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| Top seed Novak Djokovic will look to capture his second U.S. Open championship. |
The year's final Grand Slam is set to get underway and there is no shortage of compelling story lines heading into New York. With Australia's Nick Kyrgios making recent headlines for the wrong reasons, Switzerland's Roger Federer's impressive statement in Cincinnati, Spain's Rafael Nadal's struggles, American Mardy Fish's upcoming retirement and Serbia's Novak Djokovic chance to reach ten major championships, the 2015 edition of the U.S. Open will surely provide two weeks of high intensity entertainment. The 34-year old Federer is continuing to impress in the latter stages of his career, with a great showing in Cincinnati by beating two of his main rivals Murray and Djokovic back-to-back in straight sets. He employed a new tactic he had been working on in practice by taking return of serves ridiculously early and coming into the net behind the shot, putting extreme pressure on his opponents early in the point. In addition, Federer did not have his serve broken the entire tournament and was able to use his attacking style to perfection on the quicker courts in Cincinnati. The two men Federer defeated in the semifinal and final of that event clashed in the Rogers Cup final the week before with Murray finally getting the better of Djokovic after losing eight consecutive meetings. Murray won the U.S. Open series and is heading into New York with a great deal of confidence. His victory over Djokovic in the Montreal final should help his confidence heading into the U.S. Open, being that that was his first victory over either him or Federer this year. Murray hasn't hoisted a Grand Slam trophy since his 2013 triumph at Wimbledon, but seems to be building himself back up to that level of play. Djokovic is also coming in with a ton of confidence despite losing in the final of both Montreal and Cincinnati to Murray and Federer. His 56-5 record and two Grand Slam titles this season give him a firm grip on the number one ranking and he has a real chance to reach double digit majors in two weeks time. Djokovic's style of play over the course of best of five sets is very tough to deal with, which is what makes him so successful in Grand Slam play. His consistency and movement are what separates him from the field, and the hard courts suit his balanced, solid game style perfectly. The Serb will most likely face long-time rival Nadal in the quarterfinals as Nadal's ranking has slipped to No. 8 based on his average (by his standards) results this season. Nadal will not be a favorite heading into New York and many expect him to bow out to Djokovic in the quarterfinals. The normal solid baseline play we are accustomed to seeing from Nadal has not been as crisp this season, and he has admitted he has lacked confidence and belief all year long. While returning to a place where he's won two titles may make it easier for Nadal to regain his typical high level of play, I don't see him getting past the quarterfinals.
Federer and Murray, as the number 2 and 3 seeds respectively, are slated to meet in the semifinals. Murray would most likely have to get past French Open champ Stan Wawrinka in the quarterfinals, which by no means is a guarantee. Federer has a slightly easier draw than Murray, but could still face stern tests from big serving American John Isner and big hitting Czech Tomas Berdych. Murray has a stern test in the opening round as he faces controversial 20-year old Kyrgios, but will take his unbeaten mark against him and continue the one-sided results. It seems that we always talk about Father Time catching up with Federer but he continues to ignore age and contend for Grand Slam titles with his main rivals in their twenties. The slight wrinkles he's added to his game in the last few years (bigger racquet head, attacking the net more, hitting returns off the short hop, etc.) have started to make a notable difference against players such as Djokovic and Murray. If Federer can maintain his high level this season and utilize his new tactics at the right time against his top rivals, he may very well be lifting Grand Slam trophy number eighteen on September 13th. As much as I would love to pick Federer to win the tournament, I have to go with Djokovic to lift the trophy. He has been the best player in the world over the last four years, along with being on his best surface, and I can't pick against the World No. 1 in the thick of his prime. He will have to be on his game in order to win his second U.S. Open, and he will pass each test thrown his way to get the job done.
Predictions for Notable Players:
Rafael Nadal: Quarterfinals
Stan Wawrinka: Quarterfinals
Kei Nishikori: Semifinals
Andy Murray: Semifinals
Roger Federer: Final
Novak Djokovic: Champion
See if you agree with my picks: http://bracketchallenge.usopen.org/#/men-bracket
