2011 US Open Preview: 3 Reasons Rafael Nadal Will Add to His Legacy

At the age of 25, Rafael Nadal will go into the 2011 US Open looking to make history. If he comes away with a win, he will tie Rod Laver and Bjorn Borg with 11 Grand Slam titles.

The US Open, which will begin on August 29, has been a struggle for Nadal at times. It took him six years to reach the his first semifinal in Queens, New York. By this time he had already won four French Open titles and one at Wimbledon.

Last year Rafa completed his quest for a Golden Slam, winning one title at each Grand Slam tournament. He beat Novak Djokovic in four sets and finally brought home the trophy that had eluded him for so long.

2011 will prove to be another challenging year for Nadal, especially with his new foe Novak Djokovic. Nadal has lost to Djokovic five times this year, most recently at the Wimbledon finals. Djokovic surpassed Nadal in the world tennis rankings after defeating at Wimbledon in July.

Nadal will be ranked second when the draws are released. However, there are several reasons to believe that Rafael can win his second US Open this year.      

3. Drive

Determination has always been a playing trait of Rafael Nadal. Commentators often make notes on the level that Nadal plays at and it has been said that he even overplays sometimes and abuses his body, which may be the reason for the all of the injuries he has suffered. Regardless of what people say, Nadal has a drive to win that is apparent in every match he plays. 

Nadal will be even more driven at this year's US Open for several reasons—Novak Djokovic being the main one. Djokovic has dominated Nadal so far in 2011, but despite losing five matches to Djokovic this year, Nadal still leads their head-to-head record at 16-12 all-time.

A thirst to prove himself will drive Nadal in the 2011 US Open. He lost an early round match to Ivan Dodig at the Rogers Cup last week. Nadal lost two straight set tie-breaks to blow the match as he lost to the 26-year-old who only has one singles title in his career.

People are now speculating that Nadal has something wrong, aside from his health. There is no way Rafa will allow this to happen again. He is going to show up at the US Open determined to repeat last year's success.  

If he runs the table in his draw, he will face Djokovic in the finals again—assuming Djokovic wins every match as well. If they meet again, look for Nadal to have an edge, solely due to the fact that Djokovic has crushed him recently.  

2. Health

Everyone knows Rafael Nadal has had some health issues during his career. He has been forced to miss multiple tournaments due to various injuries, ranging from knee tendinitis to hamstring issues and so on.  

Currently the only injury that may be bothering Nadal is the burn he suffered on his fingers. Nadal reportedly burnt the index and middle finger on his right hand after touching a hot plate at a restaurant, according to ESPN.com. Even with the burns, Nadal moved on at the Cincinnati Masters, winning in straight sets.

He has noted several injuries in 2011, but as of right now nothing else is plaguing him. If Nadal remains at full strength for the US Open, he will be extremely difficult to take down. Right now he looks healthy enough to make the same run he made last year in New York.

1. Support

New York loves Rafael Nadal.  

Every time he plays in Queens he has a huge amount of support. This isn't going to change.

Something about Nadal just draws people in. Obviously winners always attract a large fan base, but Nadal seems to have something more than success. He is often in the media and American fans just seem to eat it up.

Nadal has his own foundation that helps out people in poverty, primarily focusing on children. He has stated that this is something he plans on being involved in for the rest of his life. How could you not like a guy like that?

Novak Djokovic has not been the most popular player at times. The 2008 U.S. Open was not the best time in New York for Djokovic. Andy Roddick made several comments about the numerous ailments Djokovic was suffering from. Roddick, who is known for his sarcastic attitude, said that the comments were clearly jokes.

Djokovic didn't see it that way. After defeating Roddick in the quarterfinals, Djokovic addressed his comments during the post-match interview.

Djokovic stated, “I know they’re already against me because they think I’m faking everything," referring to the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium. A wave of boos followed his comments. Now of course things have changed somewhat and Djokovic is well-liked in most places he goes.

But if it comes down to Nadal playing Djokovic for the title, expect the crowd to back Nadal up.