Well, people have been asking for another blog. I've been a little hesitant as my summer has not gone as well as I had hoped and there hasn't been any successes to write about in the doubles world.

I won't go into the details of each loss, but a few of them came with match points, a few we came out and just didn't play that great.

The good thing is that US Open is still upcoming and a good result there can negate a summer of frustrating losses. I'll be back to write more fun stories when things pick up. And since I don't have a whole lot to write about, I decided write up a little US Open preview!

The US Open is also the peak of US tennis and people are always asking about what Americans to watch for....so here are a few besides the usual Roddick, Blake and Fish combo.

Rajeev Ram is in this year's main draw and watching him will remind you a lot Pete Sampras. He even uses the same racket (new paint job) and all. He doesn't have quite as much game as Pete, but he did win the Newport tournament this year and is knocking on the door to be top 100. Also, he pulled an upset win against Mardy Fish in the 2nd rd of the Pilot Pen. Great guy too...and I helped lead him to first event ATP doubles title!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfozgKKnOv0

Brendan Evans is the lesser bad boy of tennis...somewhat of a modern day McEnroe. I actually enjoy him quite a bit, he's a great competitor and a benefactor of one of the US Wild Cards into the draw. He will leave everything he has on the court and will most likely put on some sort of show that involves abuse of an umpire or his patented "Shooter" guns will come out after a big shot (co. of Shooter McGavin (Happy Gilmore)).

Jesse Levine will also be receiving on the USTA wild cards. He is also ranked just outside the top 100 and will be there soon. I've seen Jesse and Brendan out training the past few days in New Haven and they have been working hard. If you love watching a scrambling lefty with some pretty good feel, go check him out. He had a good run at Wimbledon making it into the 3rd round beating Safin and Petzschner.

Taylor Dent is also continuing his comeback in N.Y. He is one of the last pure serve and volleyers out there. I chatted with Taylor and his wife last night in the hotel and he said he is "so close" to being back...but he just needs a little more practice. I've watched his matches and he looks good, but I haven't seen him be able to string a few good matches together. But who knows....maybe NY will bring him some luck!

Sam Querrey- He's the next American after Roddick to hope for big things from. Blake and Fish have both had some injuries this summer, and could still make a run, but Sam has had a great summer winning LA, making finals in Newport and Indy and beating Roddick in Cincy. He is actually the winner of the Olympus US Open Series, meaning Olympus will double his paycheck at the US Open. Last year it took 4 sets from Nadal to take him out and this year e will be seeded for the first time, so with a good draw we could see the "Samurai's" in the 2nd week! He's basically just the kid next door, the Samurais are his buddies from growing up and he loves watching the Disney Channel. What's not to like about this guy?

Sam's Ace Face

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMfBImCV5DY

And people are asking who I think will win it. Here's the group....in order.

The Contenders

Nadal - Can't count him out, but he sure wasn't too impressive in the warm-up events. I don't know how good his knees are and he has never made a US Open final before.

Djokovic - I was beginning to forget about him until he really came to play in Cincy.

Del Potro- His fitness looked in question after Montreal and then pulled out of Cincy. But the power from the baseline is really amazing. Will he win it? Probably not. Can he? You betcha.

Roddick - Had a tough loss to Querrey in the 2nd rd of Cincy, but other than that, looked very good dating all the way back to his Wimby final. Playing most his matches with a night NY crowd, he is definitely in the mix.

Murray - My original pick to win it, mostly cause I questioned Fed's hunger, but I still put him as the #2 behind Rog, which for the first time, is where he will be seeded....which is huge.

Federer - I thought after breaking Pete's record and having twins, his focus may be on other things that pure motivation to win another title in NY, but his win In Cincy showed that he is dialed in.

Enjoy the Open,

- Eric