Rafael Nadal: Project U.S. Open

Rafael Nadal will enter this year's U.S. Open with a different sense of urgency. He is currently ranked No. 3 in the world, and it’s unlikely he will recapture the No. 1 position anytime soon.

His return to the game since an untimely knee injury has been highlighted by reluctant movement and cautious shot selection.

However, this is New York, people, and the Rafa's inner rock star is ready to shine.

Over the two weeks in New York City, the mandate for the island-born Spaniard will be a complicated, contorted, and gut-wrenching task: win the only Grand Slam absent from his collection of major glory and place himself alongside the six men who did it before.

Rafa’s road to a title in Flushing Meadows will be tough. Not only will he have to deal with the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple, but his rivals have improved and are hungry. The state of his knees and willingness to go all-out is still unknown too.

Roger Federer might be in the best form of his career. And after winning in Montreal and capturing the No. 2 ranking, Andy Murray is not far behind the top-ranked Swiss. Novak Djokovic is rounding into form just in time, and it won’t hurt that Todd Martin is in his corner. Let’s not forget the striking aggression of Argentinian Juan Martin del Potro—can anybody really stop this hard-hitting juggernaut?

With those obstacles on the table, Nadal’s order of attack in New York will have to include a concise and drawn-out game plan. Will his potential victory in NYC be based on his historic physicality, or will his unbreakable will and determination be enough to rule Queens?

Key points for Nadal to win the U.S. Open:

1) Leave it all on the court

If the Montreal and Cincinnati Masters taught us anything, it's that the Spaniard was withholding his explosive on-court nature. He was hesitant to run down opponents' drop shots, and the renowned halt-and-start screeching that usually echoed from his sneakers was replaced by a mild-mannered brush on the asphalt.

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