US Open 2011 Men's Draw

I missed out on Wimbledon but I definitely won't miss out on the US Open, from the looks of things it'll be a very interesting slam.

So Novak Djokovic begins his first Grand Slam as the No.1 seed his first opponent will be qualifier Conor Niland from Ireland who at 29 years of age is a rather slow burner. You just need to compare their Grand Slam records to realise how incomparable these two players are. Niland is playing his second Grand Slam whilst Djokovic is coming off two Grand Slams this year. There's no doubt that the US Open is where Djokovic is most consistent so I'll be shocked if he doesn't at least make the SF where he is drawn to play Roger Federer.

Round 2 should be nothing to worry about either. He has either Carlos Berlocq or Pere Riba, ranked 69 and 70th respectively. Both haven't been impressive in the ATP circuit but Berlocq seems to have the edge here.

Round 3 could potentially be more dangerous with Ivan Dodig and Nikolay Davydenko being potential opponents. Dodig is seeded 32nd and whilst having a slightly shaky season he has beaten Robin Soderling and Rafael Nadal this year. Davydenko has really nosedived these past two years but I wouldn't count him out just yet. Other potential, though unlikely, round three opponents are Potito Starace; who is coming off five first round losses in Grand Slams and six consecutive first round defeats at the US Open, and Michael Berrer.

If the first three rounds haven't yielded anything spectacular Round 4 might be a tougher contest, just. I'd say the most likely 4th Round opponent for Djokovic is Gasquet. Dolgopolov started the year well but has been much more shaky recently. He also lost to his potential first round opponent, Richard Gasquet, recently so I'm not convinced Dolgopolov can emulate his Australian Open performance. Kei Nishikori prefers the US Open but he doesn't look like a potential 4th Round opponent to Djokovic. Though rusty Ivo Karlovic and Fernando Gonzalez could be dangers, they will play each other in the first round. 

Most likely 4th Round opponents

DJOKOVIC (1) VS GASQUET (13)

Leading Section 2 is Gael Monfils and Tomas Berdych. Despite a rather quiet year for Berdych he has consistently made it deep into tournaments and recently defeated Federer. Berdych is one of the more unpredictable top players so I wonder how he'll fare. He faces Romain Jouan in the first round so he should be safe from a 1st Round defeat at least. However most of us believed that for him at Roland Garros but he lost to Stephane Robert another Frenchmen.

Berdych's second round opponent could be Fabio Fognini but Fabio has never made it past the 1st Round in 3 attempts. Potential third round opponent Janko Tipsaveric could be Berdych's main test as he recently lost to him but if Berdych is in form he should stroll safely through.

On Monfils side Marcel Granollers poses the main threat but I'm unconvinced that Monfils wouldn't at least make the 4th Round. Another three Spaniards look to topple the Frenchmen but it will be an uphill battle. Monfils will face rising star Grigor Dimitrov in the 1st Round

Most likely 4th Round opponents

My brain screams for Tomas Berdych Vs. Gael Monfils but there's an inkling feeling in me that believes this won't happen so I'm going on a whim and saying...

TIPSAREVIC (20) VS MONFILS (7)

I might have to eat my words but it won't the first time.

Roger Federer leads Section 3 with supposedly a tough draw. His first round opponent is Santiago Giraldo, who I must agree is a tougher opponent than Djokovic's but it will be highly unlikely that we'll wave goodbye to Federer in Round 1. If he does luckily make it this far, I kid, he has the dangerous Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci to consider. However Bellucci is much more dangerous on clay than on the US hardcourts.

Moving onto the third round Federer has a number of young guns to look forward to. Helmed as two of tennis' brightest stars Bernard Tomic and Ryan Harrison will be amongst potential third round opponents but we should not forget Marin Cilic who is only 22 himself. Whilst Cilic lost in the first round at Roland Garros and Wimbledon I'm not going to write him off like some, I still think Federer's most likely third round opponent should be Cilic with Tomic never having competed at the US Open and the pressure on Ryan Harrison to do well.

So far so well for Federer but where is the supposed competition? If Federer is in good form then these opponents should not be worrying him. If Federer does want something to worry about the 4th Round might provide some danger in the form of Radek Stepnaek and Viktor Troicki but if Federer is eyeing on another US Open title these two should not be amongst his "to worry" list.

Most likely 4th Round opponents

A difficult one but purely on gut instinct I'm going for...

FEDERER (3) VS STEPANEK (23)

If you've been slightly disappointed by what is supposedly a tough draw for Federer don't be because his QF opponent will be one to look forward to. The most dangerous in the pack is Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Tsonga has defeated Federer in their last two matches, one of which being the Wimbledon QFs. Now if that isn't a sign of a nemesis I don't know what is.

Tsonga's first three rounds look simple enough. He faces Yen-Hsun Lu in Round 1 and most likely Andreas Haider-Maurer in Round 2. If all goes according to plan then Tsonga will face Fernando Verdasco but Verdasco is not the player he once was a year or two ago despite pushing Nadal in Cincinnati.

On the other side is Mardy Fish who must be on a high after claiming the $1 million prize money for winning the US Open Series Title and being the No.1 American going into the US Open. With his current form and confidence he should be able to make the 4th Round. If I was pushed to name threats then Michael Llodra and Kevin Anderson might appear on the list.

Most likely 4th Round opponents

TSONGA (11) VS FISH (8)

The pair have never played each other before so I had to do a quick mock up.

Like Djokovic Soderling will have an Irish qualifier to contend with but unlike Djokovic Soderling has been out with an injury for the last six weeks.  Most will question whether Soderling is ready to play and win but we'll have to wait until his first match to know whether he is match ready.

Most experts believe that Soderling's loss will come at the hands of Alex Bogomolov Jr. A few strong runs especially to R16 at Cincinnati from the qualifiers have solidified him as a threat but I'm not willing to write off Soderling just yet.

If Bogomolov isn't enough to end Soderling then Baghdatis or Isner will relish in beating a Top 10 player, will that happen though? Baghdatis has had a very shaky year with a less than impressive 18-19 W/L record. Isner on the other hand has faired slightly better though will playing in the US help or hinder him?

Potential fourth round opponents for Soderling include Del Potro and Simon. The 2009 Champion of course being the danger here but Del Potro is still trying to find the form that led him to the title in 2009. His recovery to the Top 10 should be a slow and steady one. If Del Potro fails there's always Simon to step up so Soderling has a tough job in his hands.

Most likely 4th Round opponents

ISNER (28) VS DEL POTRO (18)

Sadly nobody seemed to care the last three times they played each other so I had to make a crap mock up again. Every slam needs a major loss early on, it's almost a prerequisite. The anomaly is normally the Australian Open when most of the Top 8 are rested and ready for battle. And if most major commentators believe Soderling will be our first major loss then how can I argue. Though I'd like to see Soderling prove them, and me, wrong.

Soderling, or should I say Del Potro's, direct opponent for a SF spot is Andy Murray. His recent title at Cincinnati redeemed his first round loss at Montreal. Murray's year has been rather awkward. He has either made it to the semis and finals of tournaments or lost in the very first round however I doubt he'll lose early in the US with a rather simple draw early on. I always say this but it's the best time for Murray to make a move as both Nadal and Federer are on the low and nobody knows how much Djokovic's shoulder inklings will effect him.

I honestly believe that Murray has yet again been handed a very simple draw. If there is anybody for him to look out for it'd be Stanislas Wawrinka in a possible 4th Round match and Robin Haase who could potentially be a 2nd Round opponent. His road to the QF's is by far the easiest atm.

Most likely 4th Round opponents

WAWRINKA (14) VS MURRAY (4)

Finally we're down to the last quarter. David Ferrer is an absolute workhorse, it will take a top player to topple him over. Some believe that player is in the form of a resurgent James Blake. It is possible considering Ferrer has in both their prior meetings but I'm not sure if James Blake is truly ready to take on the big guns. If Ferrer survive Blake then I don't see him losing before the QFs

Third Round opponents should be a breeze for Ferrer whilst what he may need to worry about is his potential 4th Round opponents. Nicolas Almagro leads a very varied bunch of players. What I'd love to say here is that Roddick is a favourite but I just can't. He has had a poor year and has seen his ranking slump to 21. He had better years in 2009 and 2010 but didn't manage to make it past the third round in both so are we ready to call Roddick a threat?

Most likely 4th Round opponents

FERRER (5) VS ALMAGRO (10)

Not really a VS picture but it was the best I could find. And similarly I don't think Almagro should really make the 4th Round but he was the best I could find amongst that bunch.

Finally in Section 8 is Rafael Nadal with Mikhail Youzhny at the other end. Mikhail loves the US Open but he hasn't been on the best of forms. Ernests Gulbis is his first round opponent. Most believed he was a future star  but with eight consecutive first round losses in Grand Slam level and a 16-16 W/L record this year it will really come down to who has luck on their side. Luckily Youzhny doesn't have a tough draw before he meets Nadal so Youzhny could make it through from pure grit. His main opponent after Ernests Gulbis is Jurgen Melzer but he himself has also been facing poor form and injury.

And finally Nadal, he has been given a very good draw, better even than Murray's so he better run with it. His first round opponent is Andrey Golubev, a talented player but has had an awful record this year of 5-23 and an 18 match losing streak. 

Most likely 4th Round opponents

YOUZHNY (16) VS NADAL (2)

so an update,

DJOKOVIC (1) VS GASQUET (13)

TIPSAREVIC (20) VS MONFILS (7)

FEDERER (3) VS STEPANEK (23)

TSONGA (11) VS FISH (8)

ISNER (28) VS DEL POTRO (18)

WAWRINKA (14) VS MURRAY (4)

FERRER (5) VS ALMAGRO (10)

YOUZHNY (16) VS NADAL (2)

I highly doubt it would be all seeds though!

For now I would guess

DJOKOVIC (1) VS MONFILS (7)

FEDERER (3) VS TSONGA (11)

DEL POTRO (18) VS MURRAY (4)
FERRER (5) VS NADAL (2)

Oh how I wish.

I'm too tired now, I'll do the women's draw later.