Men's field lacks true favorite

By Max J. Dickstein, amNewYork Sports Editor | mdickstein@am-ny.com

August 25, 2008

Entering the final Grand Slam of the year, an unfamiliar feeling pervades the tennis world. The "Federer Era" is apparently coming to a close, but talk of a new"Nadal Era" is premature.

That means 128 men enter the main draw of the U.S. Open without an overwhelming favorite to win the 2008 singles title.

Defending champion Roger Federer's quest for a fifth straight championship in Flushing Meadows is clouded by a subpar year for the former No. 1; the 27-year-old Swiss has not won a Grand Slam since he claimed his 12th here last September.

He's won two relatively minor titles and, this month, a gold medal for Switzerland in doubles at Beijing, a success he called "completely irrelevant" to his singles goals in a Saturday news conference.

With Federer in a funk, top-seeded Rafael Nadal of Spain, who won singles gold at the Olympics this month, is the best-regarded contender.

Nadal beat Federer in the finals of each of his two Grand Slam wins this summer. The 22-year-old demolished Federer 6-1, 6-2, 6-0 at Roland Garros for his fourth French Open title in June. Four weeks later, at the All England Club, Nadal outlasted the Swiss in a classic Wimbledon final, 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7. He officially ended Federer's 237 consecutive weeks at No. 1 on Aug. 18.

But Nadal has a history of late-season ailments and late-round exits on the hardcourts of Queens; he ground to halt in last year's round of 16.

"I think it's tough this year to say there's one clear-cut favorite," said ninth-seeded James Blake, who beat Federer for the first time in nine tries this month in the Beijing quarterfinals and is a title contender himself. "Rafa [Nadal] is No. 1 in the world, but he hasn't had as much success here. He's played a lot of matches. I feel like anyone can win this -- as opposed to the last few years [when] I would say for sure Roger was the clear-cut favorite and there were a lot of darkhorses."

Nadal has the added pressure of entering a Grand Slam a No. 1 for the first time.

"When you want to win, the goal is still the same and the pressure is still the same," Nadal said. "Just when I go on court I'm not thinking if I am No. 1 or if I am No. 2."

Last year in Flushing Meadows, a businesslike Federer victimized third-seeded Novak Djokovic of Serbia in a straight-set final. But the 21-year-old has enjoyed a slightly better year than Federer; in January, Djokovic won his first major title in Australia.

"As a Grand Slam winner, you get some kind of relief and you get motivation to claim even more titles," said Djokovic, who would meet Federer in the semifinals. Djokovic's inconsistent play has kept him from entering the conversation about Nadal and Federer, while a few other top men are longer shots bypass the top three players and win.

Britain's Andy Murray, 21, beat Djokovic in the Cincinnati final this month and has a good shot at finishing No. 4 this year. And then there is eighth-seeded Andy Roddick, the 2003 U.S. Open champion who turns 26 on Saturday. The American former No. 1 has been resting an ailing shoulder and wants desperately to add another Slam to his record.

Roddick, who lost the 2006 final against Federer, said he knows every situation the exhausting tournament offers.

"It was a little while ago when I won, so you'd like to think it's still relevant," Roddick said, "but who knows?"

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