The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Heavyweights vying for
Federer, Nadal and Djokovic favourites for New York success as Murray eyes return to big time after year-long break
After sharing the first three grand slam titles of the season, the US Open offers the chance for one of the big beasts of men’s tennis to stamp his authority on 2018.
Roger Federer made the early running, winning his 20th slam crown in Australia and becoming the oldest man to be ranked world number one, but Rafael Nadal wrestled control back on clay before Novak Djokovic discovered his form again to win Wimbledon.
Djokovic headed to New York fresh from beating Federer to complete his set of Masters titles in Cincinnati but the man who has proved hardest to beat this year is Nadal.
The Spaniard has lost only three matches all season and two since suffering a hip muscle injury in Australia which ruled him out for two months, and he sits well clear of his rivals at the top of the rankings.
He begins the defence of his US Open crown against compatriot David Ferrer today feeling confident and fresh after winning the Rogers Cup in Canada two weeks ago.
Nadal said: “It has been a very positive season. It’s true that the first three months of the season were very, very tough for me in terms of the injury that I had in Australia. But after that I think I lost two matches.
“A fantastic clay-court season, then a very positive start in Toronto of the hard-court season playing a good event there. That’s important for the feelings, for the confidence. That gave me a chance to rest the week after in Cincinnati.”
Nadal had not won a hard-court title for three and a half years heading into the US Open 12 months ago but he took full advantage of a field weakened by the injury-enforced absences of several rivals to lift the trophy for the third time at Flushing Meadows.
“It was a very important title,” he said. “Last year was a very special year after a (difficult) couple of years.
“Of course, winning on clay, but then to win on hard again is something that means a lot to me, especially here in New York. I always had a great connection with the crowd here. The crowd bring me to another level of energy.”
Nadal is in the other half of the draw to Federer and Djokovic and is seeded to meet Juan Martin del Potro in a repeat of last year’s semi-final.
The Argentinian, US champion in 2009, is at a career-high ranking of three and has reached at least the quarterfinals at three of the last four slams.
Nadal has been the man to stop him each time, but it took every ounce of the Spaniard’s strength to do so in a stunning last-eight battle at Wimbledon, while he produced some of the most memorable moments of last year’s tournament in New York, defying illness to mount an improbable comeback against Dominic Thiem and then defeating Federer.
For Del Potro, though, the most important thing is having finally moved past the wrist problems that left him fearing for his career.
The 29-year-old, who plays American Donald Young today, said: “Sometimes I have to deal with pain in my wrist, which is normal after all my surgeries.
“But I think it’s amazing for me just thinking about tennis, not talking any more about the injuries, and coming to this tournament thinking about my highest ranking or my big expectations. It’s the best things I could feel before a tournament.”
Andy Murray returns to grand slam action today when he faces world number 445 James Duckworth on the Louis Armstrong Stadium.
The Scot is still having to do a lot of rehab after his lengthy injury absence and has found the stop-start nature of his comeback difficult, and he does not want to compare his recovery with those of his rivals.
His fellow ‘big-four’ rivals have returned from lengthy injury absences over the past couple of seasons to win grand slams, raising expectations of what is both possible and probable.
And Stan Wawrinka, like Murray a three-time slam champion, has had a rockier road since coming back from knee surgery but, seven months on, is showing much more positive form.
Murray said: “All injuries are completely different. Some are more serious than others. I haven’t really looked at them so much as an inspiration for a comeback. I’m trying to deal with the situation that I’ve been in as best as I can myself.
“But I do feel that, once my body is right again, which takes time when you haven’t played many matches in a year, I’m sure that my level will be OK to get me competing at the top of the game again.”
Meanwhile Kyle Edmund will head into New York buoyed by recognition that he is now seen as one of the leading players in the world.
The 23-year-old will take on Italian Paolo Lorenzi in the first round today as the 16th seed for the year’s final grand slam and looking to hit more highs in a season that has already had plenty of them.
Then next month, the Australian Open semi-finalist will take his place alongside Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in Team Europe at the Laver Cup in Chicago.
But Edmund’s immediate focus is Flushing Meadows, where he has a good record having reached the fourth round in 2016 and the third round 12 months ago.
He might have gone further but for a neck problem that led him to retire against Denis Shapovalov.
Edmund has not had the best build-up, winning only three matches across four hard-court tournaments, but two of those came last week in Winston-salem before a heavy loss to Steve Johnson.