US Open Tennis 2011: 10 Bold Predictions for This Year's Tournament

The tennis season's final Grand Slam event, the US Open, is almost upon us. 

Flushing Meadows will play host to the event one more time as the world's best male and female tennis players all gather together to try to hoist the last truly huge trophy above their heads on either September 10 (women) or September 11 (men). 

Starting on August 29, we'll be treated to some truly incredible exhibitions of the beautiful game. 

So, can Serena Williams complete her recovery from the terrible injuries she suffered a while ago? Can Carolina Wozniacki finally win her first Grand Slam title and prove that she belongs at the top of the women's rankings?

On the men's side, which of the top three players will take home the title? Can Novak Djokovic keep his dominant season going, or will Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer add another trophy to their respective mantles? Might we possibly see a different player win? 

These questions and more are all going to be answered in the following slideshow. 

Read on for 10 bold predictions concerning the 2011 US Open. 

10. Gael Monfils Exits Early

Four spots ahead of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Gael Monfils is the top-ranked French player in the world and holds the No. 7 spot in the ATP World Tour Men's Singles rankings. But that doesn't mean he's going to make it very far in this year's tournament.

Monfils' best US Open performance came back in 2010 when he advanced to the quarterfinals before falling to Novak Djokovic in straight sets. In fact, only once has Monfils made it past the quarterfinals, and that was at the 2008 French Open when he played through the semifinals before tasting defeat at the hands of Roger Federer.

The Frenchman, who is known for his athleticism and defensive style of play, hasn't enjoyed too much success thus far in 2011, although things have been looking up lately.

But Monfils carries the expectations of the No. 7 player in the world with him into Flushing—and those are expectations that he won't be able to meet.   

9. The Tournament's 9/11 Tribute Is a Huge Success

Because the 2011 US Open is taking place 10 years after the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the tournament is planning some extra festivities. 

Jon Vegosen, the USTA chairman of the board and president, stated, “The USTA’s goal is to mark this solemn occasion in a dignified and respectful manner. We are one of this nation’s global stages on the 10th Anniversary of 9/11, and we have a special responsibility to honor those fallen and those who responded heroically on that fateful day.”

Highlights of the tribute include ringing Arthur Ashe Stadium with the 9/11 memorial logo, inscribing "9-11-01" on the court instead of the traditional USOpen.org logo and performances by Cyndi Lauper and Queen Latifah. 

It's hard to imagine this tribute being anything less than a success. 

8. An American Man Will Make the Semifinals

Sticking with the American theme here, this is the tournament that an American man will finally redeem the host nation with.

That man's name is Mardy Fish. 

Currently ranked No. 8 in the world, Fish is a hard-court specialist who is coming into the US Open on fire. This will be the first time in a while that someone other than Andy Roddick will be making his way to New York as the top-ranked American in the world. 

While Roddick has Brooklyn Decker, Fish has momentum and high hopes for the US Open. 

The 29-year-old has never made it past the quarterfinals at this tournament (he fell just shy of the semis in 2008), but this is the year that changes. Fish is coming off a recent win at the ATP Atlanta Tennis Championships and has runner-up finishes at the ATP Famers Classic and the ATP Rogers Cup. 

But nothing has meant more than his win last week against Rafael Nadal, beating the Spaniard in straight sets 6-3, 6-4. Fish did go on to lose to Novak Djokovic in the next round of the ATP Masters Series Western and Southern Financial Group Masters, but come on now, who hasn't lost to Djokovic lately?

Fish has both the confidence and the tennis game necessary to be successful during the US Open.  

7. Andrea Petkovic Becomes a Household Name

While Andrea Petkovic is well known to the truly dedicated tennis fans, she most likely hasn't entered the collective consciousness of the less-hardcore tennis fans.

After all, the German is currently the No. 11 player in the world, but she's never made it past the quarterfinals of any Grand Slam event. That said, both of the quarterfinal appearances came this season during the year's first two big events: the Australian Open and the French Open. 

She'll try to add a third quarterfinal appearance to her resume in the near future, but will surpass even that. 

Petkovic is coming off a semifinals appearance at the WTA Tour Western and Southern Financial Group Women's Open and has even taken down world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki at the WTA Sony Ericsson Open.

Make no mistake about it, Petkovic is a player on the rise. 

6. Caroline Wozniacki Falls Short

The No. 1 ranked woman in the tennis universe, Caroline Wozniacki has already accomplished quite a bit in her young career. But she has yet to achieve the biggest goal of all: winning a Grand Slam Final. 

Wozniacki has held the No. 1 spot for 45-straight weeks now, but she's still without a big trophy on her mantle. In fact, the Danish player's professional career has been littered with disappointing finishes in the tournaments that matter more than the others. 

Only 21 years old, Wozniacki has only made the finals in one Grand Slam event and that came back in 2009 at Flushing Meadows when she lost in the Finals to the unseeded Kim Clijsters. 

Described by opponents as a counter-puncher thanks to her defensive style of play and two-handed backhand, Wozniacki is eventually going to put it all together. It just won't be this year. 

After a victory at the WTA e-Boks Sony Ericsson, her fifth title of the year, Wozniacki has struggled mightily. She was knocked out of Wimbledon in the fourth round by Dominika Cibulkova and then lost in straight sets during the second round of each of her next three tournaments. 

That's not exactly how you want to go into the season's final major. 

5. Novak Djokovic's Shoulder Proves To Be Too Much to Handle

It seemed as though Novak Djokovic would go into the 2011 US Open as the unquestioned favorite, but that is no longer the case after a shoulder injury stirred up quite a bit of confusion about the Serbian's status. 

The Djoker went on one of the most dominant runs of all time to open the season. John McEnroe previously held the best opening mark at 54-1, set back in 1984, but Djokovic equaled that record-setting pace by defeating Ryan Harrison in straight sets at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati. He then won three more matches to extend his campaign to 57-1. 

But his quest to match McEnroe's magical 82-3 record in 1984 took a downturn during the finals of that tournament when a shoulder injury forced Djokovic to retire and concede the title to Andy Murray. 

Although he's absolutely the most dominant man in the sport right now, questions have to be posed about his hopes for the next tournament, which is kind of an important one. With an eight-day break between his second loss of the magical season and the start of the US Open, Djokovic himself has said that he doesn't foresee the shoulder causing any problems. 

But would we expect him to say anything else? Athletes have to put up an invincible front. Any admission is a sign of weakness, an opening at which opponents can strike. Whether it's true or not, Djokovic had to say that he would be healthy. 

It may turn out that the extra matches he's had to play thanks to his dominance are finally taking their toll on the world No. 1. In the grueling heat of the summer, I don't expect Djokovic to have the stamina and health necessary to take home the title. 

4. Serena Williams Loses Earlier Than Anyone Would Think

Serena Williams is currently the 31st-ranked woman in the world. Stop and let that sink in for a second. 

It's pretty crazy, right? But that's what happens when you miss such an extended period of time. Williams isn't the 31st-best player in the world, but she isn't the dominant player that she once was either. 

That said, Williams can still win any tournament she enters, as she proved during both the WTA Tour Bank of the West Classic and the Rogers Cup. However, Williams did have to withdraw from her most recent tournament thanks to a right toe injury. 

If her feet aren't in tip-top shape, it's going to be an early exit for Serena. 

3. Roger Federer Goes Home Unhappy

Would you believe me if I told you that Roger Federer has only won a single title this year and it came in his first event of the year, the Qatar ExxonMobil Open? Since then, he's put up a goose egg in 11 tries. 

Even more surprising is the list of people that Federer has lost to this season: Novak Djokovic (three times), Rafael Nadal (three times), Jurgen Melzer, Richard Gasquet, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (twice) and Tomas Berdych. 

All of those men, as well as Andy Murray, Mardy Fish and other top-ranked players, will be in the field. 

Federer is now pushing 30 and definitely not the same dominant player that he once was. But his mentality remains the same. If the Swiss Maestro doesn't take home the title, he won't go home happy. 

I'm sorry to say, he won't go home happy. 

2. Maria Sharapova Takes Home the Women's Title

It's been quite a while since Maria Sharapova burst onto the tennis scene with a ridiculously unlikely win at Wimbledon in 2004. Since then, she's become a true celebrity while remaining a successful tennis player. 

But the 24-year-old Russian has been in a major drought recently; her last Grand Slam victory came down under at the 2008 Australian Open. Well, it's time for Sharapova's drought to end. 

Sharapova is filled with confidence as she travels to Flushing Meadows fresh off her second title of the year, this one coming in Cincinnati at the Western and Southern Open. Despite being down a set in the early stages of the epic match against Jelena Jankovic, Sharapova came back to win in just under three hours.

She hasn't even made it past the semifinals since her victory in 2006, but that changes this year.

It's a bold prediction for sure, but Sharapova is going to take home the women's title.  

1. Rafael Nadal Loses Only One Set During the Entire Tournament

You wanted bold predictions, right? Well, you're definitely getting one here. 

Not only will Rafael Nadal defend his lone US Open title from last year, but he'll do so in grand fashion, dropping just one set en route to the trophy ceremony. 

Nadal has endured a bit of a disappointing stretch recently. Since his French Open triumph when he was down in a four-set match, Nadal hasn't won a single tournament. In fact, he lost to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Novak Djokovic, Ivan Dodig and Mardy Fish after that victory. 

But nothing gets Nadal going like the smell of another major. With Djokovic potentially hampered by his shoulder injury, look for Nadal to take advantage in a big way. 

Losing just one set throughout the tournament is bold, but it's doable for Rafa.