Olympic Tennis 2012: Disappointments Who Will Rebound at US Open

A less-than-stellar showing at the Olympics can be devastating to a player. After all, the Games are only played every four years and are a rare opportunity to represent an athlete's country. However, with the U.S. Open opening on August 27, there is little time for Olympic disappointments to sulk.

A strong showing at a grand slam tournament is a nice consolation for players that weren't able to medal for their country. These players may not have shown their best stuff in London, but they should rebound to make a serious run at the U.S. Open.

Samantha Stosur

Stosur is currently ranked No. 5 in the world by the WTA, but her brief appearance in the Olympics certainly didn't indicate her status as a top player in the world.

Stosur came in to the Olympics as the fifth seed representing Australia and suffered a shocking upset loss at the hands of Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro 6-3, 5-7, 8-10. The early exit was surely disappointing for the Aussie, but Stosur has a great opportunity to move on with the U.S. Open.

The U.S. couldn't be a better tournament for Stosur to attempt her rebound as she is the reigning U.S. Open champion.

Of all the grand slams, Stosur has done very well on the hard surface of the U.S. Open. She reached the quarterfinals in 2010 in addition to her 2011 victory. Expect Stosur to remind everyone that she is a top-five player with a great performance in New York.

Tomas Berdych

To say Tomas Berdych is in the middle of a slump would be an understatement.

After an early exit at Wimbledon, Berdych suffered an upset loss in the very first round of Olympic play when he lost to Belgium's Steve Darcis as the sixth seed representing the Czech Republic. Berdych lost the match in straight sets 6-4, 6-4 to the unranked Darcis in the biggest upset in round one of the Olympic tournament.

Berdych's struggles are surprising as he is the No. 7 player in the world according to the ATP. However, the U.S. Open should provide Berdych the opportunity to get back on track. 

After struggling on the grass of Wimbledon and London, a change of scenery and the hard court surface of New York should be a welcome change for Berdych. He is 17-5 in 2012 on hard surfaces which could point to the strong rebound performance Berdych desperately needs.

Rafael Nadal

Rafa isn't an Olympic disappointment in the fact that he under-performed, it was a disappointment he was unable to participate at all. Nadal was forced to sit out the Olympics, stating that he was "not in condition to play".

The Olympic tournament wasn't quite the same without one of tennis' biggest stars, so his presence at the U.S. Open should be exciting for tennis fans. Nadal is the No. 3 player in the world and will be on the hunt for his first non-French Open Major in almost two years when he attempts to make a run for the title in New York.

Nadal desperately needed the rest as the grueling summer tennis schedule wears on and it was clear during his run at Wimbledon that he wasn't playing at 100%. 

However, with enough rest and time to prepare himself, expect Nadal to be right back in the thick of things when the Open rolls around.