Rafael Nadal’s Absence from US Open Is Major Opportunity for Other Contenders

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: August 22, 2014

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Last year's U.S. Open champion won't be in the running for the tournament this year, as Rafael Nadal has been forced to withdraw due to a wrist injury. It's a major blow for fans of the sport and the tournament itself, but it's a huge opportunity for a few contenders.

And no, we're not talking about Novak Djokovic here, who arguably would have been the favorite even if Nadal was in the field, considering the Djoker just triumphed at Wimbledon. Rather, the players who may benefit the most from Nadal's withdrawal are Roger Federer and Andy Murray. 

The former hasn't won a Grand Slam title since his Wimbledon conquest in 2012, though he did reach the final at this year's Wimbledon and the semifinals at the Australian Open. Still, it's hard to look past the fact that Federer's golden years are well behind him. 

But at this year's tournament, the path to another title looks promising, per Lynn Zinser of The New York Times:


The withdrawal of the defending champion Rafael Nadal bumped Federer up to the second seed and guaranteed that he would not have to play Nadal at all and that he would not have to face No. 1 Novak Djokovic until the final, should they both qualify. The draw itself paved Federer an even smoother path. While Djokovic’s half of the draw includes the Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka, erstwhile Big 4 member Andy Murray as well as No. 5 Milos Raonic and the frequent top-10 denizens John Isner and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Federer’s half looks decidedly less onerous.

Federer’s speed bumps? No. 4 David Ferrer, a tireless player who nonetheless rarely threatens to actually win a Grand Slam, and No. 7 Grigor Dmitrov of Bulgaria, frequently hailed as a potential champion who hasn’t done enough to shake the 'potential' tag just yet.

Heading into the U.S. Open, Federer gave a fantastic interview with Jon Wertheim of Sports Illu...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis

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