The U.S. Open preview

August 30, 2:42 PMPro Tennis ExaminerGrayson Blakeley

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AP Photo/Al Behrman - Roger Federer is focused on winning his sixth straight U.S.
Open title

Can anyone stop Roger Federer from winning his sixth straight U.S. Open title, and his third consecutive Grand Slam event?

Roger Federer is fully prepared to defend his title in New York, but there are a plethora of talented players that may stand in his way: A healthy Rafa Nadal, a hungry Andy Murray, a vengeful Andy Roddick, and a hot Juan Martin del Potro.

These are just a few of the players that will try to stop Roger Federer from winning his sixth straight U.S. Open title.

Rafa Nadal missed over two months of the tennis season with injured knees, an injury that kept him out of Wimbledon. If Rafa Nadal were to win the U.S. Open, he would become the second player this year to achieve the career Grand Slam. Nadal was often criticized because he was not an all-surface player like Federer, and he could not win on hard-courts, but Rafa silenced the critics earlier this season at the Australian Open. Rafa Nadal knows how to play on the big stage, and he has proved that he can win on hard-courts. The only question now is, will his knees hold up? If they do, do not be surprised to see Nadal in the U.S. Open final.

Andy Murray has been very close to winning a Grand Slam title, but continues to fall just short. With his large arsenal of tools, he is undoubtedly a favorite to win the U.S. Open this year. At the Open in 2008, when Murray was only 21 years of age, he made his way to the final, only to lose to Roger Federer. Murray was the favorite to win at Wimbledon this past month, but fell short in the semifinals to Andy Roddick. Although Murray is still young, he does not want to miss the opportunity to win a Grand Slam. He is one of the best hard-court players in the world, and he will go deep into the second week in New York.

At age 26, American Andy Roddick is playing the best tennis of his life. His battle against Roger Federer at Wimbledon will never be forgotten. But Roddick does not want to be remembered for losing. Knowing that this might be his last chance to win another Grand Slam, Roddick will leave everything he has on the courts in New York. Roddick generally fairs well at the U.S. Open with his dominant serve and powerful ground-strokes. Roddick won the U.S. Open in 2003, and would love to win his second this year.

Juan Martin del Potro is one of the hottest players on tour, and is not likely to cool off on his favorite surface. Since Wimbledon, Del Potro has won 11 out of his 12 matches, losing only to Andy Murray in the Rogers Cup final. Del Potro is only 20 years old, and will likely win multiple Grand Slams by the time his career ends, but he might just earn his first Grand Slam title in New York this year.

Predictions:

The two semifinal matches will be between Roger Federer and Andy Roddick on the top half of the bracket and Juan del Potro and Rafael Nadal on the bottom half of the bracket.

The final will be between Roger Federer and Juan del Potro.

The winner of the 2009 U.S. Open will be Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina.