2011 US Open: 10 Bold Predictions for the Next Grand Slam

There are so many storylines percolating as tennis turns toward the American hard court season.

While a few venues cling nostalgically to the red clay, most players are dusting off their hard-court shoes, ready to do battle on the tour’s most debilitating surface for the remainder of the 2011 calendar. 

The action really got underway this week in Atlanta for the men. Next week, however, the season  moves to Los Angeles for the men and Stanford for the ladies.

The players will make their way toward the US Open in New York at the end of August, crowning a champion in September. 

It is the last major tournament of the season played largely under lights at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City.  The event is loud, flashy and filled with drama in direct contrast to the sedate major tournament just concluded at the All England Club. 

For the men, the battle at the top of the men’s game continues. Defending champion Rafael Nadal will attempt to recapture the US Open title and finally defeat the new world No. 1 Novak Djokovic this year.

The Serb has lost only once in all of 2011. 

Roger Federer waits patiently for one of both men to falter as his quest to win slam No. 17 continues. 

Andy Murray remains fixed on winning his first major, just has he has the past five years. 

For the ladies, once again, it is the “old” versus the “young” as seasoned professionals like the Williams sisters and Kim Clijsters fight their way back into top form while new-comers Petra Kvitova, Sabine Lisicki and Caroline Wozniacki hope to capture the title. 

The women’s field is wide open once again.

Included in the major storylines surrounding this tournament are these predictions for the future unfolding at the US Open.

Maria Sharapova Cannot Dance...

Ranked in the top five in women’s tennis for the first time since her shoulder surgery in 2008, Maria Sharapova managed to advance to the 2011 French Open semifinals and the the 2011 Wimbledon finals.

Sharapova feels that her game is finally coming together, and her old confidence is returning. Most who have watched her play in 2011 agree.

After winning the US Open in 2006, Sharapova relishes another run through the draw to reach the final four for her third consecutive slam this year.

The former US Open champ is looking to find ways to continue improving her quickness, her aggression and her serve. 

Sharapova will make the final four once again at the U.S. Open, but she will be turned back once again by a player with an even bigger serve who moves more quickly to cut off the angles and finish the rally. 

Sharapova will, however, move into the top four in women’s tennis.

Juan Martin Del Potro Moves One Step Closer...

In 2009, Juan Martin del Potro defeated Rafael Nadal in the semifinals of the US Open.

Then the Argentine came back the following day, refusing to lose to Roger Federer during the US Open finals held at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows.

Despite being down two sets to one, del Porto came back to win the tournament in five sets.

The Argentine became the 2009 US Open Champion, denying the Swiss his sixth consecutive title in New York. Del Potro was 20 years old at the time.

Since then, the Argentine missed almost a year of competition, sidelined with a wrist injury which required surgery.

While the Argentine sat on the sideline, of course, the others continued to play, to improve their games and their rankings. 

Finally, after working extremely hard, it appears that del Potro will be back fully fit in time for the US Open. Depending, of course, on his lead up to the US Open, the Argentine could quickly become a favorite. 

Del Potro is scheduled to compete next at the Farmer’s Classic in Los Angeles followed by the Rogers Cup in Montreal and the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati. 

While the Argentine will knock off one of the favorites, del Potro is not fully ready to take his place in the winner's circle at this year's US Open.

The Germans Are Coming, the Germans Are Coming...

The rise of the Germans on the women’s tour has been one of the biggest stories of 2010-2011.

Andrea Petkovic, Julia Goerges and Sabine Lisicki have made significant progress, enjoying some startling upsets on the tennis court as they advanced in the WTA rankings.

Lisicki recently made a run unseeded through the women’s draw at Wimbledon making it all the way to the women’s semifinals.  On her way she dispatched some of the world’s best, starting with Li Na who had just won the 2011 French Open championship.

Lisicki’s big, booming serve and her powerful groundstrokes had the press singing her praises throughout the fortnight.

Andrea Petkovic enjoyed a tremendous outing at a Grand Slam event at last year’s US Open defeating Nadia Petrova and Bethany Mattek-Sands in the first two rounds.  Eventually, the German lost in the fourth round to Vera Zvonareva who would go on to meet Kim Clijsters in the 2010 US Open final.

In 2011, Petkovic reached the finals of the tournament in Brisbane where she lost to Czech Petra Kvitova. Then the German went on to make the quarterfinals at the Australian Open before falling to eventual finalist Li Na of China.

Petkovic also made it to the semifinals of the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, losing to Maria Sharapova in three sets.  The German has an affinity for the hard courts.

Julia Goerges has also made her mark on the women’s tour by reaching the third round of the 2011 Australian Open, falling to Maria Sharapova in a hard-fought three-set contest. This sent her ranking up to world No. 34. 

The German went on to win the tournament in Stuttgart, defeating world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki in the final. Goerges followed that up by reaching the semifinals at Madrid, losing to Victoria Azarenka. 

Of the three German’s on the rise, you have to like Lisicki’s chances at the US Open now that she is fully fit once again.  Petkovic may need a more convincing weapon, and Goerges seems to fare better on clay.

But the ladies from Germany have given the women's tour a much needed shot in the arm.

Andy Murray Is Coachless No More...

After struggling to find a way to win against the top tier in men’s tennis, Andy Murray has finally decided to hire a coach––a mentor to help him take that huge final step that his talent dictates he needs to take to win the majors.

No one would ever accuse the Scot of not possessing talent. He has the game, but he does not always make the best decisions on court about how to proceed.

A coach would help him sort out this dilemma and come with a game plan Murray could execute along with a “Plan B” when “Plan A” fails to get the job done.  It is the essence of coaching. 

Murray’s lot seems always to fall on Rafael Nadal’s side of the draw. Defeating the former world No. 1 in majors has been a problem for Murray.

He has lost to Nadal during the semifinals at Wimbledon for the past two years. 

Of course, Murray will be hoping to do better than he did in last year’s US Open, losing in the third round to the No. 27 seed Stanislas Wawrinka. 

Murray along with his new coach will be looking to see who the Scot should face in the semifinals, Nadal again or perhaps Novak Djokovic. Then, the game plan will follow.

Unfortunately, regardless of the new coach, Murray will fall again in the quarterfinals.

Kim Clijsters Will Stumble on the Hard Courts...

Kim Clijsters who is the two-time defending US Open champion will return to action this summer after injuring her ankle prior to the French Open.

Even though Clijsters played at Roland Garros, she lost early and then missed Wimbledon altogether due to another ankle injury.

Both ankle injuries served to ruin what promised to be a stellar season for the the Belgian who was hoping to win a major on a surface other than hard courts.

Clijsters will make her return in Toronto at the Rogers Cup, hoping to use the American hardcourt season to play her way back into shape. 

After winning the US Open in 2010 and starting out the year by winning the 2011 Australian Open, Clijsters has struggled to overcome her major setbacks in 2011.

The world No. 2 will be hoping to redeem her season by wrapping up the year with another US Open title, giving her three consecutive wins at Flushing Meadows.

The rust and the lack of match play, however, will limit Clijster’s ability to advance to another final.

The lady from Belgium will not be back in the winner’s circle at the US Open in 2011.

Roger Federer Will Remain Without Win No. 6 at Flushing Meadows...

In the modern era of men's tennis, Roger Federer is the only man who has won five consecutive titles at the US Open, although Pete Sampras and Jimmy Connors both have won the title five times.

The DecoTurf surface certainly suits the Federer game and he has used his skills to capture the title many times before.

The question remains, will Federer be able to win another title in 2011? The answer is yes. He is always capable of winning another title.

The Swiss has been playing very well of late.  Federer has compiled a 39-9 winning record, making the semifinals of the Australian Open, the finals of the French Open and the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. 

Of course, many expect Federer to do much better than merely making the final eight. But the Swiss remains ranked No. 3 and he has been in contention during the latest stages of significant tournaments throughout 2011.

Five-time champion Federer, who turns 30 next month,  has not won a major since the 2010 Australian Open, the longest stretch without a title since winning the first of his record 16 majors in 2003.

Unfortunately, Federer will fall to Djokovic at this year’s US Open

Serena Shines Again in the City That Never Sleeps...

Former world No. 1 Serena Williams has dropped to world No. 172  after missing almost a year on tour.

Being sidelined most of the season with illness and injury, the Williams sisters both reached the fourth round at Wimbledon. In fact, they were both ousted on the same day.

The rust was obvious for the sisters, and it will take some time for both to return to form.

Serena Williams, who has 13 majors lining her mantle, has already been selected as one of the favorites to win the US Open along with two-time defending champion Kim Clijsters of Belgium.

Along with sister Venus, Serena Williams returns to action at the Roger’s Cup in Toronto the first week of August.

The former world No. 1 also plans to play at Cincinnati plus one other tournament before the US Open gets underway at the end of August.

It is hard not to pick Serena Williams to win this title because when she is playing well, she is unbeatable, unless playing on clay. 

She is back again or will be by the time the US Open arrives.  This tournament will see Serena Williams return as champion.

Rafael Nadal Is One and Done in New York City...

Rafael Nadal is the defending US Open champion, having defeated Novak Djokovic for the title in 2010. It marked the first time Nadal had reached the finals at Flushing Meadows. 

It gave Nadal three Grand Slam titles in one season and cemented his place at No. 1 with Federer falling to the No. 2 spot after the 2010 French Open concluded. 

It seemed to all the tennis world that Nadal had reached his zenith, producing the very best tennis of his career. 

After the US Open, Nadal went on to win the tournament in Tokyo after being upset in Bangkok. The world No. 1 was also upset in Shanghai and then lost in the finals of the Barclays World Tour finals to Roger Federer.

Still, most reasoned the Majorcan traditionally never did well during the indoor hard-court season. 

The 2011 Australian Open, however, was particularly disappointing because injury kept him from competing at peak form during his quarterfinal loss to countryman David Ferrer.

A win would have given Nadal ownership of all four Grand Slam titles––a feat no one had accomplished since Rod Laver in 1969. 

After that, Nadal lost Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid and Rome to Novak Djokovic before winning the 2011 French Open over Roger Federer.

Then Nadal lost Queen’s Club to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and then Wimbledon as well as the No. 1 ranking to Novak Djokovic.

Rafael Nadal will not repeat as the US Open champion in 2011. 

Petra Kvitova, Wimbledon Champion, Is the Real Deal in Women's Tennis....

Petra Kvitova’s emergence as the newest champion at the All England Club made quite a statement.

While the more established stars continued to fight injuries and illness, the 19-year-old performed at the highest level at this year’s Wimbledon tournament, never giving into nerves or doubt in the final stages when most would have collapsed under the pressure.

Exerting tremendous power and unlimited aggression, Kvitova displayed enviable mental acuity and poise for someone not yet 20 years of age.

Kvitova asserted herself by breaking out of the pack of players trying to cross the major threshold including world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, Victoria Azarenka and a newly invigorated Marion Bartoli.

The left-handed Czech is the youngest woman to win Wimbledon since Maria Sharapova won it at age 17 in 2004, and she is also the first player born in the 1990s to win a slam.

Those who watched her win the title realize that Kvitova is the real thing, the face of women’s tennis for the future. What is more, Kvitova will make another huge statement at the US Open. 

The Czech will be standing on one side of the net during the 2011 US Open final. 

Novak Djokovic: You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet...

The bad news for the rest of the field is that Novak Djokovic prefers playing on hard courts.

That cannot give them hope that the Serb will be willing to lessen his winning iron grip. The Serb holds a 48-1 record in 2011 and is well on his way to upending the 82-3 record John McEnroe set in 1984. 

Previously, Djokovic has been in two US Open finals.

The Serb made it to the finals in 2007, losing to Roger Federer in straight sets, although not without ample opportunities to make life very difficult for the then No. 1 seed.

Djokovic was also the runner-up last year against Rafael Nadal who was playing to cap off a brilliant run through the French Open and Wimbledon on his way to winning his Career Grand Slam.  It was Nadal’s first appearance in a final at the US Open, and the Majorcan was determined to win it all.

But this is a new Djokovic playing the game with his own particular brand of brilliance, and now that he has learned how to win, he will not be easily deterred.

This year, unlike the 2010 US Open finals, it will be Djokovic who remains standing on the final Sunday, holding the winner’s trophy.