It’s the Joker and Serena show! The US Open begins Monday, Aug. in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.
The final grand slam of the year should be filled with excitement and drama.
After years of Federer/Nadal dominance, there has been a changing of the guard at the top of the men’s game. Novak Djokovic is the new number one! It’s hard to pick against him as the U.S. Open champion as he is 57-2 on the year, an unheard of record in men’s tennis. However, he has plenty of competition with Rafa Nadal, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and a resurgent Mardy Fish, all looking for the title.
In the women’s game, it is wide-open as defending champion Kim Clistjers is out, and no one is really stepping up to claim the favorite’s spot. Serena Williams is back and although she is a little rusty, she is such a strong athlete and is so overpowering, she is my pick to win this year’s Open.
In the men’s doubles, Eric Butorac and partner Jean-Julien Rojer, will be seeded for the first time and are hoping for a big break through US Open performance. The Bryan brothers are once again the top seeds, but the hottest team on the tour has been Michael Llodra of France and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia. Butorac/Rojer had an exciting three-set match with them in Cincinnati, last week. They consistently show they can play with any team in the world. Now we need a W!
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The women’s doubles is always tough to pick. The team of Vania King and Yaroslav Shvedova would be my choice, but root for the U.S. girls! Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Meghan Shaunessy, Racquel Kopps-Jones and Abigail Spears are all good doubles players.
The mixed doubles is played at each of the grand slams and makes for some interesting dynamics. Eric is looking to play the mixed with CoCo Vandeweigh, a World Team Tennis teammate, as a good possibility.
There will be plenty of TV coverage and plenty of excitement and drama in the Big Apple, as tennis competes with football for center stage. So, "Let’s get fired up!"
