andy murray,roger federer,novak djokovic and nadal

The 2009 US Open Tennis Tournament takes place from the 31st August to the 13th September at Flushing Meadows in New York City.

In a year that can only be described as Roger Federer's so far, with the Swiss maestro not only regaining the World No. 1 spot, but winning the French Open for the first time, his sixth Wimbledon title, and a new men's tennis record of 15 career major titles, can the Fed Express continue with his incredible run and claim a sixth successive US Open title?

Roger Federer

Roger Federer looks odds on to win his sixth successive US Open title.

Roger Federer enters the draw as the number one seed for the tournament and the world number one. His from has been sensational in recent weeks leading up to the US Open Grand Slam as he dispatched of Novak Djokovic in a dominant straight sets victory to claim the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters event in Cincinnati.

The win in Cincinnati marks his first hard court title of the season and the manner in which he mowed over the field leaves little doubt that he is the man to beat heading into the US Open.

Federer will have the luxury of a relatively easy top half of the draw where he will likely avoid any real threats until a potential quarterfinal match-up with Nikolay Davydenko. If victorious, he would then likely face Novak Djokovic of Serbia or the hard serving American, Andy Roddick.

Andy Murray

Andy Murray on form and looking to repeat success from 2008 US Open

Last year’s runner up, Andy Murray, has had quite the impressive season, as well. He has elevated his game to the next level and is serving with more venom than and previous years. His success has been rewarded with the number two seed for the tournament and he is also now ranked number two in the world.

Murray loves to rally from the baseline and his exquisite variation of shots often throws opponents off. The twenty-two year old from Scotland has two Masters Series wins this year, both on hard court, the most recent of which came earlier in August in Montreal.

Andy Murray will face a much harder path to the finals than Federer, however, as a possible third round match against the crushing serve of Ivo Karlovic could prove an early test for the Scot.

He could also face the very capable Stanislas Wawrinka and the in-form Juan Martin Del Potro, who himself looks set to reach a Grand Slam final in the very near future, all before reaching the semifinals.

Rafael Nadal

2009 has not been a year to remember for Rafael Nadal. After having been nearly unplayable for such a long stretch, injuries have set back the Spaniard and his game has suffered the consequences.

He has been back in action in recent tournaments but has not looked his typically dominant self, though it would be foolish to rule him out of contention in any tournament. Hard, clay or grass, Nadal has a monster forehand and the mentality of a winner.

Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic, who recently lost the final of the Western & Southern Financial Group title to Roger Federer has been raising his game leading up to the US Open.

On the day, Federer was at his absolute best, but Djokovic played magnificent tennis to beat Rafael Nadal in straight sets in the semifinal to reach the final against Federer. If he can repeat his performance in the semifinal, he’ll definitely be a force to be reckoned with in the US Open.