Tennis: Honours board full of champs

Frank Sinatra called it right. "If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere," he sang of New York back in 1980. Ol' Blue Eyes may not have had tennis in mind but his sentiments express one of the greatest truisms in the modern game.

The US Open remains the purest barometer of tennis pedigree. Over the past three decades, all of the men crowned champions at Flushing Meadows have been worthy of the description.

There are no hiccups on the honours board. The names read like a who's who of the sport - Connors, McEnroe, Lendl, Wilander, Becker, Sampras, Edberg, Agassi, Rafter, Hewitt, Federer. Until last year (Juan Martin del Potro), every winner in New York since 1977 was world number one at some stage of their careers.

In contrast, the other three grand slams are littered with shooting stars, players who fired for a fortnight, grabbed their slice of luck and never hit such heights again.

At the Australian Open, think of Thomas Johansson (2002), Petr Korda (1998), Johan Kriek (1982), Brian Teacher (1980) and Mark Edmondson (1976).

In Paris, players such as Gaston Gaudio (2004), Albert Costa (2002), Thomas Muster (1995), Andres Gomez (1990) and Yannick Noah (1983) tasted success but never came close to another major. None appeared in another grand slam final.

It is also easy to recall one-hit wonders at Wimbledon. Men such as Goran Ivanisevic (2001), Richard Krajicek (1996), Michael Stich (1991) and Pat Cash (1987) took their one and only grand slam at SW19.

Some of the reasons are obvious, others less so.

The Australian Open, played in searing temperatures at the height of the Aussie summer, always has a propensity for upsets. Players, with Christmas pudding still in their bellies, are often a little rusty.

The dusty red clay in Paris has been sped up in recent times, but it will always favour stodgy baseliners and only two players with a one-handed backhand (Stefan Edberg and Roger Federer) have reached the final in the last 20 years.

The All-England club has made intelligent changes to the surface at Wimbledon over the past few years, taking some of the mystery out of the grass surface but it remains the place where a big, booming serve can take you further than anywhere.

The US Open falls at a perfect time in the calendar, where players are refreshed after a summer break and come into the tournament in peak form. There tends to be fewer temperature extremes in the New York autumn, and almost everyone feels at home on the truest surface in tennis.

Most hardcourt events, including the Australian Open, have traditionally favoured Rebound Ace, but Flushing Meadows has used Deco Turf (similar to Plexipave) since 1978. It produces a slightly truer and lower bounce, giving serve and volleyers at least a semblance of a chance.

Along with Federer and Andy Murray, world number one Rafael Nadal is a prime contender in 2010. He has endured many frustrations in the Big Apple, thwarted by injury in two of his most recent attempts and has never gone beyond the semifinal stage.

Murray seems to have the wood on Nadal on hardcourt, so the Spaniard will be hoping the Scot falls before their expected meeting in the last four. If Nadal makes the final, few would bet against him, given his unbelievable mental toughness.

He would also reclaim some honour for the left handers of the world, as none have won in New York since McEnroe in 1984. The tournament was once almost owned by lefties, as every single winner between 1974 and 1984 was a southpaw.