• Chris Wilkinson

Three-way battle for glory in New York

Can Andy Murray win his maiden Grand Slam in New York? © Getty Images

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With Andy Murray and Roger Federer both rediscovering their form just in time for the US Open, the battle for the final Grand Slam of the year is really hotting up.

Just six weeks ago world No. 1 Rafael Nadal was the outright favourite to win the US Open for the first time and complete his career Grand Slam at the tender age of 24, but he's struggled on the hard courts, so the question remains, can he still do it?

While he hasn't played well in Toronto and Cincinnati, he's still in with a really good chance at Flushing Meadows. However he is playing, Nadal is a big match player and you will expect him to be there in the second week.

I think it will be a three-way battle between Nadal, Federer and Murray. Federer seems to be finding his form just at the right time and his victory in Cincinnati just shows you can never write him off. We said his career was over after his quarter-final defeat at Wimbledon, and now he's the bookies' favourite to win a sixth US Open title.

Murray is good on the hard courts and his victory at the Rogers Cup in Canada was well-timed. It served as a huge confidence boost for him as his first title this year, but he also needed to defend the 1000 ranking points to ensure he didn't slip down to No. 5 ahead of the US Open. In some ways it was a blessing in disguise that he didn't reach the final in Cincinnati because it gives him some breathing space heading to Flushing Meadows.

Murray was visibly more aggressive in Canada and looked really strong. I thought he would really struggle without a coach, but it seems to be the opposite. The fact that he hasn't got someone to blame for his mistakes - there is nobody to complain to when he loses - he has to take responsibility for his game now and it seems to be paying off.

It's going to be really exciting - it's not like the French Open where it was hard to look beyond Nadal, you have three genuine contenders, and a few other players capable of delivering an upset.

I don't think Novak Djokovic has a chance. Although he is the third seed I think he will do well to reach the semi-finals in New York. His game hasn't progressed much in the last couple of years, and although he is a good player he hasn't got the game for big matches and his serve his still letting him down at crucial moments.

Beyond the top four, you are looking at players like Robin Soderling and Nikolay Davydenko. Soderling has the game to upset anyone on his day, and although Davydenko hasn't been in that good form recently he is always a dangerous opponent. It's a shame that defending champion Juan Martin del Potro has pulled out, but the likes of Andy Roddick and Tomas Berdych could do well if they get off to a good start.

One to keep an eye out for is David Nalbandian. He has been in stunning form in recent weeks and is capable of producing some upsets. I don't think he has the game to make it all the way over two weeks - in a single-week tournament, best of three sets, he would be in with a chance but he hasn't got the stamina at the moment. He's a dangerous opponent but against the top guys I think he will be outclassed - Murray chewed him in Canada and he was easy pickings for Djokovic in Cincinnati.

Looking further down the draw, the Americans will be looking to cause a stir. John Isner and Sam Querrey are both big servers with a game that suits the hard courts, and with home advantage they will be looking to do some damage. Mardy Fish is another one who could cause an upset - he has been playing some of the tennis of his life recently.

Fortunately for Murray, he has avoided Fish in the draw - Fish seems to be his bogey player at the moment. But with the likes of Querrey, Isner and Radek Stepanek, who has been out injured but seems to have hit a winning streak, could lie in wait. Another player to watch out for is Ernests Gulbis, who took a set off Murray in Cincinnati last week, I think he could be dangerous.

Kim Clijsters is the defending champion in New York © Getty Images

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Looking at the women's draw, it looks really quite empty without Serena Williams and Justine Henin. Like at the French Open we had two first-time finalists -Sam Stosur and Francesca Schiavone - and then Vera Zvonareva reaching the final at Wimbledon, I think we could be in for another surprise.

There is no-one really dominating the women's game at the moment which means that anyone in the top 20 is in with a genuine chance. After being unseeded last year, Kim Clijsters is now the second seed and defending champion, and will expect to do well here.

Maria Sharapova has started playing a little bit better of late, so she could be do well, but she could meet Caroline Wozniacki in the fourth round and I think this could be Wozniacki's big chance. With no Serena Williams in the draw she is the top seed, and having reached the final last year will give her a lot of confidence.

Svetlana Kuznetsova is also in the same quarter but could be an outsider for the title. She's slipped down the rankings in the last year, but she's won at Flushing Meadows before so she knows what it takes to win a Grand Slam. If she can get past Wozniacki in the quarters she could do very welll.

Looking beyond that, the likes of Victoria Azarenka and Elena Dementieva are in with a chance, but really I can see anyone in the top 20 winning this year.

As for the Brits, it really depends on the draw but it would be a good achievement for Elena Baltacha and Anne Keothavong if they can get to the third round. Baltacha has had some good wins against top-ten players this year and it would be a huge confidence boost if she can have a good run and break into the top 50 for the first time.

Chris Wilkinson is a former British No. 1

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