TENNIS US OPEN PREVIEW:ANDY MURRAY is encouragingly relaxed before this US Open but so is the man who has twice blocked his way to winning a first grand slam title and remains the biggest threat to everyone here, Roger Federer.
The Swiss world No2 is the first of the leading pack on to court when he plays the Argentinian Brian Dabul in the evening match on Arthur Ashe Court tonight – and he brings to New York the latest refinement to his game: the drop shot.
Murray, ranked and seeded four, says he fell asleep during his first facial the other day, which says something about his demeanour at least. He starts his tournament either tomorrow or Wednesday, in an undemanding engagement against Lukas Lacko, a Slovak doubles specialist with a modest record in singles.
Whether or not the Scot chooses to employ the aggressive strategy that brought him spectacular success in Toronto, where he beat Rafael Nadal and Federer back to back, will probably depend on how desperate he is. His instincts remain stubbornly conservative.
Federer continues at 29 to experiment – most likely because he has been struggling this summer. He won the Cincinnati Masters in a tough three-setter against Mardy Fish last Sunday, his first win in seven months. He is calmness itself, though – as well he might be, with 16 majors and the ambition to add at least four before he retires. A feature of his tennis in Ohio was his willingness to mix up his attack, pinning Fish to the back of the court before sliding in delicate chips, wide and short.
Federer’s drive – and his determination to prove his critics wrong following a worryingly long lean spell after beating Murray in the Australian Open in January – makes the Swiss even more dangerous at a place where he has won the title five times already. He is on the other side of the draw from Murray and Nadal.
Quizzed yet again about his dip in form, he responded robustly. “I was No2 in the world at the time, winning one or two slams a year and I was on the downslide. So, you can’t take it too seriously, to be honest. It’s still a good season, depending on how’re you’re feeling, how you’re practising, how you’re evolving as a player.” And Federer never stops evolving. He has decided, after thinking hard about it, to appoint Paul Annacone as his full-time coach. The drop-shot, clearly, is part of their joint strategy.
“You can use it on the clay,” he said last week, “and maybe on slower hard courts (which these are) but you have to choose it at the right time. And when I choose to play it, I could also hit a proper forehand. Just to mix it up sometimes I use the drop shot. It’s a nice shot. I used to think it was a panic shot because I didn’t know what else to do. Now I use it the right way. ” That is all the opposition need: a new and improved Federer.
Murray – without a coach since July, when Miles Maclagan left – is happy with the advice of Alex Corretja, the Barcelona-based clay-court specialist who is in New York but is not a permanent fixture. “I don’t want to think about who I might work with and what I’m going to do before such a big tournament and obviously quite a big period of the year for me,” he said.
Murray has enjoyed the freedom of being more reliant on his own judgment the past month. Soon, though, he will have to make some firm and tough decisions.
In the women’s tournament, a month of intense competition that has reaped three titles in three countries has given Caroline Wozniaki the confidence she needs to chase her first grand slam title.
Wozniacki made the final at Flushing Meadows last year, losing to the more experienced Belgian Kim Clijsters, but believes she is in much better shape this time. “The last two weeks, or actually four weeks, have been great for me. I’ve been winning a lot of matches so that’s definitely something that brings up the confidence,” the Dane said yesterday.
“I’m feeling really good. It’s tough to compare myself to one year ago... but I definitely think that I’ve improved in many aspects.” The 20-year-old has climbed to number two in the world rankings and has been promoted to top seed for the U.S. Open after the withdrawal of Serena Williams with a foot injury.
Wozniacki, who starts against American Chelsey Gullickson, is in great form after a punishing month of tournaments highlighted by winning the Danish Open and back-to-back titles in Montreal and New Haven.
A grand slam title is what appeals to her most, though.
“That would be a dream, to win a grand slam, that’s definitely a goal but it’s still seven matches away, and it’s tough because everyone wants to win,” she said.
