On the 71st floor of the Empire State Building yesterday, Roger Federer’s bid to become the first player to win four straight U.S. Opens since the 1920s took a slight dip while Maria Sharapova’s bid to capture a second straight women’s title soared.
The Open’s draw ceremony was held in the city’s tallest skyscraper, which will glow tennis-ball yellow during the Flushing fortnight beginning Monday. And the blonde skyscraper, the 6-foot-2 Sharapova, is on the draw’s light side.
In fact, anything less than a finals berth will be a major disappointment for Sharapova, who modeled her tennis dresses last night at Rockefeller Plaza.
“If you had asked me before the draw, I would’ve told you six women can win it,” draw analyst Patrick McEnroe said. “And five of the six women are in the top half of the draw – Justin Henin, Venus, Serena, [Jelena] Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic. The sixth is Sharapova, and she doesn’t have to go through the top players to get to the final.”
As for the men, the Empire State Building should glow red with a white cross to represent Switzerland’s flag. Federer, the Swiss maestro, is a strong favorite. However, there’s one player Federer does not want to face in Flushing, and it’s not perennial Open bust, Rafael Nadal.
His name is Novak Djokovic, 20, the Serbian phenom who rocked Federer’s world two weeks ago in winning Montreal. He stands a puncher’s chance against Federer, poised to break every tennis record ever set. Djokovic received a sweet draw yesterday.
“At the moment, the second favorite is Djokovic,” McEnroe said.
Open fan favorite Andy Roddick, who lost to Federer in last year’s final, is in trouble. He got the misfortune of getting Federer way too early in the quarters. His coach, Jimmy Connors, probably just punched a wall.
“It’s a lot earlier than either one of them would’ve hoped,” McEnroe said. “I don’t think he’s delighted he’s got Roger.”
Roddick will likely stick at one career slam title – the 2003 Open. He’s lost to Federer in the finals in three others.
“I think the problem is Federer is so good,” McEnroe said of Roddick’s drought. “He’s got limitations, a weak return of serve. But it’s sort of saying what went wrong with Charles Barkley and Karl Malone. Michael Jordan was better.”
The draw was kind to Djokovic, placed in the mildest quarter. He won’t have to face Federer until the final. Djokovic, who never has made a Grand Slam final, avoids Roddick and James Blake.
“He serves well, returns well, he covers the court well,” McEnroe said. “He’s the guy with the best chance. But the big thing is it’s his first Grand Slam final, and the pressure would be on him for the first time.”