his only Grand Slam title, and a runner-up showing in 2006 when he lost to Federer. That said, Roddick has notched only two titles this season and has made no real headway at any of the major events.
Blake meanwhile has never advanced beyond the quarterfinals in any Grand Slam event and remains titleless thus far this season, although he did beat Federer at the Olympics. While the odds of either American making a serious run this year at the Open remain low, they will likely benefit from having a friendly crowd at their backs every time they take the court.
Still, the safe money this year is on either Nadal or Federer. And given Nadal's suspect performance at Flushing Meadows in the past and Federer's determination to save some face after a (relatively) dismal year, don't be surprised if Nadal becomes the victim of an upset at the hands of Federer in his new role as the underdog in their continuing rivalry.
