Men's Tennis: Top 5 Players To Watch out for at US Open

We are here again. One year later, the tennis scene is changed, and how different, indeed, it looks now. We have a new Australian Open and Wimbledon champion, and, from it, a new No. 1 player. His name ends neither with Federer or Nadal—instead, it's their long-time third ranked upstarts challenger, Novak Djokovic, who has claimed this year's main honours.

There is no doubt that entering the US Open, Djokovic is the hot favourite—but Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, along with the one other guy who temporarily blinded the Fedal folks in 2009, Juan Martin Del Potro are all there, too.

As always, the biggest stories are those of the biggest players. Mardy Fish, John Isner and Bernard Tomic may be America's superstars, and the rightful centres of attention for this US hard court season, but 2011 will be the tale of the Big Five.

1) Novak Djokovic

We start in order of rank, and Djokovic is by some margin the world's No. 1 player. He enters the US on a hot streak, and it seems ever likely that it would only get hotter, as the hard courts at this time of the year have always borne him fine fruit.

Four years ago, he made his big splash right here at Montreal, and two turnovers of venue, we are back again, as he seeks to reclaim a title he had maidenly won in 2007.

His draw is a tall order, however, with Nikolay Davydenko, Del Potro and Federer in his midst. As much a No. 1 as he may be, however, he stands to lose little, and we all know how dangerous he can be in that frame of mind.

2) Rafael Nadal

Nadal stands on the opposite side of things. Has a No. 1 and No. 2 pairing ever stood in such opposition? With Federer and Nadal, at least, the former could look to this part of the season to salvage some lost pride.

For Nadal, he only enters territory in which he is clearly second in the world, for the moment. He is the defending US Open champion and would have a few ranking points to look after too in the next few weeks.

It will be without doubt one of the most interesting times in Nadal’s career because, not unlike the player Federer he had overthrown, it's not as if he has played a terrible match all year. But he is still only second best.

3) Roger Federer

In many ways, just in terms of the technical suitability of the two, Djokovic and Federer, really, stand as the US hard court season’s biggest favourites. Federer may be, perhaps, for the purists, a small margin ahead.

Even at 30 (as he will be in a day’s time), the former No. 1 is still third in the world, ranked well ahead of a bunch of tremendously talented younger players, and still a contender for the majors, even if only a questionable finalist, at best. It really isn’t a bad place to be in.

The challenges are there, however, and it isn’t anything illicit that Federer covets only a place at the very top. There is just an element of revenge, however, not just at Montreal (where he was a finalist last year), but just over the whole US Open series (which ended in a heartbreaking five-set loss to Djokovic) which might spur on the old king to unknown heights.

4) Andy Murray

Standing at some way back as something of an elite Joker card is Andy Murray. He hasn’t made much of an impact after a heroic four set defeat to Nadal at Wimbledon, which only confirmed our suspicions that he is just, after all, a mere challenger in the face of the top three.

At Montreal next week, he seeks a third consecutive title, which would be a memorable career feat for him, no doubt. But he wouldn’t be thinking or caring about it. He might thrash everyone at this tournament and still bow out in the quarters at New York.

But we all know, too, that he might thrash everyone at this tournament and go on to win that career defining maiden Grand Slam. Montreal wouldn’t be the real indicator of his chances, but its how he takes what comes by during it that might alter his hopes

5) Juan Martin Del Potro

Last but not least, we have the most dangerous world No. 20 that tennis has seen in a while. The American hard-court season has been generous to him—four straight titles in 2008, along with a victory the following year at the biggest one of all at New York, have all marked out this part of the season as his favourite, to say the least.

There is something awfully alluring about the wronged champion-reclaims-rightful throne theme about this 2011 season (with Del Potro having been sidelined last year by injury) that might just convert itself into a mystical governing force in tennis.

Nadal did it at Wimbledon in 2010, and Del Potro, should things go right, might just make his mark at the Open again.