The top 100 men’s tennis stars from over 28 different countries are prepping up to showcase their skills in front of the hustle and bustle of rowdy New York crowds at the U.S. Open Tennis Championship.
This year’s star-studded event is set to open on August 28 and continue until a winner is crowned on September 13.
Men’s singles matches will be played at the usual venue of United States Tennis Association’s (USTA) Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.
This year’s competition is certainly stacked, but prevailing favorites are budding throughout the field.
Reigning victorious in the last five U.S. Opens, Roger Federer is the heavy favorite in this, the last major tennis tournament of the year. The Swiss prodigy has dominated the field in every aspect of the game.
Being ranked No.1 in the world does not just come to anyone who wins a tournament.
Federer, the proud new father of twins, has hurdled over every obstacle in his path and has never looked back. He stands alone in field of international glory with his record-breaking 15th grand slam titles.
Nevertheless, the U.S. Open’s hard-court circuit does prove to have a range of formidable athletes to test the current king’s crown.
Even though he is ranked No.3 in the world, the Spaniard, Rafael Nadal, seems to be the current number one contender to chop down the unmovable tree that is Federer. The 23-year-old is coming off one of his longest stints on the disabled list, when tendentious in his knees flared up and kept him off the courts for six weeks.
Nadal, or, as some might call him, “The King of Clay,” has never won at the U.S. Open, but has stated on numerous occasions that it is the one grand slam event that he so desperately wants to win.
Taking the No.2 rank in the world over Nadal, the Brit, Andy Murray, has propelled himself into the spotlight.
Ironically enough, as his first task as No.2, Murray is set to face Federer in the finals at the Cincinnati Masters – a match that Murray remembers all too well, as he was overmatched and overpowered in the finals of the 2008 U.S. Open.
Anything can happen when the field runs thick with scrappy wildcards and top five ranked stars like the 2003 U.S. Open champion, Andy Roddick, and the dominant Serbian, Novak Djokovic, who defeated Federer in a magnificent back and forth match at the 2008 Australian Open.
The stage is set for another thrilling grand slam event in New York.
Photos Courtesy of the Unites States Tennis Association (USTA).
They are all from last year’s U.S Open.
Photo 1: ATara Rogers [tara@headlineinc.com]
Andy Roddick is ready to bring his strong forehand back to the 2009 U.S Open. (Courtesy of the Unites States Tennis Association (USTA))
Photo 2: Last year’s U.S Open winner, Roger Federer, is coming back to defend his crown. (Courtesy of the Unites States Tennis Association (USTA))
Photo 3: Rafal Nadal is coming off knee injury, but wants to take the trophy back to Spain. (Courtesy of the Unites States Tennis Association (USTA))
Photo 4: Roger Federer raises the well-deserved prize over his head. (Courtesy of the Unites States Tennis Association (USTA))
