Thoughts on the U.S. Open so far

OK, I’ve fallen behind on the U.S. Open. Here are some general thoughts.

Maria Sharapova: I think this is what we can expect from Maria for the rest of her career, inconsistent performances. She can play great (Wimbledon), exceed expectations (French) and then have a disappointing performances (U.S. Open). She’s a great fighter, but that shoulder surgery has impacted her career in a very significant way. Maybe she can win a few more majors. But I just think this year is an example that it might be as good as it gets. Hopefully I’m wrong because she’s great for the sport.

Venus Williams: A disappointment about her pulling out, but scary with her disease. The question is if she can bounce back. I have no idea what will be involved in rehab. But she’s on the wrong end of 30 and has not won a major since Wimbledon in 2008. It’s a long road to get back to her form of this year, and an even longer road to get back to championship form.

Caroline Wozniacki: Her victory over Svetlana Kuznetsova was impressive in her ability to keep her cook and keep fighting against long odds. OK, so Svetlana has problems closing out big matches, but she is also a two-time major winner who also won the U.S. Open. Wozniacki would be a huge underdog against Serena Williams, but she can beat anyone else. Maybe this can be her first major.

Serena Williams: What else is there to say. She’s been awesome the whole tournament, like we all expected. This is her tournament to lose.

Novak Djokovic: Alexandr Dolgopolov played a really inspired first set against Djokovic, but then Djokovic ripped his heart out by winning the marathon first-set tiebreaker and then it was easy street for the No. 1 player in the world. Only Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer can play at a consistently high level to challenge Djokovic, but he has been really amazing this year.

Roger Federer: He gets his first big test against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who beat him earlier on the American hardcourts. This will be a good test for Federer. And if he gets past Tsonga, it could be a good warm up for Nadal, Djokovic and Murray. But the weather delays could be a problem. It’s tough enough for Federer with the semifinal and finals on consecutive days. If the weather wrecks even more havoc, the odds could get longer for Federer.

Rafael Nadal: He is not nearly as good as he was last year when he won the tournament. And the cramps he suffered after his match will cast some doubts. But Nadal has been playing better as the tournament has gone on. If he can stay hydrated, he can challenge for the title, but getting past Federer and Djokovic are huge hurdles to overcome. Remember, Federer and Nadal have never played at the U.S. Open, and Federer is as dominant here as he is on the Wimbledon grass. Nadal is not as good on the U.S. Open hard courts as he is at Wimbledon.

Andy Roddick: He’s playing into form. The question is will he improve enough through the tournament to have a chance to beat the big three. But you can’t rule out Roddick on the hardcourts. While the courts are playing slower, Roddick feels that suits him better than the old lightning quick courts.