US Open 2013: Experts' picks for the men's draw

The tennis experts of Sportskeeda look ahead at the 2013 US Open by making picks for the men’s draw in four categories: dark horse, early exit, dangerous floater, and champion.

1. Dark horse

Juan Martin del Potro

Haresh Ramchandani: Massive serve. Top-ranked American. Playing with a ton of confidence. John Isner is my dark horse pick on the men’s side.

SivaramL: We might have a three-way battle for the year end No. 5 ranking and one of them is my dark horse pick. No, not Roger Federer, for two reasons – 1. he is in Rafael Nadal‘s quarter, and 2. rankings notwithstanding, he cannot be called a dark horse, not yet! Juan Martin del Potro has been in fine touch this season, pulling off victories over Djokovic and Murray in Indian Wells earlier in the year and winning in Washington a couple of weeks ago. He nearly upset Djokovic at Wimbledon too, and now that he’s back on the courts where he has won before, he is my dark horse for the title even if it means he has to go past Djokovic, Murray and Nadal.

Virendra: I’ll go with former winner here Juan Martin del Potro (yes, he is a Grand Slam champion). The Argentine has had a good season so far and has featured in three of the best matches of the year – the epic semifinal against Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon (which he lost), the semifinal against Djokovic at Indian Wells (which he won) and the final at Indian Wells against Rafael Nadal. Del Potro is showing signs of regaining some of his blistering form from pre-injury days. A potential quarterfinal with that man Djokovic is again in the offing and he would also probably have to go through Murray and the in-form Nadal to win the title. But then again, he did something precisely along those lines when he won in ’09, beating Nadal and Federer in back-to-back matches.

Roh: The recent dip in Roger Federer’s ranking has made him a dark horse candidate in the very arena where he was once a favourite through and through. Though he’s been struggling with his form and fitness, Federer can indeed be expected to spring a surprise or two at this year’s Open.

Ram Narayanan: Though one is tempted to call Roger Federer the dark horse given his accomplishments in Arthur Ashe stadium, the fact that he will likely have to face his nemesis Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals does not augur well for him. That leaves us with Juan Martin del Potro, who will likely face a slightly out-of-form Novak Djokovic in the quarters. If he can pass the Serb test, then he definitely has the chance to go on and win the tournament for the second time in his career.

BallnRacquet: Since stretching Djokovic to a five setter at SW19, Juan Martin del Potro has been on the rise. Winning at Washington DC and finishing third in the US Open series, he seems to have found his old rhythm that saw him capture the coveted crown at the US Open in 2009.

Sumer: Milos Raonic has a good shot at going deep into the tournament; the highest seed he could face before the quarterfinal is 8th seed Richard Gasquet, a matchup which I’m sure the Canadian would be confident about. A quarterfinal against David Ferrer would also be a good matchup for Raonic.

Musab Abid: Is it too soon to be picking Jerzy Janowicz as a dark horse at a Slam? Not from where I’m looking. The towering Pole has already made his Major breakthrough, reaching the semifinals at Wimbledon, and seems primed to start slashing through draws with regularity. He is in David Ferrer’s quarter (read the easiest quarter) at the Open, so we should probably brace ourselves for a slew of mammoth serves and forehands to rock Flushing Meadows well into the second week.

2. Early exit

David Ferrer

Haresh Ramchandani: He might come in ranked a career-high No. 5 in the world, but Tomas Berdych has always had problems in New York, barring a semifinal finish in 2012. The Czech could have trouble in the second round itself, against either of the youngsters Jiri Veseley and Denis Kudla.

SivaramL: My early exit pick is going to be David Ferrer. This might sound a bit harsh on the usually consistent Spaniard, but a poor hardcourt summer in USA and a potential R32 clash against Ernests Gulbis point to a likely first-week exit for Ferru.

Virendra: Spain’s David Ferrer has not exactly had the best of warm-ups to the US Open. He suffered early exits in both Montreal and Cincinnati and with the likes of the dangerous Latvian Ernests Gulbis in his quarter, things could get a little rocky for the 31-year-old from Valencia.

Roh: Tommy Haas’s ascension into the top 15 has been quite out of the ordinary. But discounting that achievement, the past few months have seen Haas slip under the radar with a series of underwhelming results, making him a potential early loser at Flushing Meadows.

Ram Narayanan: The presence of Ernests Gulbis is not a good sign for anyone in his draw. World No. 4 David Ferrer would most likely be meeting Gulbis in the third round, should he go past Thomaz Bellucci – another dangerous opponent – in the second. Playing two difficult matches back-to-back may wear the Spaniard down, making him a strong candidate for a first-week exit from the tournament.

BallnRacquet: Richard Gasquet is likely to be an early casualty in my book. To live up to his billing of being the eighth seed, he might have to score wins over Dmitry Tursunov and Milos Raonic in the third and fourth rounds respectively. Both Tursunov and Raonic have had good runs in recent tournaments and should make the path really tough for Gasquet. Given the Frenchman’s inconsistent showings at the Slams, it would not be shocking to see him packing his bags before the end of the first week.

Sumer: The popular Swiss No. 2 Stanislas Wawrinka has found himself with a tricky draw. He starts off with a tough first round against the gritty Radek Stepanek, and with James Blake, Marcos Baghdatis, Daniel Brands and Kevin Anderson – all quality players – in his section, the road is likely to get very tough for Wawrinka.

Musab Abid: John Isner comes into the tournament on the back of a sizzling run of form, but we’ve seen sizzle turn to fizzle from Isner at the Slams way too often to be deceived yet again. He has been talked up as the most dangerous pre-quarterfinal opponent in Rafael Nadal’s way (the two are slated to meet in the fourth round), but I don’t expect him to get that far, specially since he will likely face Gael Monfils in the second round.

3. Dangerous floater

Bernard Tomic

Haresh Ramchandani: Frenchman Nicolas Mahut has climbed from No. 240 in the world in June to No. 80 in the latest rankings – thanks to two grasscourt titles. The 31-year-old plays 21st seed Mikhail Youzhny in the first round and if he wins that one, he could go deeper in New York than he ever has in the past (career-best performance at the US Open: second round).

SivaramL: I know I am betting big when I say Bernard Tomic could be the dangerous floater at the Open, but the draw appears to be kind enough for him to get into the second week for a potential fourth round match against Roger Federer. Tomic would probably want to say: “Let Roger reach the Round of 16!” about that potential clash, but I hope he lets his tennis do the talking this time.

Virendra: Russian Nikolay Davydenko, the man with those ultra-quick feet, finds himself in the bottom half of the men’s draw. Davydenko has had some of his best Grand Slam performances at Flushing Meadows, having made the semi-finals twice here. He also happens to be one of the few players on tour with a winning record against Rafael Nadal (6-5), who he could potentially face in Round 3.

Roh: Martin Klizan caused a flurry of upsets at the 2012 US Open which promptly thrust him into the limelight. Though the youngster has been quite muted since then, a return to the seat of his breakthrough can be a perfect opportunity for him to turn things over to his advantage.

Ram Narayanan: For Bernard Tomic it has been another controversial year right from the start of the season, especially off the court. But the talented Australian has a lot to prove on the court, and he will be due for a strong showing sooner or later. With only one title this year, and on the receiving end of his critics’ words all the time, Tomic has nothing to lose. Some day he is bound to come good, and for all we know, that day might come at this year’s US Open.

BallnRacquet: Alexandr Dolgopolov missed being seeded in the draw by a whisker. And as an unseeded player, he will likely prove to be a nightmare for many players with his unorthodox and unpredictable style of play. He could meet Mikhail Youzhny and Tommy Haas in the second and third rounds respectively, both of which are winnable matches for him.

Sumer: Seeing the Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov unseeded is very surprising considering his talent, but it also means dangerous times for the rest of the players in the draw. When he’s on his game Dolgopolov can challenge anyone, and an upset to his name would not surprise me at all.

Musab Abid: It seems impossible to get rid of Lleyton Hewitt, doesn’t it? The battle-hardened Aussie veteran continues to chug along, and continues to give unexpected fits to his higher-ranked peers. He is drawn to meet Juan Martin del Potro in the second round (although his first round against Brian Baker is no gimme); del Potro will likely have at least one sleepless night about that over the next few days.

4. Champion

Rafael Nadal

Haresh Ramchandani: Rafael Nadal may have won back-to-back Masters series titles, but I still think Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray would be favoured over the Spaniard when it comes to best-of-five sets on hardcourts. Murray seems to be struggling to find his game in America after that historic Wimbledon win and while Djokovic hasn’t had the best build-up either, I’m tipping the Serb’s fitness and mental toughness to win him the US Open this year.

SivaramL: There have been just two men to have done the Canada-Cincy double in the last 15 years and both have gone on to win the Open in those years. The odds are heavily stacked in favour of the hottest player on tour – Rafael Nadal – but I am going out on a limb and predicting that Andy Murray will tame the Spaniard in the final to retain the championship.

Virendra: He began the year by winning the first Grand Slam in Australia, and he will end it by claiming the last one. Novak Djokovic is hurting right now. He is the World No. 1, but has seen the aura around him dented by losses to Nadal and Murray in big matches. He loves the American hardcourts and will be keen to convert on another Slam trophy after falling short in Paris and London. Last year, he rose to quell the challenge from Federer, who briefly displaced him as No. 1, and he will do the same this year against Nadal. I’m picking the ‘Djoker’ to beat Rafa in the final in a thrilling five-setter; now wouldn’t that be something.

Roh: Novak Djokovic. Despite having been outshone by Rafael Nadal in the tournaments leading up to the US Open, Djokovic nonetheless will be the man to beat and the player to watch out for.

Ram Narayanan: With already nine titles under his belt, including three on hardcourts, it is impossible to look beyond Rafael Nadal here. The southpaw is on a roll this year and, with both Djokovic and Murray badly out of shape, this year’s US Open seems to be well within his grasp. I predict the 2010 champion to have the last laugh this year.

BallnRacquet: Rafael Nadal. At the moment, his is the first name that comes to your mind when asked about the favourite to lift the trophy at Flushing Meadows. Exhibited supreme form this season since his return from a knee injury, Nadal has won nine titles in 2013, including the Montreal-Cincinnati double. He is the US Open series leader and a firm favourite to thwart any opponent in the final to win his second US Open title.

Sumer: Coming off of his recent victory at Wimbledon, Scotland’s Andy Murray should be full of confidence, especially at a place where he won his first Major title. While his draw beyond the first week may seem tough, it is important to note that Murray has what the other top players don’t – an easy first week. Expect him to soar through Rounds 1, 2 and 3 and post gritty wins in week No. 2 on his way to a title defence.

Musab Abid: It will feel really strange if Rafael Nadal finishes his tremendous 2013 with just one Grand Slam title to his name. He has looked near-invincible since his comeback in February, and his victory over Djokovic in Montreal may even have helped him exorcise a few demons in his head. The Spaniard had always been considered susceptible to the odd hardcourt upset against big hitters in the past, but with his recent straight set wins over Tomas Berdych, Milos Raonic and John Isner, the Spaniard looks set to ride his confidence all the way to his third hardcourt Slam title.