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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Men have own story line at U.S. Open tennis

Howard Fendrich Associated Press

There is no question that the most talked-about topic heading into the U.S. Open today is Serena Williams’ Grand Slam bid. Even if she does dominate the conversation, a certain “Big Four” of men’s tennis will provide plenty to discuss, too, as usual.

No. 1-seeded Novak Djokovic, for example, has been nearly as dominant as Williams in 2015. He won the Australian Open, was the runner-up at the French Open, then won Wimbledon, part of a 56-5 season that includes six titles and 10 consecutive appearances in tournament finals.

Given his excellence on hard courts, it’s hard to believe he’s earned the trophy only once at Flushing Meadows.

Five-time U.S. Open winner Roger Federer is 34, hasn’t won a Grand Slam championship in more than three years – and yet the No. 2-seeded Swiss star might just be as much of a threat as anyone to be in Arthur Ashe Stadium on the second Sunday. He made it all the way to the final at Wimbledon before losing to Djokovic, then beat the Serb for the hard-court Cincinnati Masters title this month.

“Still not very happy with my form and with my game,” Djokovic said after that loss to Federer, “but I have a week to work on it.”

No. 3 Andy Murray also defeated Djokovic in a hard-court final in August, at Montreal, and has made it to two semifinals and one final at this year’s majors. Like Djokovic and Federer, he is a past U.S. Open champion.

Rafael Nadal is worth keeping an eye on for the simple reason that no one quite knows how well he’ll play. He hardly has performed up to the standards that earned 14 Grand Slam titles, including two at the U.S. Open, and is seeded only No. 8. Nadal faces what could be a truly tough test in his opening match against 18-year-old Borna Coric. Get past that, then win three more matches, and Nadal could face Djokovic in the quarterfinals.

Sharapova withdraws

Maria Sharapova pulled out of the U.S. Open for the second time in three years Sunday, withdrawing on the eve of the tournament because of a lingering right leg injury.

The U.S. Tennis Association announced the withdrawal via a press release at about the same time that Sharapova, who won the title in New York in 2006, posted the news on her Facebook page.

“Unfortunately I will not be able to compete in this (year’s U.S.) Open. I have done everything possible to be ready but it was just not enough time,” Sharapova’s message said. “To all my amazing fans, I will be back in the Asian swing in a few weeks and look forward to finishing the year healthy and strong.”

In 2013, Sharapova skipped the U.S. Open because of a right shoulder injury. She also missed the tournament in 2008 when she was off the tour for about 10 months because of surgery on her right shoulder.