With the 2014 tennis season having already produced three different Grand Slam winners on the ATP Tour, we all knew this year’s US Open could be there for taking. That became even more apparent following Rafa Nadal’s announcement last week that he would be unable to defend his 2013 crown due to a nagging wrist injury. Could this be the event where we see a shift of power to the younger players on tour? Perhaps but something tells this writer Novak Djokovic may have something to stay about that before it is all said and done.
Favourite: Novak Djokovic
While some will point to his less than stellar performances in Toronto and Cincinnati as potential signs of what could ultimately become a disastrous showing in the final major of the year, let’s not jump to conclusions here. Despite his recent poor showings, which appear to have more to do with him taking time away from the court to marry his long-time girlfriend than anything else, there is no doubt the talented Serbian remains the man to beat in New York.
This isn’t your run-of-the-mill tour event we are talking about here. Expecting Djokovic to come out with anything but his very best would be big mistake. While he may not be in top form, playing best-of-five matches will allow him the opportunity to get his necessary reps in during the first week of action and head into the week number two with his play moving in the right direction.
While a potential quarterfinal matchup with one of Andy Murray or Jo-Wilfried Tsonga looms in the distance, Novak’s biggest challenge on his side of the draw may very well come in the semi-finals. If everything goes according to plan, he should end up facing one of Stan Wawrinka or No. 5 seed Milos Raonic for the right to play for the championship.
The Swiss No. 2 has certainly had an up and down year but he also has an Australian Open title under his belt, which included a huge five-set win over Djokovic in the quarter-finals. While the twenty-seven year old holds a career 15-3 record over Wawrinka, he has been taken the distance by Stan the Man in all three of their meetings at Grand Slam events.
If he happens to end up facing the hard-serving Canadian, Djokovic will cruise into the final as Raonic simply doesn’t have the necessary weapons to compete with the big boys in this sort of setting. In my mind, Novak will use Rafa’s absence to his advantage and capture the eighth Grand Slam title of what has now become one heck of a career.
Sentimental Favourite: Roger Federer
2014 has truly been a bounce back season for Mr. Federer and capping it off with the eighteenth Grand Slam title of his career would be pretty darn special. One thing is clear, tennis fans around the world would love to see it. With Nadal no longer in the equation and the thirty-three year old playing at the highest level we have seen from him over the last eighteen or so months, they may just get there wish.
While the No. 2 seed is coming off back-to-back trips to the final in both Toronto and Cincinnati, in which he dismissed the likes of David Ferrer (twice), Murray and Raonic, he has not had to face the “Big Two” in either one of those tournaments. That said, he is less than two months removed from pushing Djokovic to five-sets at the All England Club in what was one the greatest Men's Final in Wimbledon history.
As far as New York goes, Federer was handed a fairly easy draw with a potential quarterfinal matchup against Grigor Dimitrov and semi-final date with Ferrer as the toughest possible matches the former World No .1 could face. With that said, if the young Bulgarian is in top form and fully focused on trying to reach his first ever Slam final, Roger could have his hands full with the twenty-three old raising star.
It was always believed that Roger Federer would need to have a lot of things go his way in order to capture that eighteenth major title of his career and this US Open is shaping up to be his best chance of grabbing it. In my mind, he falls just short but what a story it would be if Fed finds a way to pull it off.
Dark Horse: Grigor Dimitrov
Of all the youngsters on tour, Dimitrov is the only one who has shown the wherewithal to deal with the moment at hand when facing the elite players in the game. Like Raonic, he has been unable to break through when it has mattered most against the best players in the world but there is one major difference...Dimitrov hasn’t been dominated like his Canadian counterpart.
He comes into New York as the No. 7 seed and there is no reason whatsoever for him not to reach the final eight. As previously mentioned, he would likely be facing Federer in what could turn out to be a career changing moment for the kid. The opportunity to take that next step is staring him in the face…now it will be up to Grigor to go out and do it.
Sleeper: Stan Wawrinka
Calling a No. 3 seed a sleeper seems kind of odd but considering the season Wawrinka has put together, it is rather fitting. As good as he looked in Australia and in taking apart his fellow countryman in the final of the Masters 1000 event in Monaco, on far too many occasions we get the Wawrinka we saw in Cincinnati against Julien Benneteau. The twenty-nine year old has all the necessary tools to take on any player in the world but he has to have his head into it. If he comes to New York focused and ready to play, don’t be shocked to see Stan lifting his second major trophy of 2014 over his head.
