Who Could Win the 2009 Tennis US Open?
Posted on August 12, 2009
Filed Under Tennis
Juan Martin del Potro: Here is a player who can’t be overlooked. The young Argentine, still just 20 years old, had a tremendous hard court season in 2008, winning four straight tournaments leading up to the US Open, and 23 straight matches within that span. This is the second longest winning streak by a teenager in the Open Era, behind Rafael Nadal, who of course, won the bulk of his matches on clay.
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.
Roddick’s first and only grand slam victory came six years ago at the 2003 US Open, and he’s lingered as a usual quarterfinalist or semifinalist since. This past run at Wimbledon showcased Roddick’s improved fitness, and he nearly took the title from Roger Federer. Roddick’s game is well suited for hard courts and he’ll have the crowd on his side. Look for a nice tournament run in 2009.
Andy Murray. The other Andy in the field of contenders has steadily improved his tennis with each year. Just 22 years old, Andy Murray has reached an all-time high #3 ranking, and will return to the site of his first ever grand slam final in 2009. Murray upset Rafael Nadal at last year’s US Open semifinal before losing to Federer, but showed the tennis world that he’s a legitimate force to be reckoned with, and won’t be going away any time soon. With a weakened Rafael Nadal at the #2 seed, the #3-seeded Andy Murray could very well return to the finals once again.
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.
Nadal is rested and plans to return for the hard court season, but the extent to which he can make an impact remains unknown, as his knees are still untested since his injury. Hard courts are no friend to ailing knees, as the surface puts more strain on the body than any other does. Additionally, Nadal has never made it past the US Open semifinals, losing to players like James Blake (2005, 3rd round), Mikhail Youzhny (2006, quarterfinals), David Ferrer (2007, fourth round), and Andy Murray (2008, semifinals). Nadal has some major hurdles to overcome this year, but never backs down from a challenge.
Roger Federer: Ah, the king. The newly anointed king of tennis won his record-breaking 15th grand slam at Wimbledon in 2009. With some help from an injured Rafael Nadal, perhaps the only player who arguably has Federer’s number, the road was easier for Federer…but still an extremely challenging one given Federer’s struggles in 2008, an increasingly competitive field, and his age of 28. Despite all this, what is most impressive is that Federer has won each of the last five US Opens since Roddick won in 2003. To win five straight Grand Slams positions Federer as the obvious favorite at this year’s US Open. For his sake, let’s just hope he doesn’t meet Nadal in the finals.
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!
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