US Open Tennis TV Schedule 2012: Top Storylines to Watch at Flushing Meadows

The U.S. Open starts on August 27 and goes until September 9. There are multiple storylines throughout the Flushing Meadows event that will turn the U.S. Open into the most interesting event of the year.

Will Serena Williams have a hangover from gold in London?

Serena Williams has proven to be the best women's tennis player in the world by winning the Olympic gold medal and by winning Wimbledon just a few weeks before that. Will she continue her dominant stretch by winning a third big event in just three months?

She definitely has the talent and ability to win the U.S. Open and continue her streak of tournament wins. The only way she won't is if the product of her Wimbledon win and her Olympic gold medal win were because of a favorable playing surface.

Can Maria Sharapova bounce back to her former No. 1 form?

Maria Sharapova has been regarded as the best tennis player in the world as recently as this year. Her abilities as one of the strongest female tennis players out there have given her a longtime advantage over others in her sport.

The bigger question here could be if she could ever beat Serena Williams. As of now, Sharapova has proven to be a great all-around tennis player, but until she beats the Olympic gold medal winner, Sharapova can't claim to be anything more than No. 2.

Will Novak Djokovic win a second major tournament this year?

The Djoker has been an amazing tennis player over the past two years and has won four of the last seven major tournaments. However, since his win at the Australian Open, he hasn't been able to get over the hump in the past two majors or in the Olympics.

His fourth-place finish in the Olympics was a true disappointment. However, he should be able to bounce back and take on the challenge in Flushing Meadows. He may not end up winning the tournament, but if he doesn't at least make the finals, it will be a shock.

U.S. Open Schedule of Events

(All information from USOpen.org)

Monday 8/27

Men's & Women's First Round

Tuesday 8/28

Men's & Women's First Round

Wednesday 8/29

Day: Men's First Round and Women's Second Round

Night: Men's and Women's Second Round

Thursday 8/30

Men's and Women's Second Round

Friday 8/31

Men's Second Round and Women's Third Round

Saturday 9/1

Men's and Women's Third Round

Sunday 9/2

Men's Third Round and Women’s Round of 16

Monday 9/3

Men's and Women’s Round of 16

Tuesday 9/4

Men's Round of 16 and Women's Quarterfinals

Wednesday 9/5

Men's and/or Women's Quarterfinals

Thursday 9/6

Men's Quarterfinals and Mixed Doubles Final

Friday 9/7

Men’s Doubles Final and Women’s Semifinals

Saturday 9/8

Men's Semifinals and Women’s Final

Sunday 9/9

Women’s Doubles Final/Men’s Final

Scott Carasik is a Featured Columnist and Trends and Traffic Writer for Bleacher Report. As a Featured Columnist, he covers the Atlanta Falcons, NFL and NFL Draft. He is also the Falcons analyst at Drafttek, runs the NFL Draft Website ScarDraft.com and hosts Kvetching Draftniks Radio.

Follow @scar988