Ivanovic certainly has stepped up her game, beating Dinara Safina in the French Open for her first major championship. But the 21-year-old Serb pulled out of the Olympics before they started because of inflammation in her right hand, a problem that left her unable to practice last month.

Ivanovic is seeded No. 1, with the expressive Jelena Jankovic at No. 2, former U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova at No. 3 and Olympic champion Elena Dementieva at No. 5.

Looming, as always, are the Williams sisters.

Two-time U.S. Open champion Serena Williams is the oddsmakers’ choice to win. No prediction yet on what she’ll wear — last year, it was a babydoll dress for the opening round.

At 28, Venus Williams is two years older than Serena and beat her in the Wimbledon final. They won’t play in this final because they would meet in the quarterfinals if they make it that far.

“I’m really excited for the Open,” Serena said. “I feel like I’m playing really solid and much better than I have been all year, to be honest. I really look forward to it.”

So does Djokovic, who became a favorite at Flushing Meadows last year with his spirited play and spot-on imitations of Nadal and Sharapova. He reached the final, then lost seven set points and fell to Federer.

This time, Djokovic and others see the tournament as open season.

“It’s very unpredictable. Tennis is like that,” the Serbian star said. “You know, it can turn around in a split of a second.”

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