• Chris Wilkinson

A level playing field

Andy Murray is the defending Rogers Cup champion © Getty Images

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After a brief summer break, the top names return to action at the Rogers Cup in Toronto next week. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have had contrasting summers and both have plenty to play for in the lead up to the US Open.

We've had the clay court season followed swiftly by the grass, and while both surfaces favour specific styles of play, we move onto the hard courts which provide a happy medium. The American hard courts tend to be medium pace so they suit a wide range of players. The clay court specialists can stay at the baseline quite happily and those who want to come to the net can do so.

The lead-up to the US Open is always a good time of the season. The tournaments are usually well organised and well attended. I played in Toronto and Cincinnati once, but one of the most memorable tournaments was a warm-up tournament for the US Open in the Bronx. It wasn't the nicest area of New York so you always had police guarding the courts and making sure the players were safe. I reached the final there in 1993, which was quite an experience.

Murray has done well over in America in recent years. He is the defending champion in Toronto and won in Cincinnati in 2008. The surface is well suited to Murray's game - he can stay back and grind out the shots from the back of the court.

He's struggled to play well consistently this season and I think his decision to take a wildcard and play in Los Angeles last week was wise. Murray hasn't played that many tournaments this year, Los Angeles was only his 11th, and I think he should be adding more tournaments to his schedule. Getting more matches under his belt will give him the best possible chance heading into the US Open.

Having commentated on some of his matches in LA, I wouldn't say he is playing particularly well. He wasn't playing his best tennis and there is plenty of room for improvement before he heads to Toronto to defend his Rogers Cup title.

It will be interesting to see how he gets on, and where he decides to go with his coaching set-up after splitting with coach Miles Maclagan. Alex Corretja looks like he will continue his consultancy role, but Darren Cahill has ruled himself out of the running. Murray is the kind of player who needs a coach to keep him motivated and wanting to play. Murray has quite a few points to defend in the coming weeks, and the pressure will be on to perform.

The home players tend to do quite well at this time of year. Sam Querrey and John Isner are both in good form at the moment and they will both have a good chance of doing well in the coming weeks. Robin Soderling has a good hard-court game and he will be another dangerous one. Murray should do well, but it just depends on his mental form and how he approaches the tournaments. Tomas Berdych is a player who has done really well this season. He reached the semi-finals of the French Open and then the final of Wimbledon and he is improving all the time.

Juan Martin del Potro is the defending champion at Flushing Meadows, but he has not played since January after having surgery on his wrist. It looked like he wouldn't be fit in time for the US Open, but now it looks like he might be back. But I think it will be too soon for him to make any real impact and he won't be a genuine challenger in the coming weeks.

There are some exciting stories this year. Will Federer rediscover some form and launch a challenge in New York? And can Nadal win the US Open for the first time?

Chris Wilkinson is a former British No. 1

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