The 2009 US Open – A Look at the Contenders
Posted on August 8, 2009
Filed Under Tennis
Juan Martin del Potro. Many forget to mention del Potro when speaking of top contenders, but his potential on the hard court is undeniable. Del Potro won 23 straight matches last summer, capturing four tournament victories in a row leading straight up to the 2008 US Open, besting any teenager in tennis history except for Rafael Nadal.
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.
On top of this all, Roddick made an exceptional run at Wimbledon earlier this summer, playing some of the best tennis of his career and nearly denying Roger Federer of his record-breaking 15th grand slam victory in a match that was just about as close as they get. Roddick’s fitness is better than it’s ever been, and the fact that he was the last person to win a US Open before Federer began his streak (amazingly, this was 6 years ago in 2003) means that Andy Roddick cannot be counted out.
Andy Murray: Last year’s finalist, and the world’s number 3 ranked player. A spot long held by Novak Djokovic, Murray has broken serious ground with his emergence into the top 3, and his defeat of Rafael Nadal at last year’s US Open semifinal goes to show that Andy Murray has a legitimate shot to break through to the finals again this year. However, Murray was easily defeated by Roger Federer at last year’s final (straight sets), so he may need to show some marked improvement in order to stand a chance should he break through once again this year. At just 22 years of age, his game is still improving, so this is very well possible.
Rafael Nadal. He won his fourth straight French Open in 2008. He beat a previously invincible Roger Federer at Wimbledon just a month later, winning his first ever Wimbledon. He beat Federer again at the Aussie Open in early 2009, winning his first ever Australian. He secured the world’s number one ranking. Just when things seemed like they couldn’t get any better for Nadal, he was hit with the injury bug. An early defeat at the French Open to Robyn Soderling, followed by his decision to miss Wimbledon altogether, has made this summer a major disappointment for Nadal.
The US Open is the only slam he’s yet to win, and you can bank on the fact that he’ll be hungry for it. Much of his success will rest upon his health, as the hard court surface at Flushing Meadows will test his knees to the fullest. Still, Nadal hasn’t exactly been successful at the US Open, never making it past the semifinals (which had never even happened until last year). Can a well-rested Nadal bounce back from injury and reclaim his place as the best tennis player in the world? We’ll see.
Roger Federer. Having one the last five US Opens, it’s nearly impossible to call anyone else the favorite to win the tournament. Especially in the face of Nadal’s injury. Roger Federer seems to have gotten his act back together, having won both the French Open and Wimbledon in 2009. What a way to redeem himself after such a disappointing 2008 should Federer come away with his sixth straight US Open title. Don’t be surprised to see it happen.
While anything can happen at any given tournament, I feel that it’s safe to say that the winner of the 2009 US Open will be one of the five players mentioned above. Then again, I’ve definitely been wrong before!
Comments
VIDEOS To Learn Tennis With
This is a great program put together by a professional tennis coach and is designed as a 'tennis for beginners' step-by-step video manual. You can do your tennis lessons online over and over again until you know it back-to-front and then go out and practice what you have learnt.
Learning To Play Tennis: Instructional Videos For Tennis Beginners. AND for Free video clips of the training CLICK HERE.
PLUS 1 OF 2 BONUSES AVAILABLE :
