Rafael Nadal: 4 Reasons He Has to Be US Open Favorite

No. 2 in the ATP World Tour Rankings for the first time since the days of Roger Federer's dominance, Rafael Nadal is looking to put forth a strong effort at the 2011 U.S. Open.

Set to begin Aug. 29, this year's U.S. Open has the makings to be one for the ages.

As far as Nadal is concerned, Rafa comes off a crushing defeat to Novak Djokovic in the final of the 2011 Wimbledon after winning it two of the last three years. He also lost his No. 1 ranking, which was earned by Djokovic after getting to the finals of the tournament.

Despite the remarkable year that Djokovic has put together and his recent victory over Nadal, these are the four reasons why tennis talent Nadal should be favored to win the 2011 U.S. Open at Flushing Meadows.

The Revenge Factor

Novak Djokovic is now the world's No. 1 tennis player, not Rafael Nadal.

Djokovic took over the top spot after winning his semifinal match in the 2011 Wimbledon tournament earlier this season. This is the time where Nadal knows he can make up ground on Djokovic and regain his spot as the No. 1 player in the world.

Nadal will play with a sense of urgency in this 2011 U.S. Open, as he has won the tournament before and knows he will need to do so in order to have a shot getting back to the spot by the end of this season.

Nadal's Record at the U.S. Open

After struggling to do much at the U.S. Open and being especially criticized for not being able to get it done on the hard court surface, Nadal has proven he is a more than capable contender at this tournament.

Since 2008, Nadal is 17-2 at the U.S. Open, winning the tournament last year over Novak Djokovic in the final.

His 17 wins are as many as any player in tennis has won since 2008 at the U.S. Open. This gives Nadal an advantage in the sense that he has improved his play there, and continues to do so. As the reigning champion at the tournament, Nadal will expect big things going into the 2011 tournament.

Recovering from Injury

If there's one thing that continues to hold Nadal back from winning more Grand Slam titles than he already has, it's his injury issues.

In his most recent Grand Slam appearance at the 2011 Wimbledon, Nadal showed evident pain in his foot and made it clear that he was not 100 percent. Going into the 2011 Wimbledon tournament, the word is Nadal expects to be more than ready to go for the U.S. Open.

His health has been an issue throughout his career, as twice it hurt his chances at winning Wimbledon in the last three seasons. If Nadal goes in healthy and can stay healthy throughout the tournament, this will help his chances significantly to take home the 2011 U.S. Open trophy.

Nadal Won the 2010 U.S. Open

They say to become champion, one must de-throne the champion. As Rafael Nadal was last season's 2010 U.S. Open winner, he is granted a certain advantage going into the 2011 tournament.

A lot can happen over the course of a year in the game of tennis, yet the fact remains that Nadal finally won the U.S. Open last year. He overcame the critics and doubters worldwide to finally hoist the U.S. Open trophy. Prior to the 2010 U.S. Open, injury and fatigue held Nadal back from potentially winning the tournament multiple times.