2015 US Open preview men's pick for the title and players to watch out for

Right so now that the majority of warm up events are now finished for the US Open I thought I would now do a preview of my pick of the top contenders to win as well as to do well at the US Open this year in 2015.

So without further ado let's give it a look.... (please note I use to have photos for each player but I ran into problems getting them to appear properly so I've abandoned that this time!).  

1. Novak Djokovic 

OK so right at the top is of course Novak Djokovic, the world no.1 who already has won two majors this year at the Australian open and Wimbledon, lifting his total slam count to nine so he has had a pretty good year so far.  However Nole has had a couple of tricky losses recently after winning Wimbledon as he finished runner up in both the warm up Masters series events in Montreal and Cincinnati as he was defeated by Andy Murray and Roger Federer respectively, which shows he has been a bit below par in form lately.  But one thing we know about Novak is when it comes to the slams he is better prepared than anybody and is pretty much the fittest guy on the tour and having won two already this year he will be eager to win a 3rd.  So despite these losses its not worth reading too much into them for the final major of the year as no doubt Novak will pull out all the stops to try and win his 10th slam and his 2nd US Open title.  So will he win it???  Its hard to say exactly but he is the top favourite and in terms of fitness over five sets I can't see most players live with Novak so I think it is a fairly safe bet.  But then again it could depend on his draw and last year he did suffer a shock loss in the semi finals to Kei Nishikori and there is a chance that it could happen again to either a player like Kei or maybe even to Roger Federer or Andy Murray.  But for now I think we can safely say Novak is the favourite, he can definitely win it and you can't go far wrong in picking him as the best man to do it and I certainly think he will make the final if not go on to win it.  Prediction: champion or finalist.


2. Roger Federer

So at No.2 we have Roger Federer who last week underwent a change in the rankings as Andy Murray deposed him to No.3 in the world after Roger chose not to participate in Montreal.  However Roger having just beaten Novak Djokovic tonight to defend his Cincinnati Masters title has now secured his place back to No.2 in the world rankings and it will see him as the 2nd seed at the US Open.  Now on a side note this seems to be a pretty peculiar state of affairs on behalf of the ATP as Roger was the defending champion at Cincinnati last year which means he normally would need to defend those points in order to keep them and if he didn't then he would lost points.  However Andy reached the quarter finals of Cincy last year and this year he reached the semi finals so surely he should gain points for that and Federer shouldn't gain any points for defending his title, which should mean that Andy should still be at No.2 instead of going down to No.3.  It seems a bit fishy to me and seems to go against the usual logic (if you want to call it that) of how the rankings system goes but but hey ho that seems to be have been how it worked!

Anyway back to Roger's chances, well he has played very well so far this year and already has made the final at Wimbledon where he put in one of the performances of his career to beat Andy Murray to reach the final only to have his chances dashed by Novak Djokovic.  And Roger took it upon himself to skip Montreal to keep himself fit for Cincinnati and the US Open and it paid off in Cincy and it could well pay off for him in New York.  Roger also made the semi finals last year at Flushing meadows only to be stunned by eventual champion Marin Cilic, but it showed that Roger was still very much a top contender in reaching the final four there.  So can Roger win the US Open????  Well... yes I think he can, however if he comes up against Novak Djokovic in the final then I don't think he will simply because his fitness levels over five sets, while its still impressive, its not as impressive as Novak's is and for that reason alone if they meet in the final and it becomes a physical match then Novak is bound to emerge the winner.  And even if Roger doesn't win the title I definitely think he can reach the final and I wouldn't be surprised if he did, but it will all depend on his draw and form. But right now he is looking very good and the last four or two is a safe bet with an outside chance of being the champ for a 6th time at Flushing meadows, its not entirely out of his reach yet. Prediction: finalist or champion.

3. Andy Murray

So at No.3 is in fact the World No.3, Andy Murray who was until this week No.2 but he was deposed in the rankings by Roger Federer, which will now see him seeded as the 3rd seed at the US Open.  This year Andy along with Novak Djokovic is tied at having won the most matches of any player on the tour (currently they both stand at 56 each) and this means that 2015 has been by far the most consistent year of his career so far in terms of matches won and getting deep into the big events.  Andy also has had an excellent spell over the North American hard court season just there by beating Novak Djokovic for the first time in two years and reaching the semi finals of Cincinnati where he lost to Roger Federer.  And by beating Novak this will give Andy a much needed shot in the arm to his confidence when taking on the world no.1 which could see him potentially get the better of him if they were to play each other in the final at Flushing meadows.  However Andy's problems will also depend on how the draw works out as he is inevitably sure to face either Federer or Djokovic in his side of the draw and we will need to wait and see how it goes as logically the rankings would now suggest as Andy is the No.3 ranked player he will face Nole in the semi finals, but I guess we can deal with that when we get to it.  So can Andy win the US Open????  Yes I think he still has a good chance at winning the title if he has a favourable draw and if he faces Novak in the final then I would rate his chances against him thanks to win over at Novak in Montreal.  However Andy's bogeyman of late has been Roger Federer who has beaten him the last five times they have met and he has only taken a single set against him in all those matches so if Andy were to face him in either the semis or the final he could very well come up short.  But despite that I still think Andy will have his chances to claim a 2nd US Open title so while he isn't the outright favourite to win, I think either the final four, two or being the eventual champion is not outwith the realms of possibility.  Prediction: semi finals, finalist or champion.

4. Stan Wawrinka

Next up is Stan Wawrinka who has had a bit of a mixed season in 2015 but his undoubted highlight came when he defeated Novak Djokovic in the French open final to claim his 2nd grand slam title and as such Stan has proven himself as a big match player and for that alone he is the next favourite on the list.  Stan also has the firepower to beat anyone and also he can like just about any other player, overpower the likes of Novak on a tennis court as he did in their final in Paris where Stan hit outright winners to win against him.  However where Stan falls down is his mental strength as he can be a bit emotionally flaky in matches but on the other hand when he's on he is seriously on.  So can Stan win the US Open???  To be honest maybe not as his chances will purely depend on his form during the tournament as he could go off the boil towards the tail end.  However if Stan get's himself into the 2nd week and has a hot week then he could very well win the title but I think it will still be very tough for him to actuall do that as he really would need to be very consistently at his best.  So while I don't see Stan as the outright champion I still think he will go pretty deep and I can him reach the last eight or four.  Prediction: quarter finals or semi finals.

5. Kei Nishikori

Next is Kei Nishikori, last year's finalist who I think has been on good form so far this year but not quite as good as he was last year but despite that he is a man who loves to play on American hard courts and he has enjoyed success there too having already won the title in Washington two weeks ago.  Kei also is one of the fastest and most agile players on tour and he has the ability to chase anything down as well as having one of the best two handed backhands on the tour.  However Kei's problem is that he doesn't have any big weapons to consistently take down or threaten the guys at the very top and as such that makes him difficult to back to win a major just now.  So right now I don't quite see Kei as the eventual US Open champ however I still think he could do very well and make it into the last eight or four and make an impact similar to last year.  Prediction: quarter finals or semi finals.

6. Tomas Berdych

Then there is Tomas Berdych who has kind of gone under the radar lately in 2015 as he appeared to do pretty well in the earlier events of the season, especially by reaching the semi finals of the Australian open before losing to Andy Murray and reaching the final at the Monte Carlo Masters but losing to Djokovic.  However Berdych hasn't appeared to have done too much since then yet the Czeck remains one of the most consistent players on the tour and has consistently been in the top 10 for the last five years.  The problem for Berdych however while he is a solid player he lacks the mental edge needed to get him over the finish line to win a major and as such I don't see him winning the title at Flushing Meadows either.  But regardless I think Berdych can still make a decent run of things there and the last eight would be a good bet for him.  Prediction: quarter finals.

7. Marin Cilic

Next is the defending champion Marin Cilic, who stunned everyone last year when he became the surprise winner of the tournament after he put in a superb performance in the final, outserving and outplaying Kei Nishikori in straight sets.  The only problem for Cilic is he hasn't been able to replicate that form ever since even though he showed some good signs of getting his form back having reached the quarter finals again at Wimbledon this year.  So for me I don't quite see Cilic defending his title this year but regardless of that though I still think he can make a decent run at it here and the last eight might be as far as he can go.  Prediction: quarter finals.

8. Rafael Nadal

And wow at No.8 is Rafa and who would have thought I would have put him so low down as this!  But 2015 has been Rafa's worst season by far as he has struggled with his confidence throughout the year and suffered a string of losses you just think a player of his calibre shouldn't lose to however that is the reality.  Yet at the same time it hasn't all been so bad for Rafa as he still has managed to win three titles this year in Bouneas Aries, Stuttgart and Hamburg which shows he still has that fighting spirit in him.  However Rafa has been only winning the smaller events and against his other immediate rivals he has come up way short having already suffered two bruising defeats on his beloved clay, one to Andy Murray in Madrid and the other to Novak Djokovic at the French open, where he lost his first match since 2009!  So from that point of view Rafa's chances at the US Open are looking a bit bleak and I cannot honestly see him as the champion.  However that's not to say that Rafa can't make it into the 2nd week as I still think he might be able to manage that at least.  So its hard to pin down an accurate prediciton but I would say that Rafa could either go out in the 1st week or the 2nd at some point and the problem is either is a possibility, but who knows what his future might bring and he could yet do well and recover his fortunes in New York.  Prediction: 2nd round, 4th round or quarter finals.

9. John Isner

Next is John Isner, the current American No.1 who so far has had a pretty good year and managed to regain his confidence and even made it to the finals of Washington two weeks ago where he lost to Kei Nishikori.  Isner despite his massive 6ft 10 inch height also has a pretty decent net game as well as one of the biggest and most powerful serves on the tour and his ability to serve all day long makes him a dangerous threat to anyone on a tennis court, not to mention Isner's nickname is the marathon man as he doesn't mind playing long matches.  The only problem for Isner is his height hampers his mobility and when its comes to the top players Isner generally is outmanoevered by them which tends to be his downfall.  So for that alone I can't see Isner as the eventual champion in New York but regardless of that I still think he has a decent shout at reaching the 2nd week as he reached the last eight four years ago so he could well do it again.  Prediction: 4th round or quarter finals.

10. Jack Sock

And last of all is Jack Sock who appeared to be making a name for himself in the doubles along with his partner Vasek Pospisil but Jack this year has proven to be quite a singles player as well and as such he could be one to watch out for in New York.  Sock also has one of the most powerful forehands in the game and he showed that at the French open where he made a good run and reached the 4th round and took a set off Rafa in the process.  Sock also won his first atp tour title earlier this year in Houston which shows that he has been building himself up as a singles player as well as a doubles player.  However I don't quite see Sock make a major (no pun intended) impact at Flushing Meadows but despite that there is no reason to suggest that he might not do well there either and with the US crowd behind him, Sock could still manage to get himself possibly into the 2nd week.  So while he won't be the champion I still think Sock could do well and just maybe he could make the last 16 or 8.  Prediction: 4th round or quarter finals.

Right so that's it for my look at my pick of the contenders at the US Open and I will be back on here once the play get's underway next week.

Until the next one its bye for now. 

The Nole hoodoo ends

Right well this is something of a different post as it will cover a more specific topic than some of the other posts and with just two more weeks before the US Open kicks off I thought I would get another post in before it.

Anyway I digress as the focus of this post will be on Andy Murray and his struggles to beat Novak Djokovic over the last two years and a recap of the matches he lost leading up to his latest match in the Canadian open Rogers cup final in Montreal yesterday, which I will get to in a bit.

So to start off Andy has had a rough couple of years against his old rival Novak as after winning that historic Wimbledon final two years ago he had failed to beat him ever since then.  And in 2014 with Andy having come back from surgery he saw himself as being a bit behind in terms of his form and fitness so when it came to playing Novak at the top of his game he couldn't quite keep up.  And this showed in his first match against him last year in Miami where Andy did show promising signs against the Serb but lost his focus in the first set and went on to lose the match in straight sets.  After this would face Novak next at the US Open quarter finals where they played a competitive match where Novak and Andy split the first two sets on a tiebreak each but the sheer effort of those sets took its toll on Andy as he faded in 3rd and 4th sets and his fitness dropped which saw him lose again this time in four sets.  In his next match against Nole, Andy played him in Beijing where the World No.1 simply outclassed him and Andy struggled on his serve which saw him lose the match in straight sets.  And in his last match of 2014 against Novak, Andy played him at the Paris Masters where again after a tight first set Andy lost it by a break and he went off the boil in the 2nd set going down a double break which saw Novak for fourth time that year get the better of him in straight sets.

So getting on 2015 things started with great promise for Andy as he had fully regained his fitness and played sublime tennis to reach the final of the Australian open where he was for once tipped to be the slight favourite against Novak.  However....things didn't go as planned as Novak once again showed why he is the world's best player and in a match that had its momentum swings both men shared the first two sets.  And in the 3rd Andy went up a break but it didn't last as he appeared to be distracted by Novak's on court behaviour as he appeared to suffering from fatigue or injury which ultimately saw Novak take the two sets to one lead.  And in the 4th set Andy went off his game completely and surrended to a bagel defeat to hand Novak his 5th Australian open title, leaving Andy bemused at his own capitulation.

After this Andy next faced Novak at Indian Wells in the semi finals and this time it wasn't even close as the Serb totally dominated Andy from the get go and he dismissed him in straight sets.  Andy however showed in a more competitive frame of mind a week later in Miaimi as he reached the final and both men played high level tennis in the first two sets, which after a tense first set, Andy lost on a tiebreak, he fought back in the second and efficiently broke an irate Novak's serve to level the match.  However again in the 3rd set, just like it happened in the Australian open, Andy wilted again and he surrendered to another final set bagel defeat, which saw Novak grab his 5th title in Miami and most likely left Andy searching for answers as how to he could defeat his old rival.

However it appeared like maybe Andy could have had the answer in their next meeting at the French open semi finals in which they played a thrilling four hour long epic.  But in a similar fashion to his previous matches, Andy got off to a slower start and he struggled in the windy conditions on court and against Novak's brilliance as he went down two sets to love.  And from here a straight set loss looked inevitable as Andy had to stave off break points on his serve however the wind proved to be a bit of a leveller as he fought his way back into the match and broke Novak's serve to grab himself a lifeline and the 3rd set with it.  From here both men raised their game and played some high level tennis for the crowd in the 4th set with Andy having to fight off more break points before play was suspended at 3-3 in the 4th.  Play resumed the next day and both men looked sharp and Andy again made his move and broke Novak to go on level the match at two sets all in what was their first five set encounter in 3 years.  But... in the 3rd it all went south again for Andy as he got off to a poor start on serve and went down a break and despite this time managing to save the bagel, he ended up being given a matchstick as Novak finished him off again handing the British No.1 his 8th straight defeat.

Sooooo this brings us up to speed and to Andy and Novak's latest match, which was at the Rogers cup final in Montreal, a 1000 Masters series event which saw both men face each other for the 5th time this year.  Andy again was looking to snap his losing streak and for once he made the stronger start as he dictated play and he broke Novak's serve to move ahead 4-1 but the Serb soon broke back and levelled at 4-4 but Andy managed to break again to grab the first set for the first time in their matches since the Wimbledon final two years ago.  In the 2nd set however Novak responded by breaking Andy in the opening game but Andy somehow managed to break back again to go 3-3 but he squandered it to hand the break back to Novak who went on to serve out the set and level.  But in the 3rd set, Andy reasserted himself and dictated play and broke Novak to move ahead 3-0 however the Serb was not yet done as threatened to break back again as they played a thrilling 17 minute game where Andy had 10 deuces and ultimately held on to go 4-1.  And from here Andy managed to hold his nerve and serve to go 5-2 up where he had three match points on Novak's serve but the Serb held on and forced Andy to serve it out.  And it wouldn't be a Murray match without a tense last game as Andy at 5-3 had to save three more break points to FINALLY get over the finish line and for the first time in two years defeat his old foe with a thrilling three set victory winning his 4th title of the season in 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.  (OK so it took me a bit longer to get through all that then maybe I thought but there we go!).

So that's Andy finally after two years and one month beaten Novak Djokovic for the first time since winning Wimbledon and there is no doubt that this win will give him much confidence going into the US Open which starts two weeks today.  And it was also no doubt an important psychological victory for Andy because if he didn't win this match from a leading position then there would be not much doubt it would be a very tough loss to get over.  But thankfully Andy managed to hold his nerve and (just!) onto his serve and he played the big points very well and the fact that this was easily one of the best matches they have ever played against each other which would make it all the more satisfying for Andy to earn the win in a real high quality encounter.  And as is usually the case it was pivotal for Andy to win the first set of the match as historically he has never beaten Novak when he has lost the opening set so it was just as well he did here.

Not only that with this win and by reaching the final in Montreal Andy has now gone back up to No.2 in the world rankings and overtaken Roger Federer in the process not to mention Andy has also now qualified for the ATP World Tour Finals in November with three months to spare.  So all in all its been a very good weekend for the British No.1 and there is not much doubt that Andy right now is the world's second best player.  However that could change again this week in Cincinnati as Roger Federer who took time out to miss Montreal is the defending champion in Cincy and if he wins the title again he could regain the No.2 ranking.  And given Roger's form on that court he could very well win the title again and it wouldn't surprise me although it is a bit of a risky gamble for him because if he doesn't win in the final then Andy will stay at No.2.  So Cincy will be a battle for second best spot, which will prove very valuable for their seeding at the US Open and it will be interesting to see who will come out on top. 

However I would actually go as far to say that Andy is playing the best tennis of his career right now and even better than he was two or three years as despite winning the majors and the Olympic gold, he was also playing with a back injury and his play throughout those years was somewhat inconsistent as well.  However in 2015 Andy is now playing injury free and back to full fitness and despite having not won a grand slam so far this season, he is playing the most consistent tennis of his career by far and frequently reaching the latter stages of most of the big ATP tour events as well as the majors.  Its a level of consistency we have not seen from Andy before until now and its great to see he has been able to keep it up.

So next up for Andy as I previously mentioned is the Western and Southern open in Cincinnati, the seventh 1000 Masters series event of the ATP season where he will have another chance to lift a title there although it does see the return of Roger Federer who is a six time champion at the event and as such is very comfortable there so he will prove to be a danger no doubt to everyone else.  But with Andy's current form even if he doesn't go on to win the title in Cincinnati I still think he now has a very strong chance of winning the US Open especially now that he has gotten over that psychological barrier of beating Djokovic and he has done it before at Flushing meadows so there is no reason he can't do it again this time.

So that's it for now and I will be back soon with my US Open preview of my pick of the men's contenders for the title once Cincinnati has finished.  But in the menatime I will say congrats to Andy for his win and also to Amelie Mauresmo whom Andy confirmed she had given birth to a baby boy on Sunday so I'm sure she would be chuffed that she got a double whammy of good news in one day.

Anyway that's it for now so until the next post its bye for now.