Category archive: Maria Sharapova
60. No double delight for Maria
Maria Sharapova double-faulted her way into a whole heap of trouble this season, especially when it mattered most.
Sharapova made six against Petra Kvitova in the Wimbledon final, 10 in the French Open semis against Li Na and seven in a much-anticipated encounter with Serena Williams in Stanford. Yes, she lost each time.
And the number soared to 12 when she was ousted by Flavia Pennetta at the U.S. Open.
Kind of a foreboding statistic moving forward, eh?
59. Dodig dumps Nadal
With veterans Ivo Karlovic and Ivan Ljubicic fading, and Marin Cilic's slump, Croatian tennis fans had little to cheer about.
However, Ivan Dodig emerged from the woodwork.
Dodig, who possesses a nice all-around game, won his first title in Zagreb, reached another final on grass, made the semis in Barcelona and took the only set off Djokovic at the Australian Open.
Dodig's 1-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5) three-hour win over Rafael Nadal in Montreal, when he rallied from 3-1 down in the second and 5-3 down in the third, though, took the cake.
"He didn't feel the pressure in the important moments," said Nadal, who was perhaps still reeling from his Wimbledon loss to Djokovic.
58. Harrison's temper tantrums
Ryan Harrison strung together a solid season, registering some impressive wins and playing the top players tough. His ranking rose by nearly 100 places. The 19-year-old owns a varied, attractive game, too.
But it's Harrison's temper that attracts the most attention. Fernando Gonzalez and Marat Safin would be proud of the way he demolishes his racket at times.
Harrison saved his "best" for the French Open, when he flung his racket over a fence and into a tree after losing in qualifying.
57. Czechs win Fed Cup
After winning the year-end championships, Petra Kvitova had one more bit of business: To lead the Czech Republic to the Fed Cup title.
Mission accomplished.
Kvitova won both of her singles matches against Russia -- which was without Vera Zvonareva -- and looked on as Kveta Peschke and Lucie Hradecka teamed to down Maria Kirilenko and Elena Vesnina in the doubles decider.
"Kvitova was the key to their success," Russian captain Shamil Tarpischev said. "She was just phenomenal."
The Czech Republic won its first title since the breakup of Czechoslovakia.
56. Lisicki and that serve at Wimbledon
When healthy, Sabine Lisicki is a force -- as Li Na discovered at Wimbledon.
Surging after winning a grass-court warm-up in Birmingham, Lisicki, a wild card, saved a pair of match points to eliminate the newly crowned French Open champion 3-6, 6-4, 8-6 in the second round. Her mammoth serve garnered the spotlight afterward.
"She is serving like most of the men are serving," said Li's coach at the time, Michael Mortensen.
Lisicki kept it up, landing in the semifinals, while Li continues to dip.
55. Milos' move
Rejoice, Canada, you have all the makings of a future Grand Slam winner in Milos Raonic.
Raonic, who is another monstrous server, showed signs of life at the end of 2010, but no one could predict how much progress the 6-foot-5 right-hander would make this year.
Raonic won his first title in San Jose, made the Memphis final the next week and reached the fourth round at the Australian Open as a qualifier.
Had he not had hip surgery in the summer, his ranking would probably be higher than 31.
54. The Rafa-Delpo appetizer
Before Nadal's thriller against Juan Martin del Potro in the Davis Cup final came their heavyweight fourth-round bout at Wimbledon.
Nadal won in nearly four hours in a contest that will largely be remembered for two things: The Spaniard injuring his foot late in the first set and then taking a medical timeout -- irking del Potro -- immediately prior to the first-set tiebreaker.
"For a moment at the end of the first set, I thought that I had to retire," Nadal said. "I didn't know what's going on. After that the pain goes a little bit down and finally I was ready to play."
Del Potro, nonetheless, demonstrated that he could win the tournament in the future.
53. Clijsters skips U.S. Open
Kim Clijsters' body didn't cooperate this season.
She entered the French Open with a bum right ankle and missed Wimbledon after reinjuring the ankle at a grass-court warm-up.
But worse was to come. Clijsters, the two-time defending champion, pulled out of the U.S. Open with a stomach injury.
"Obviously I'm very disappointed," she said. "I trained very hard this summer and felt in good shape to play the U.S. Open."
Clijsters didn't play post-U.S. Open, either.
52. Li's extended French Open hangover
Of the three first-time Grand Slam winners in 2011, Li struggled the most in the wake of her historic victory.
She went 6-9 after the French Open and ended the campaign with a demoralizing 6-1, 6-0 loss to U.S. Open champion Sam Stosur. Li, bizarrely, cut ties with coach Michael Mortensen and appeared lost on court in the fall.
"Beginning of the year was like fantastic," said Li, also the Australian Open finalist. "And after Roland Garros, I think I didn't win many matches. I mean, up and down all year, so I wish I could do the same level for next year."
51. Berdych loses one, wins one
It's not often that a player squanders a match point only to save one in his next encounter. But Tomas Berdych was an exception at the World Tour Finals.
The Czech let one get away against Djokovic, hitting an off-balance forehand into the net to keep the Serb in it. Another Serb, Janko Tipsarevic, erred on a volley when he held match point against Berdych two days later in London.
"I was a bit unlucky against Djokovic, but I got luckier here," Berdych said. Berdych rallied to beat David Ferrer to reach the semifinals.
The most intriguing match on the second day of the year-end championships in Istanbul had to be Maria Sharapova against French Open winner Li Na.
Sharapova went into this one hurting mentally and perhaps physically, still, after losing to Sam Stosur for the first time in 10 tries on Tuesday. Li, well, she'd been losing a lot lately, clearly burdened since becoming China's maiden Grand Slam winner.
The two are among the most heavily endorsed female athletes -- Li's husband and coach, Jiang Shan, donned a cap emblazoned with "Crown," an Aussie casino that backs his wife -- share the same agent (IMG's Max Eisenbud is the lucky guy), and Sharapova's coach, Thomas Hogstedt, controversially left Li in the offseason to work with Sharapova.
As she did at the French Open against Sharapova, Li prevailed -- this time 7-6 (4), 6-4, taking advantage of unusual, but understandable, gifts from her opponent. Li, who entered the event riding a three-match losing streak, received a much-needed confidence boost.
Sharapova is competing in Turkey with an ankle that's less than 100 percent, and it showed as early as the second game. Forced to scurry into the backhand corner on consecutive points, her movement wasn't free.
When Sharapova broke for 4-2, thanks to a pair of super forehand gets, Sharapova appeared to be on track.
She couldn't serve out the first set at 5-4, and it was only about to get worse in the tiebreaker. Up 4-0, she dropped the next seven points, five courtesy of unforced errors.
Li deserves some of the credit. Sharapova delivered two successful and powerful first serves at 4-1, but Li lunged to get both back in play. It was compelling, yet far from clean, tennis. They combined for 45 unforced errors and a mere 14 winners in the opener.
Sharapova's forehand was particularly off. A vast number of her misses were barely wide or barely long, not surprising given her recent inactivity and lack of practice.
Winning a first set that lasted more than an hour was always going to be pivotal, and Li kicked on in the second.
There were glimpses of her French Open form. Li authored a Djokovic-like forehand return winner, her angled backhand pulled Sharapova off court and her movement was stellar. She was mostly solid from a mental standpoint, too, refusing to self-destruct.
Li's most frustrating moment came in the final game, when she fended off three break points. A gutsy backhand down the line accounted for one, while that movement dug her out of a hole on the third.
Sharapova, as she did versus Stosur, left it too late. Later Wednesday, she pulled out of the event, citing her sore ankle. It's just as well. Sharapova is probably already thinking about next year and trying to land a first major since 2008.
Sam back down to earth: For those wondering if Stosur's win over Sharapova had more to do with the latter's ankle injury than the Aussie's play, you might have received your answer.
Stosur was crushed by Victoria Azarenka in the day's other White Group encounter, 6-2, 6-2, with the only struggle for Azarenka coming in the final game. It was as comfortable as it could get for the feisty Belorussian.
Worth noting is that Stosur got a bum deal by playing first Wednesday after her late finish a day earlier. She wouldn't have fallen asleep until early in the morning.
However, some would suggest, after ending the 0-for-9 hoodoo against Sharapova, she would have been pumped up no matter when taking the court.
If Caroline Wozniacki's forehand was shaky Tuesday, Stosur's backhand left more to be desired.
The first two games actually went well for Stosur -- now winless in five tries against Azarenka -- on that side. She ripped balls, hitting with freedom. But once a few misses started creeping in, it got ugly.
Stosur can lose it on court intermittently -- in her own understated way -- but it's rare for the U.S. Open champ to show her frustration as much as she did against Azarenka. She yelled after dumping returns, slammed a ball and continually muttered.
Call it a milder version of the old Azarenka.
The lack of depth from Stosur allowed Azarenka to dictate from the baseline. She was hardly pinned back. Azarenka conceded 11 points on serve and faced one break point -- in the final game.
By now no one should be surprised that Azarenka is so calm, but more proof of her progress came when she blew a backhand return sitter. Azarenka began walking to receive serve on the next point but then paused.
Would an outburst follow?
No. She kept on walking. And winning.
Here are a few things to watch in the next few weeks, leading off with the dominant men's world No. 1:
Gunning for Djokovic
Pressure? What pressure? Novak Djokovic looked completely at ease on the "Tonight Show with Jay Leno" on Tuesday. It's clear he can entertain no matter what the venue.
He faces a different type of pressure in Montreal, Cincinnati and, looking ahead, the U.S. Open. Djokovic wasn't the man to beat in Australia, was 50-50 with Rafael Nadal heading into the French Open, and not many picked him at Wimbledon. He's now the substantial favorite during the U.S. Open Series.
Having nabbed the No. 1 ranking, a new, driven Djokovic is determined to maintain his level. He'll lose more than one match this season, although winning in Montreal, Cincinnati and New York isn't a stretch. He's on his best surface.
A worry for Djokovic is the heat. He'll likely be tested in the broiling Ohio conditions. Djokovic had it relatively easy with the heat in Melbourne and London.
Rafa's remedy
Now wouldn't it have been nice to listen in on Nadal's practice sessions with Uncle Toni? Nadal's game has evolved since he turned pro, and he'll have to make more changes to cope with Djokovic, since he's 0-5 versus his buddy in 2011, dropping eight of the past nine sets.
Nadal enjoyed success very early in their Wimbledon final with the forehand down the line but abandoned it as the match wore on. Instead, his favored cross-court forehand to the right-hander's backhand took over, and it didn't work -- again. When Djokovic was stretched on the baseline, Nadal, a fine volleyer, stayed put rather than venturing forward. He's mindful of Djokovic's passing ability, but Djokovic, not as good of a volleyer, wasn't afraid to come in.
The dynamic among the top three is indeed peculiar. Nadal can't beat Djokovic, Djokovic has a tough time with Roger Federer, and Federer wants to avoid Nadal.
Fish's stamina
Players complain about the long season and injuries that result, then enter six tournaments in as many weeks. Strange.
But Mardy Fish did just that, and in a move smelled a mile away, bailed from the Legg Mason Classic in Washington -- as the second seed -- after going deep in Atlanta and Los Angeles. A heel injury was the official reason.
Who'd want to be a tournament organizer, eh? The heel, one suspects, will be fine in Montreal and Cincinnati.
But what about Fish's incongruous results in Canada and Cincinnati? He's played twice in the former, going 0-2, while finishing as the runner-up in Ohio twice, including in 2010. Fish has no points to defend in Montreal but plenty in Cincinnati to back up.
Serena's charge
Even before she hit a ball in Stanford, where she ended up winning the whole thing, Serena Williams meant business. She was in tip-top shape. Losing at Wimbledon to Marion Bartoli stung, although it shouldn't have given her roughly year-long hiatus.
Williams was far more efficient off the ground; the power in her strokes was also accurate, and being in better shape, she covered the court impressively.
The signs are ominous -- for her opponents.
Sharapova's answer
Maria Sharapova had reason to be confident as she embarked on the U.S. Open Series, having reached the semis at Roland Garros and final at Wimbledon. Never one to back down, the Russian said she'd look forward to playing Williams this summer, despite losing five straight to the 13-time Grand Slam winner.
It happened in California, and the streak was extended to six. It was ugly.
Sharapova got crushed in the quarterfinals, a huge blow. For a third time in the past two months, she foundered in a big match. And in those encounters against Li Na at the French Open, Petra Kvitova at Wimbledon and Williams in Stanford, Sharapova tossed in a combined 23 double faults. You almost expect a flurry of double faults now when the world No. 5 confronts top-quality foes.
She needs a morale boost.
The return of Kimmy
Kim Clijsters is back and in her favorite time of the season: Her U.S. Open Series record since 2009 is an impressive 26-3, punctuated by back-to-back crowns in New York.
But will this year be different?
Dissimilar to 2009, when Clijsters re-emerged on the circuit in a story high on feel-good factor, her health is a question mark. Clijsters was already struggling with a shoulder problem prior to two separate foot injuries surfacing, one suffered while the Belgian was at her cousin's wedding.
If Clijsters is 100 percent, even if results don't go her way in Canada, she'll probably be happy enough. She's overcome a lack of matches to win the U.S. Open in the past.
For the second time in three seasons, the women's year-end No. 1 goes to a player who has never won a major. Caroline Wozniacki earned the, uh, distinction, duplicating Jelena Jankovic in 2008. Wozniacki reached only one Grand Slam semifinal in 2010.
As Serena Williams might say, Wozniacki did win Ponte Vedra Beach. Of course, she played a ton, while Williams and Kim Clijsters didn't.
With the curtain almost drawn on 2010, we pose five burning questions looking ahead to 2011.
Will Wozniacki win a Slam?
No.
Wozniacki's stint in Doha told us much. The vivacious blonde faced two power players, Samantha Stosur and Clijsters, and lost. If Clijsters didn't get nervy in the second set Sunday, Woz wouldn't have claimed a set. As much as the 20-year-old has improved the serve and forehand, Wozniacki simply doesn't have the massive weapons -- yet.
The Dane figures to face one obstacle or another at the majors in 2011. For a start, Clijsters will be pumped more than usual for the Australian Open, given her embarrassing loss to Nadia Petrova last year. Justine Henin might rediscover the joys of Roland Garros, and grass is a difficult surface to master for young players. Serena is bound to recover from her foot injury.
Going deep won't be the problem for Wozniacki. Finishing the job will.
What's in store for Venus Williams?
Venus competed admirably at the U.S. Open, despite suffering from a knee injury that subsequently shut her down for the remainder of the campaign. It's hard not to think, though, that September's tournament at Flushing Meadows was her last real opportunity to land another non-grass major. Williams collapsed against Clijsters at the U.S. Open, mirroring a defeat to Na Li in Melbourne.
Williams, at 30, can't count on her body to heal the way it did 10 (or even four or five) years ago. Further, the last 30-plus women's player to win a major was Martina Navratilova at Wimbledon in 1990.
Will Justine find her best form?
"Best" may be pushing it, but Henin and her fluid all-court game will have a much better season. The signs are certainly good.
Henin returned to practice in late September following her elbow injury, saying all the "doubts" are gone. The seven-time Grand Slam winner committed to playing in the Hopman Cup the first week of January and made herself available for Fed Cup duty against the U.S. in February.
Carlos Rodriguez, Henin's longtime coach, suspected the 28-year-old would take a little longer than many thought to win a Slam in her comeback, even though Henin reached the Australian Open final.
Can we write off the Serbs?
Yes, as serious Grand Slam contenders.
Funny, a few years ago Jankovic and Rafael Nadal had similar styles. Both were pure counterpunchers. Although Rafa has evolved, Jankovic has been pretty static.
Her serve remains a liability, and the forehand doesn't frighten opponents. She's the undisputed No. 1 at making excuses. The only reason Jankovic might linger in the top 10 or 15 is lack of depth.
Ana Ivanovic's 2011 is promising, although less so now that she parted company with Heinz Gunthardt. Gunthardt was unable to travel with the seemingly high-maintenance Ivanovic (how many coaches has she gone thorough?) full time.
Under Gunthardt, Ivanovic found some of her old form. She won a title in Linz, Austria, without Gunthardt present, so why not settle for a limited partnership? The last thing Ivanovic needs now is instability.
Still, Ivanovic should pass Jankovic in the rankings. Maybe Ivanovic will become a major threat again in 2012.
Which Russian is most likely to rebound?
Based on mental toughness, it must be Maria Sharapova. Sharapova's engagement to L.A. Lakers guard Sasha Vujacic caused a few, we're sure, to suggest her eye is off the tennis ball. Nah.
Sharapova wants to start winning majors again, and she provided a glimpse of her motivation in signing to play at the smallish ASB Classic in New Zealand in January rather than a lucrative exhibition in Hong Kong. Sharapova showed flashes of her finest form at Wimbledon and the French Open. Unfortunately, the serving woes and inconsistency lingered.
Svetlana Kuznetsova is extremely unpredictable, and the two-time Grand Slam champ had issues with motivation in the past. Dinara Safina wanted to win too much -- undone by nerves, she flopped in three Grand Slam finals. A back injury means Safina will continue to fight an uphill battle.
The first week of tennis at the U.S. Open, like the weather, has been unpredictable. Out went the biggest domestic hope, Andy Roddick, and one of the tour's surging players, Tomas Berdych. However, Roger Federer and Caroline Wozniacki have breezed, no pun intended.
Melanie Oudin's disappointing loss was tempered by the sterling play of two other 18-year-old Americans, Ryan Harrison and Beatrice Capra.
As we assess the opening six days, Wozniacki leads the way.
Baby-faced assassin
Yes, Wozniacki has had a favorable draw through three rounds. A very favorable one, even. But you can't get much better than dropping a total of three games. Wozniacki certainly has beefed up her baseline play, which is a little more aggressive than it was last year, and she's still one of the best retrievers on the women's tour.
Going from facing zero competition to Maria Sharapova in the fourth round Monday is dangerous, though. Sharapova began with a nice win over the rising Aussie Jarmila Groth and inflicted a double bagel on Capra on Saturday. She's got the weapons.
Men's contenders
Suffering a few aches and pains en route to reaching the final of Toronto's Rogers Cup in August, Federer wanted to coast early at Flushing Meadows. He's done that and hasn't dropped a set against the modest trio of Brian Dabul, Andreas Beck and Paul-Henri Mathieu. He's not messing around.
Novak Djokovic was on his way to an opening-round exit before fellow Serb and good buddy Viktor Troicki let him off the hook. In temperatures topping 100 degrees on the court, Djokovic rallied from two sets to one and a break down. With his confidence boosted, he failed to drop a set versus the dangerous duo of Philipp Petzschner and James Blake, who'd had a bit of steam after winning two rounds. All of a sudden, he's looking good to reach the semis -- at least.
Rafael Nadal didn't have easy foes in his first two rounds. Going for more on his serve, Nadal won all six sets against Teymuraz Gabashvili and Denis Istomin. He won the pivotal points, going 3-0 in tiebreakers. That's the Rafa we know.
Andy Murray was confronted with two different styles in Lukas Lacko and Dustin Brown, and he didn't flinch against either player. The hard work starts now for Murray, who will tangle with Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka, a familiar combatant, in the third round.
Disappointments
Only a short time ago, Jelena Jankovic was the world No. 2. Really.
Jankovic, like the rest of the women's field, had an opportunity to take advantage of Serena Williams' absence. Withstanding, barely, the underwhelming duo of Simona Halep and the returning Mirjana Lucic, Jankovic was finally knocked out by Kaia Kanepi, the lone surprise Wimbledon quarterfinalist who has since prospered.
More was expected from Berdych. Even though his in-form conqueror, French magician Michael Llodra, can bamboozle the finest, Berdych fell in straight sets and largely was AWOL in the second and third sets.
Roddick's brush with mononucleosis left him susceptible at the U.S. Open, although his recent wins in Cincinnati suggested he had turned the corner. Worse than his defeat to Janko Tipsarevic was the way he continually badgered a linesman just to make a point. Another foot-fault controversy.
Predictably, the enigmatic Tipsarevic couldn't win his ensuing tussle.
On the home front
Mardy Fish is winning ugly; his level needs to elevate a notch if he wants to eliminate Djokovic in the fourth round. Meanwhile, fellow American John Isner surpassed expectations by advancing to the third round, considering how his ankle felt a week ago.
Harrison gave tennis fans more reason to get excited about his future, as he beat a seeded player, Ivan Ljubicic, in the first round and almost upset the talented Sergiy Stakhovsky. Capra, a grinder, will no doubt remember her victory over France's ball basher, Aravane Rezai, more than Saturday's third-round drubbing.
Sure shots
Federer stole the show on opening night, executing that between-the-legs effort against Dabul. He wasn't alone. French Open champion Francesca Schiavone replicated the feat -- it wasn't a winner -- in the third round, Istomin outhustled Nadal in the sixth point of their second-set tiebreaker, and Harrison pulled off a squashlike forehand with his back to the net as he chased down a Stakhovsky lob.
We can only hope there's more to come.
Comic relief
Worst, or best, question, depending on your perspective:
A reporter asked Ivan Ljubicic, a veteran, whether he thought players were using more hair gel.
Ljubicic has been bald for some time.
"Well, it's definitely a problem," the Croatian replied.
Cue the laughter.
A first round to remember at the U.S. Open
What a first round we had at the U.S. Open. The likes of Rafa, Novak Djokovic, and Robin Soderling were tested, while French artist Michael Llodra ended Tomas Berdych's fine summer. Bye bye to the Wimbledon finalist. Jelena Jankovic, the fading 2008 U.S. Open finalist, and French Open runner-up Samantha Stosur narrowly escaped.
Oh, did we mention the heat? It was hotter than a vindaloo curry in New York. Not even close. Relief comes Friday.
We look back on the best of Round 1.
Master of moxie
That goes to Djokovic. The Serb has struggled big-time in steamy conditions, and when he trailed countryman Viktor Troicki two sets to one on Tuesday afternoon, the fat lady was warming her throat. Troicki was up a break in the fourth, too, and in two games had chances to go up a double break. He didn't capitalize, and the world No. 3 recovered to win in five.
In truth, Djokovic didn't seem to be bothered by the heat as much as we expected. It was a huge win and it bodes well for him the rest of the way, especially after Andy Roddick's upset loss.
Five-set flabbergast
How about Mardy Fish's encounter against Jan Hajek? Fish inflicted two bagels but was still pushed to five sets, claiming the fifth 6-1 against the seemingly ailing Czech journeyman.
The elimination of fellow dark horse Marcos Baghdatis means Fish has a nice-looking path to the fourth round, where Djokovic awaits.
In total, 13 men's matches -- or around one-fifth -- went the distance. The only two-set comebacks were engineered by Spaniards, Albert Montanes and Marcel Granollers.
And we're not on clay.
Best legs
Although debate continues about Roger Federer's trick-shot video, no one can argue about the validity of his effort against Argentine Brian Dabul on Monday night.
Similar to his stroke against Djokovic in last year's semifinals, Federer chased down a lob, went through the legs, and sent his reply deep into the court for a winner.
"I turned around and couldn't believe the shot landed in the corner," Federer said. "The ovation was fantastic. Crowds went wild."
In the blink of an eye
Last year's darling, Melanie Oudin, began proceedings on Arthur Ashe Stadium. Oudin staved off Olga Savchuk in the first set, then crushed the Ukrainian 6-0 in the second.
Savchuk won a paltry two points in 18 minutes.
Unfortunately for Oudin, there was no happy ending in 2010. Oudin fell to another Ukrainian, the hit-and-miss Alona Bondarenko, in the second round.
Quick with a quip
Ivan Ljubicic's promising season was cut short by injuries, and the towering Croatian has won one match since the French Open. (Croatian tennis isn't so great at the moment.)
On Wednesday, after losing to promising American Ryan Harrison, Ljubicic was asked if the men's tour, like the women's, should implement a heat rule.
"I would be in favor of an indoor tour altogether," he said light-heartedly, drawing much laughter.
Maria Sharapova, never one to mince words, downplayed the complexities of her service motion on Tuesday.
Q: What goes through your mind when you toss the ball up to serve these days? Trying to think of some sort of image that I could describe as you're staring down a break opportunity. You hit some great second serves in the match.
A: You're making this a little way too dramatic for what it was. [That was] like a Shakespeare poem.
Editor's note: Beginning Aug. 16, Ravi Ubha is unveiling the top 10 U.S. Open questions. Check back each weekday until Aug. 27 as we count down to No. 1.
4. Who is healthy enough to win?
They're dropping like flies.
After Serena Williams, the women's favorite, pulled out of the U.S. Open with a foot injury, Juan Martin del Potro followed suit, insufficiently recovered from wrist surgery.
Williams becomes the first women's No. 1 (she is for now) to miss the tournament since rankings were introduced in 1975, and del Potro is just the third man in the 42-year Open era unable to defend his New York crown.
Further, Justine Henin, who played at the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon in her comeback, won't compete because of an elbow injury suffered in southwest London. Exciting Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga can't catch a break. He's gone, too.
Four big names out.
Other contenders and dark horses have their own concerns.
Maria Sharapova might be the co-favorite among the women, with Kim Clijsters. Sharapova skipped the rain-affected Rogers Cup in Montreal courtesy of a left heel injury. Her agent, Max Eisenbud, said in an e-mail, though, that Sharapova was "all good" for the season's final major.
Clijsters was visibly bothered by her left hip in Montreal, and the Belgian's 13-match U.S. Open Series winning streak subsequently ended. Clijsters plans to use tape as support, adding that the current hip injury isn't as painful as the one in 2006.
"I am in no doubt over my participation in the U.S. Open," Clijsters told reporters. "I will likely have some strapping on my leg, but that does not mean that I will not be at full fitness."
Samantha Stosur, a French Open finalist, made her return this week in New Haven, Conn., after an injury to her serving arm.
"A combination of rest and some time in a hyperbaric chamber has the Queenslander ready to begin her U.S. Open assault," the Aussie's website disclosed.
Venus Williams, without a non-grass major since 2001, missed Montreal and Cincinnati with a left knee complaint.
Ana Ivanovic, a former world No. 1 who was drifting, showed signs of life in Cincinnati, reaching the semifinals. Then she hurt her left ankle. Ivanovic withdrew from New Haven, saying she was "feeling a lot of pain." That doesn't sound good for New York.
Russian teen Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, on a roll since Wimbledon, also withdrew from New Haven, tweeting that her leg and shoulder weren't 100 percent.
Andy Roddick was hindered by a mild case of mono and didn't play in Toronto, but he got the match practice he wanted in Cincinnati. His semifinal showing put him back in the top 10. Fellow American John Isner doesn't know whether he'll be fit after the right ankle injury he picked up in Cincinnati. Even if he does play, what kind of shape will he be in?
Tomas Berdych, finally playing the way we all thought he could, was undone by a right leg injury in Cincinnati.
And there are three months of the season remaining.
Editor's note: Beginning Aug. 16, Ravi Ubha unveils the top 10 U.S. Open questions. Check back each weekday until Aug. 27 as we count down to No. 1.
6. Which dark horse will deliver?
So which players outside the top 10 have any chance of winning the U.S. Open? It's slim pickings, as you might expect, but there are a few:
Maria Sharapova is nearing pre-shoulder-surgery form. Sharapova, back to her old service motion, is going for the serves and the baseline game is firing. Her hunger and mental toughness never left.
Sharapova reached back-to-back finals in Stanford, Calif., and Cincinnati before a foot injury forced her to bail from Montreal. If healthy, she's a top contender.
No one really knows what to expect from Svetlana Kuznetsova, another former U.S. Open champion from Russia. However, Kuznetsova is convinced her massive slump is over. She still has all the weapons.
"I was going for the balls, and I think I have that back," Kuznetsova told reporters in Montreal. "I feel like I'm back. I was struggling and not knowing what to do on court. I am glad that is finished."
Victoria Azarenka, not making the kind of career progress many expected, nevertheless showed signs of life by winning two of four tournaments prior to Montreal. The volatile Belorussian needs a boost at a major, since she exited in the first round at the French and third round at Wimbledon. Azarenka had Serena Williams on the ropes at the Australian Open this year and lost, unable to finish off the world No. 1.
On to the men: David Nalbandian's hip, stomach and hamstring have let the Argentine down in the past year, leading to large bouts of inactivity. In his most recent return to the circuit, Nalbandian authored an 11-match winning streak.
He claims he's motivated (we'll take his word for it) and must have extra motivation since he hasn't featured at a Grand Slam since the 2009 Australian Open.
When it comes to floaters outside the top 20 who can upset the favorites, keep in mind these names: Gritty Russian teen Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova sits at a career-high 22nd in the rankings. Pavlyuchenkova won the title in Istanbul and battled Sharapova hard in Cincinnati. Estonian Kaia Kanepi is proving to be the only surprise Wimbledon quarterfinalist to have done anything since. Aussie Jarmila Groth owns one of the top-10 serves in the women's game, and the forehand isn't too shabby either. Controlling her emotions is key.
A bum hamstring severely disrupted Ernests Gulbis' campaign, although the Latvian is back and almost knocked off Robin Soderling in Toronto. A little more match practice and he probably would have. He let Andy Murray off the hook in Cincinnati on Thursday. Mardy Fish is surging, while Belgian Xavier Malisse, oozing with talent, resurrected his career. Malisse looked sensational, at times, against Murray, the eventual champion in Toronto, in the second round. His undoing was failing to serve out the first set up 5-4 and 30-0.
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Ravi Ubha (top left) is a London-based journalist. He holds a business degree from McGill University and a journalism diploma from Concordia University, both in Montreal, where he formerly covered baseball and hockey. Ubha is a tennis and soccer contributor to ESPN.com, also featuring in other publications, and does play-by-play in tennis.
Kamakshi Tandon (top center) is a freelance writer and tennis junkie who contributes regularly to ESPN. She has also written for Tennis magazine, Reuters and Dow Jones Newswires. Tandon is based in Toronto.
Sandra Harwitt (top right) is a graduate of New York University's School of Journalism and covers tennis for various media outlets. Harwitt has been accepted to pursue a part-time master of science in strategic communications at Columbia University. She is based in South Florida and New York.
Matt Wilansky (bottom left) is the tennis editor for ESPN.com. He joined ESPN in 1998 after graduating with a B.A. in communication from the University of Hartford.
Tom Tebbutt (bottom center) is the tennis writer for The Globe and Mail in Toronto. He has been covering tennis for more than three decades and is a regular at the Grand Slam tournaments. Tebbutt lives in Toronto but is originally from Quebec.
Greg Garber (bottom right) joined ESPN in 1991 and provides reports for NFL Countdown and SportsCenter. He is also a regular contributor to Outside the Lines and a senior writer for ESPN.com.