US Open Tennis Preview and US Open Tennis Tips

The tennis road show hits New York next week for the final Grand Slam of 2006, the US Open. In following Paris and London, it is perhaps the only city in the world with the ability to match them in terms of character and vibrancy. The crowds play a huge part in proceedings, especially in the night time stadium matches which create an atmosphere unique to this tournament. Andy Murray says that New York is his "kind of city" which, considering he hails from the back water that is Dunblane in Scottish Perthshire, is somewhat surprising. One thing that does certainly seem to be true though is Murray's ability to play well on the hard courts of North America at this time of year, and it is for this reason, rather than his professed affinity for the city itself that many people fancy his prospects. The British number one old has been in terrific form of late, and has a career high ranking matching his age of 19 to take into the Championships. Seeded at 17, the draw has been relatively kind and pits him against a qualifier in the first round, but expectations are high these days, and most will be looking for him to be performing deep into the second week. In an age where often blind positivity is the order of the day in all sports (how many times did England players say they were going to win he football World Cup during June without any basis?) it is refreshing to hear Murray speak. He is agonisingly realistic, and critics would say lacking in ambition. Even after beating Andy Roddick at Wimbledon he was talking of how he wouldn't expect to beat Lleyton Hewitt if that match transpired. As it was Morcos Baghdatis beat him before Hewitt had the chance to. And on the eve of the US Open, he says his ambition is to match his seeding. This would take him as far as the third round where 10th seed Fernando Gonzalez should wait, all else being equal. To go out here would be have to be a genuine disappointment though, and it remains to be seen if Murray can make this realistic approach to interviews work in his favour, or whether we will be left asking "if only he had been more positive." The fact is that Murray plays his best tennis on this surface and does seem to up his game when on that side of the Atlantic. He won the junior US Open in 2004 and during this summer he has recorded some fine results at Newport (semi final), Toronto (semi final), Washington (final) and Cincinnati (quarter final) with Tim Henman being brushed aside in both of the latter of these. There is no doubt at all who is the top player from the British Isles right now, and it looks set to remain that way for a long time. The most remarkable result in this recent spate of good form came in the form of a victory over Roger Federer in Cincinnati. This was the first time that Fed had lost a game in America in 55 matches, and only Rafael Nadal, the world number two had beaten him in 2006. A weakness often referred to for Murray is a lack of fitness though, which seems inexcusable for a 19 year old. He constantly refers to this being a reason why a Grand Slam is too much to ask for at present and looks exhausted at the end of every match, but he is also quick to tell us of how he hopes to get stronger as the years go by. Brad Gilbert seems to have galvanised his new charge, and given time, perhaps Murray will be a genuine contender. For now though we cannot see much point in backing him at the generally available 40/1, although we shall be watching with interest. As a side issue, perhaps more pertinently, there is also a BBC Sports Personality of the Year award up for grabs, an award Greg Rusedski won in 1997 courtesy of making the final at this event. 2006 has been equally poor for British sportsmen and women and Murray is currently the 5/2 favourite. As for Rusedski, he is taking part in New York, but cannot be too happy with the draw. First of all he faces his arch rival and more often than not nemesis, Tim Henman. Five years ago this would have been a mouth watering all British quarter or semi final at Wimbledon. Today however, it is merely an eliminator before the winner gets the privilege of entering the coliseum with the lion hat is world number one and defending champion Roger Federer. In losing to Murray, Federer missed out on equalling Ivan Lendl's record of 18 straight finals, and maybe some people will be throwing some doubts over his form. The bookies are showing no sign of generosity though, with a best price of 4/7 being offered for the 25 year old. The defeat in Cincinnati was startling, but we would only expect the Swiss ace to use this to his advantage, and perhaps use it as a wake up call that he is not (quite) invincible. But the Grand Slams is where Fed gets down to business and eight have gone his way in the last three years. This includes the US Open for the last two and in 14 matches he has lost a total of just 5 sets in this period. This dominance is not quite what he enjoys at Wimbledon but still mightily compelling. Never-the-less, this price is too short for us. The other finalist last year was Andre Agassi, and the American legend is retiring at the conclusion of this tournament. It will be the end of an incredible career during which he has somehow remained perpetually popular. The draw has been tough though with Marcos Baghdatis likely opponent in round two, and Andy Roddick placed in his 16th of the draw. Only the sentimental amongst you would be lured in by the 150/1 being touted. After Agassi, perhaps Roddick is the biggest crowd pleaser at Flushing Meadows. The 23 year old Personifies the All American Boy, and looks as though he would be just as comfortable playing quarter back for the Nebraska Huskers, as he is on the tennis court. 2006 has been his worst campaign for several years though, and has slipped to number 10 in the world. However, the 2003 winner of this event had a timely return to form last week when winning the Cincinnati Masters, his first victory of 2006. After labouring in Round One, the subsequent five matches were won in straight sets, with none of them requiring a tie-break. The former world number one has a game that has been proven to prosper on this surface and being placed in the bottom half of the draw is a huge advantage as it means Federer cannot be met until the final. This also means that 12/1 can be taken with a view to the odds being halved should he lose in the final. We do not see any outstanding candidate to emerge from the bottom half of the draw, and would rank Roddick's chances as better than those of Rafael Nadal, the number two seed. The Spaniard may have made the last two Grand Slam finals, but one of these was on his cherished clay at Roland Garros, and at Wimbledon we feel he was riding on the crest of that wave. Since SW19 his two ventures into competition have seen losses to Juan Carlos Ferrero in the Quarter Final at Cincinnati and Thomas Berdych one round earlier in Toronto, both on hard courts. We advise leaving the 6/1 alone on a surface that remains uncomfortable for him. Lleyton Hewitt is a man who deserves investigation, with a title here in 2001 (when Pete Sampras was the runner up) and a record that has see three other semi finals reached, as well as a quarter final. This is an outstanding record, but there are some question marks over his fitness. In Cincinnati a knee injury forced him to leave the court against Thomas Johansson in the 3rd round, and reports are inconclusive as to his competing. Having won at Queens in July, and made two hard court finals in America this season, the 80/1 on offer looked tempting, even with injury doubts. However, this price is not each way and as such we are going to leave it alone. Also in the bottom half of the draw is Marcos Baghdatis. The Cypriot has had an incredible season, making the final at the Australian Open, and the semi final at Wimbledon. His gregarious nature is sure to go down well with the New Yorkers, but recent form and a tough draw put us off. Just two matches have been won since Wimbledon, and he is likely to face Andre Agassi in the 3rd Round, with Roddick awaiting the winner. He may have beaten Roddick in Melbourne in January, but with local support we would definitely fancy a piece of revenge. Having scoured the bottom half of the draw (Federer looks unbeatable in the top half) we have become more convinced by the worth of Roddick, and cannot find anyone to accompany him into the betting verdict. The man is in form and has the game to go all the way to the final on 10th September.