Football
James Martin 17y

Welcome to the jungle

In the immortal words of Axl Rose, or was that Clint Eastwood, welcome to the jungle, baby. The Concrete Jungle of the American hard-court season, that is, otherwise known as the U.S. Open Series. It kicks off next week with the ATP stop in Los Angeles, makes pit stops in some of the most miserably hot places you can find, and ends in Flushing Meadows. Last year, Andy Roddick and Ana Ivanovic took top honors. Here are a few questions as we head into this season's series.

Can Andy Roddick and James Blake turn it around?

Roddick's soul-crushing loss to Richard Gasquet -- up two sets and a break -- in the Wimbledon quarterfinals is the kind that can stick with you like a bad Adam Sandler movie. Can he shake it off to shine on the surface best suited to his game, fast hard courts? James Blake, meanwhile, has been struggling to put together more than a couple wins lately. His shot-making seems to have regressed back to the days when he was jumpy off the backhand and went for too much on the forehand. He'll have to dial it in or he might as well just stay on his book tour for his new autobiography.

Who is the best new American to watch?

Sam Querrey. The 6-foot-6 So-Cal teen has the makings of a successful hard-court player -- a strike-first mentality, with a huge serve and forehand. He's a low-key guy, though, he'll need to get past the stage where he's happy to just take a set from the Blakes of the world and just take them out.

What can we expect from Federer and Nadal?

The hope is that these guys bring their rivalry to the hard courts and meet in a few finals. It didn't happen last year. Federer will probably play a light schedule to stay fresh going into Flushing, where he's trying to become the first man to win four straight U.S. championships since (get this) Bill Tilden did it from 1920-25.

Makes that five straight Wimbledon titles seem like a cakewalk. Nadal, on the other hand, will probably play every lead-up event, singles and doubles, and sign up for a triathlon along the way. Hard courts are his most challenging surface. A decade ago, you never would have thought that a so-called clay-court specialist had a better chance of winning Wimbledon than the U.S. Open. But the Open's hard court is the fastest surface at the Slams now, which leaves Rafa vulnerable to big hitters like, say, Tomas Berdych, who beat him in Toronto last year.

Who will be the last woman standing?

The WTA Tour continues to resemble a MASH unit, with Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova currently nursing injuries. Venus Williams is always one step away from the injury bug, and Justine Henin's body (and mind) can be as fragile as a Faberge egg. The Series, and Open, could come down to whoever
stays healthy.

How will it all end?

The U.S. Open Series winners will be too spent to make a real run at the U.S. Open, while Federer will hoist the trophy -- this time with a Technicolor jacket, top hat with feather, and a cane, at which point John McEnroe will declare him the "First Pimp of Tennis." Should be one heck of a Road Trip.

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