US Open: Why It's the Purest Grand Slam in Tennis

The US Open in the purest Grand Slam in tennis. The Australian Open happens so early in the year that it favors quick starters and the fittest players who don't need long recovery times after the previous season.

The French Open is biased towards Rafael Nadal (maybe Spanish players in general, but pretty much just Rafa), and Wimbledon is tailor made for big servers and power games. 

Recently, with the dominance of Nadal, Federer and Djokovic, advantages and different skill sets have been nullified (except for at the French Open, which Nadal owns). Traditionally, the US Open is a celebration of the game's top players.

This isn't to say that winning the first three majors is less of an accomplishment. Of course not, but at the US Open, it is a near guarantee that the winner will be a top five seed.

Andre Agassi is the only player in the Open Era since 1968 to win the US Open as an unseeded player. He took home his first Grand Slam in 1994. The only other champion to break through the field from outside the top 16 seeds? Pete Sampras. Pistol Pete made a last stirring run to capture his fifth US Open in 2002 as the 17th seed.

See what I mean? Sampras and Agassi aren't exactly one-hit wonder nobodies. In fact, only a handful of players have ever won upon entering the tournament lower than a five seed. 

Why is it that the US Open excludes dark horses? Well for one, hard courts are the fairest surface and neutralize any specialized advantages. Because they typically play at a medium speed between the blistering speed of grass and the poky pace of clay, both clay and grass courters stand a relatively equal chance.

Secondly, the US Open is the last major, so by the end of August, the top players have distinguished themselves in the rankings. Little known players who made deep runs at the earlier Grand Slams are usually seeded and thus can no longer sneak up on the field. 

Another consideration that is usually overlooked is the fact that The Open is held in New York City. There is something to be said for playing under the bright lights, and unless a player is a unique breed born for the spotlight (like an Agassi), most young up-and-coming players fold under the intense pressure and scrutiny. This is not to say that Paris, London and Melbourne aren't big cities with lots of media attention, but New York, late at night, under the lights adds a whole other dimension. 

Coming out parties at the US Open are extremely rare.

The most fundamental explanation however as to why the best players dominate The Open—  besides the fact that they are the best players—is the long summer hard court season gives them plenty of time to prepare, fine tune their games and find their rhythm. There is almost no preparation ahead of the Australian Open. Before Wimbledon, there are only two real weeks for grass court tuneups, and while there are numerous clay court tournaments in the spring, many hard court players skip them for fear of dropping their ranking. 

Once Wimbledon passes, however, hard court season provides everyone a six week period to prepare. 

With the summer season in full swing, and the top four near locks to make deep runs, several players still need to find their games ahead of next month's Open if they want a chance of competing with the big boys.

How some of the game's top players perform over the next five weeks will provide a strong indication as to how the last two weeks of August will unfold in New York.

Stay tuned and get ready for some top level tennis.