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Federer is the force to watch in New York

Swiss star can cap strong summer with his sixth straight U.S. Open title

Image: Roger FedererGetty Images
Helped by an advantageous draw, Roger Federer can continue his remarkable summer with his sixth straight U.S. Open title.

With a 14-4 record and two finals appearances since the French Open, Novak Djokovic has sent a message that he's back at the top of his game. In two hard court tournaments, Djokovic picked up a win against Nadal and hung tough in losses to Federer and Roddick. Although his stretch of 81 weeks as the third-ranked player in the world ended earlier this year, Djokovic should be a lock for a quarterfinal battle with Roddick and potentially a semifinal matchup with Federer.

While the big games of No. 21 James Blake and No. 25 Mardy Fish obviously make them very dangerous opponents, Sam Querrey has the most momentum heading into the U.S. Open.

Querrey's trajectory is going in the right direction. In addition to winning his first title this season in Los Angeles, Querrey reached the final in Indianapolis and just recently beat Andy Roddick in two tiebreaks in Cincinnati. That hard court success has propelled Querrey to a career-best ranking of 23rd in the world. He's seeded 22nd at the U.S. Open and could face Federer in the fourth round.

Boasting a huge serve, Juan Martin del Potro has come into his own as a major threat over the past year. After reaching a career-high ranking of fifth earlier this season, he's now sixth in the world and the No. 6 seed at the U.S. Open. Del Potro is surging at the right time this season, beating Roddick for the Legg Mason title and pushing Andy Murray to three sets in the championship match in Montreal. The Argentine player may get a rematch against the Scot, as both are in the same quarter of the draw.

A lingering hip injury in 2008 posed a major threat to Lleyton Hewitt's game. A player who relies on speed and mobility, the Aussie found his strengths compromised and was forced to have surgery. This season he's done a great job of getting himself back into the mix. Hewitt's gritty perseverance keeps him in many matches, something he'll need to draw upon in New York. The 31st seed, Hewitt could run up against Federer in the third round.

Which Marat Safin will show up? A tall, hard-hitting player who moves well for his size, Safin is a joy to watch when he's on. But his frustrations often get the best of him and have kept him from consistently displaying the exceptional tennis of which he's capable. Safin has said he will retire at the end of the year, so this is his last chance to win his second U.S. Open title and third major overall.

At no other major tournament are the fans as expressively vocal as they are at the U.S. Open, particularly during the evening matches. With the amount of talent in this year's men's draw, they're bound to have plenty to cheer.

© 2012 NBC Sports.com  Reprints


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