The U.S. Open is six weeks away, but the preparations begin in earnest today.
The Indianapolis Tennis Championships launch the six-week-long Olympus US Open, 10 events on North American hardcourts that lead into the season's final Grand Slam tournament. And there will be plenty at stake on the road to New York.
• Federer vs. Nadal: Rafael Nadal, the defending US Open Series champion, opened 2009 with a win on hardcourts in the Australian Open. Roger Federer took the next two Grand Slam events. Nadal, who skipped Wimbledon because of tendinitis in his knees, is scheduled to return at the Aug. 10-16 Rogers Masters in Montreal. Federer and the rest of the world's best are to join him. They will be in Cincinnati the following week, too, as part of back-to-back mandatory events.
• Andy Roddick: The top American, coming off his epic loss to Federer (16-14 in the fifth set) in the Wimbledon final, has been a force in the Series, winning the points race twice in its first five years. But he withdrew from the Indianapolis tournament because of a right hip flexor injury. "I just don't feel like I was 100% ready to compete in a tournament yet," Roddick said Saturday. He said he needs more repetitions playing on the hip to see if he is prepared. Roddick will have two weeks off to see if he is ready to play in Washington starting Aug. 2.
• Serena Williams: Williams has won three of the last four majors, but she has no regular tour event titles this year. She headlines strong fields in Stanford, Calif., in the Bank of the West Classic and in Cincinnati in the Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open. World No. 1 Dinara Safina, who won the US Open Series title last year, will try to hang on to the No. 1 ranking.
• A cool million: If the winner of the US Open Series also wins the US Open, he or she pockets a $1 million bonus — on top of the $1.6 million paid to the men's and women's singles champions.
Source: usatoday.com
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