Like every year, before the start of the US Open, rumour mill is working full swing to create the pre-tournament hype, whereas, players are busy in executing their last minutes plans and strategies before hitting the court in Big Apple! We at TennisEarth are also waiting with a bated breath to witness the extravaganza of tennis. Here is our take on some of the contenders in the men’s draw.

The world’s toughest hard court tournament is here and all the big guns are ready to fire their best shots to make it a worthwhile Grand Slam for them – in one way or another. Nadal, the French Open and Wimbledon conquer is looking bit vulnerable on hard-court, Federer is also not in his emblematic dictating form. Apparently, others can certainly vouch for this rare opportunity, only if they can complement their talent with the utmost fitness – because, the swiftness of the flexi-court and sweltering American heat do take its toll as the tournament progresses and that’s what make US Open so exhilarating and demanding.  It is bit tricky to scrutinize the possibilities by keeping the draw in mind that who can win this year (Click Here to view the US Open 2010 Interactive Draw). Thus, we havecategorized these contenders in two classes:

Top Contenders: As the name suggests, here we have the first five comprising of world no. 1 Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Robin Soderling. Though, Nadal could not even reach the finals in Toronto and Cincinnati Masters – a lead up to US Open, we know he is a reckless force that can humble anyone on any surface – on any given day. So far, Nadal has not gone beyond the semi-finals of the US Open. Last year, his knees held him back, but his emphatic run on red soil and comprehensive victory at the Wimbledon speak a lot in his favour. Many say that hard-court is a fast surface for Nadal and it takes a huge toll on his body, but we should not forget that this feisty fighter from Mallorca proved all those wrong who doubted his grass-court playing abilities by snapping the winning streak of the perfect Federer in 2008 epic Wimbledon final and repeated the feat again this year – though, this time he had to humble Tomas Berdych in straight sets to grab the trophy.  Nadal’s knees are looking in perfect shape since he made a comeback this year and now that defending champion Juan Martin del Potro is not in the contention and Roger Federer is not in his devastating hard-court form, we can bid for the Spaniard Rafael Nadal – three Grand Slam trophies this year?

Then comes Roger Federer – a five time champion at Flushing Meadows. It would not have made a much difference, if we had mentioned the Swiss ace before Nadal, but his string ofmediocre performances in the recent times – forced us to keep him behind Nadal. Before the start of this year’s first Grand Slam or Australian Open, Federer was right there on the top, where he likes to be, but we cannot ignore his recent records. Federer did not make it to the Wimbledon final since 2003 this year and also didn’t finish the week at a no. 2 position after the Championships final. When Federer was shattering one record after another with his awe-inspiring play, only Rafa was considered the biggest hurdle in his path.  But, now that new talents have come on the forefront things have been looking in a different shape altogether.  Federer lost to Robin Soderling in French Open and Tomas Berdych in Wimbledon. Well, the Swiss ace also tasted defeats in Masters by the hands of little known Marcos Baghdatis and Ernests Gulbis. If we dissect the bit of history, then it is easy to deduce that Federer likes to peak up during the Grand Slams – so, you can never count him out of the top contention. May be it’s the right time for redemption for the Swiss Ace who recently quoted that his mission is to win twenty Grand Slam titles!

After the two most popular names in the present world of men’s tennis, we have the Serbian Novak Djokovic. Many call him Joker and Ice Man Djokovic. Well, he has earned both the names, Joker for his on-court, off-court antics and Ice Man – for reaching the semifinals of all four Grand Slams. Djokovic was on the verge of making history in the 2007 US Open final, but he fumbled during the crucial moments of the match and allowed Federer to get hold over another Major trophy. The Serbian is one of the most talented hard-court players in the men’s draw and he has been improving emphatically since winning the 2008 Australian Open on hard-court. Serbian certainly has the potential, but he needs to maintain the momentum.

A nation that is a home to the most prestigious Grand Slam is deprived of a Major trophy for the last thirty years – and whenever the Mighty Scot Andy Murray plays in a Major, he carries the hope of millions. Murray reached the final of the US Open in 2008 and continued to flourish by making into the final of the Australian Open in 2010. Many feel that it is the right time for Murray to go places and earn his maiden Grand Slam. Murray has been pretty consistent of late and his recent win in Toronto further fuel up the possibility of his emerging as one of the top most contenders in this years’ US Open. May be this is the right time for the Scot to have his share of glory, but his dramatic slumps in form are a big mystery to everyone!

The last warrior in top-five is more of a wizard than another talented player –Swede Robin Soderling first grabbed the limelight, when he snapped the winning streak of Rafael Nadal on red soil in 2009 and became the first player to do that till date. The Swede also reached the final at Roland Garros in 2010. Soderling can conjure up his magic with big serve and flat hits, which are considered good enough to break any player on any given day. The Swede has not gone beyond the quarter-finals of the US Open, but he has all that can be called enough to make a big impact on hard-court. Again, Soderling has not been consistent and once on the receiving end – he looks highly vulnerable.

The Dazzlers: After the top 5, we have those players, who can surprise the big guns in the year’s last Major. First in the list is 2010 Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych of Czech Republic. Berdych belongs to the league of those players, who are not blessed with any exceptional talent or particular skill, but their hard work and willingness to improve make the big difference in their career. Berdych reached the final of the 2010 Wimbledon Championships after subduing the mighty Federer, on his favourite surface grass. The Czech also made it to the semifinals of the 2010 French Open. Berdych has been in his top form lately and has got all the shots in his artillery; he needs to pull the plug at the right time to earn his maiden Grand Slam title.

After Berdych, we have two Americans – Andy Roddick and Mardy Fish. Many would not agree with us that we are not keeping Andy Roddick in the top contenders, but his recent form and consistent slump over the years have made us feel that way. Former world no. 1 Andy Roddick won the US Open in 2003 and also reached the Grand Slam finals on four occasions, but the fastest serve record holder could not repeat the Major feat and also has lost his place in the top 10 players of the world. His recent losses in Toronto and Cincinnati also say a lot about Roddick’s current form, but he has the ability to bounce back – and this is the perfect occasion to salvage pride and rejuvenate his ailing career. On the other hand, Mardy Fish has been emerging as an improved player after shedding some flab. After his early departure in Wimbledon, Fish won at Newport Beach, Atlanta and also reached the final in Cincinnati, where he missed on his first Masters Series title by losing the final to Roger Federer in three gruelling sets. Fish has certainly earned the right to be considered as a serious contender at the US Open.

Next in the fray is the Argentine David Nalbandian who has been showing some glimpses of his old self. After battling with a string of hamstring injuries, Nalbandian clinched the title in Washington and also humbled Robin Soderling in Rogers Cup to earn an 11-match winning streak, which was eventually snapped by the Toronto Champion Andy Murray. Nalbandian is one such dark horse, who can be counted upon to create a big upset, as the Argentine has defeated the trio of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray on multiple occasions. We do have Marcos Baghdatis and talented Nikolay Davydenko in the list of dark horses, who can bewitch the big guns – but, that is something we need to see as the tournament kicks off on Monday. Brace yourself for a fortnight of sublime hard-court action.