10 Answers for 10 U.S. Open Questions

The U.S. Open starts Monday, and there's no reason to wait the whole two weeks just to see what questions the tournament will answer. We already have the answers, and it works out so neatly: 10 questions, 10 answers.

1. Will Rafa's knees get him through the tournament?

This is the big one. And in the long run, tennis needs Rafael Nadal to keep fighting Roger Federer, the best individual rivalry in sports. But it's hard to get a straight answer out of Rafa. In Cincinnati, a week and a half ago, he finally admitted to me that his knees still hurt, and that it was hard to get in position to attack, which is necessary on the hard courts.

He looked tentative in his first match there, afraid to plant on the right leg. Then he got better with each match, before looking bad again in a loss to Novak Djokovic. So here's the key question: Is it harder on the knees to play best-of-three set matches every day for a week, or to play best-of-five every other day, as they do in majors? It's easier with every-other-day.

So that's hope for Nadal, who's already playing well enough to beat good players. But in the end, his knees won't be able to take that beating, especially with the unbelievably bad draw he got on the hard courts.
2. The Williams sisters haven't done much since Serena beat Venus in the Wimbledon final. Are they slipping?

Serena said on TV last week that she has just had some bad luck in the non-majors. But no, she's not slipping. And no, she hasn't had any bad luck. She simply doesn't try, or care, unless it's a major. And while that's completely unfair to ticket-buying fans the rest of the year, it will be fine the next two weeks. Serena will win the Open, as she's by far the best player in the world.

On top of that, her lack of fitness doesn't matter nearly as much in majors, when she gets a day off every other day. Venus just isn't as good as Serena, and can be prone to have ups and downs. She should be fine, too, though.

But they are on the same side of the draw, meaning we can't get an All-Williams sisters final.

3. Do children really ruin your life?

OK, I didn't put that one very well. But the Federer family now has twin daughters, and he said that, yes, he is changing diapers.

So this year, he has regained his No. 1 ranking, mostly by default as Nadal had to take time away. He finally won the last piece of his puzzle, the French Open. He won his 15th major, breaking Pete Sampras' all-time majors record.

And now, going for his sixth straight U.S. Open title, he is traveling with his newly expanded, and crying-all-night, family. Federer said he and his wife just want to continue on tour, enjoying the life. No sign of letdown yet, but the guy must be human, right?

Maybe not. The kids won't do him in, and the letdown won't either. But I don't think he's going to win it all anyway. More on that later.

4. Can Maria Sharapova get her serve in?

No. She can't. She is back from shoulder surgery, swinging away as hard as ever. She hits harder than anyone, fights harder than anyone and can actually dominate anyone that way. Then, she goes into funks where nothing goes in.

But she has altered her serving motion to the modern one as a way of taking pressure off her shoulder. And so far, she can't get the thing in.

Here's the thing: The new service motion, in which, at the start of the motion, the right arm does not draw down and around behind a player, but rather straight up, is not a good one. I see no evidence that it actually helps the shoulder.

She should go back to the old movement. And if she's not going to, maybe she can remember this: With that shorter motion, you need a lower toss.

5. Is Andy Murray ready to win a major?

No. He looked nervous and over his head in last year's Open final against Federer. As a Brit, he was overwhelmed by the pressure of playing Andy Roddick in the Wimbldeon semis, where I predicted him to have his major breakthrough. He has been dominant the rest of the year, but then Federer sent him a message in Cincinnati, drilling him. The skills are all there, though.

6. How is Kim Clijsters doing this?

Easy. She is an excellent player, and the women's game never gets any better. Clijsters is already a legit pick to win this thing, though I'm sticking with Serena.

Clijsters, the former No. 1, took off more then two years because of the physical and mental demands of tour life, and also because she wanted to start a family.

She came back this summer and, poof, just like that she was already one of the top players on tour. The other women should be ashamed. I could agree that it's all just Clijsters' great play, but it happens time and again with the women.

Whatever. It's great for the game to have her back. Now, if only Martina Hingis, Justine Henin and Jennifer Capriati would come back, so Clijsters and the Williams sisters would have someone to compete with.

7. Was Andy Roddick ruined by that Wimbledon loss to Federer or motivated by it?

So far, it seems to have served as validation to him that he's not finished. Roddick has revamped his game and his training, and it's paying off.

I think he's going to win this Open, giving us a new American star, even though the failed American star the past several years also happens to have been Roddick.

8. Anyone else ready?

Not quite on the men's side. Maybe on the women's. Juan Martin del Potro is going to be a big star, but he just doesn't seem to have the muscle yet to last through long matches. American Sam Querrey has gone from big-time hopeful to never-going-to-do-it, and now back to hopeful. He's seeded in a major for the first time. But he's not ready to win this type of event.

Victoria Azarenka has a good draw and also will win one some day. But not yet. Elena Dementieva and Jelena Jankovic are both playing well, and both have a shot.

9. Didn't there used to be another American man who was pretty good?

Yes, James Blake. He hurt his toe, and has been fading all year. He's starting to get to that age when players lose it, and he has always had an annoying habit of not knowing how to get out of jams. His problem might not be in his toe, but his head. He lost in the first round of the French and of Wimbledon.

He doesn't need to be washed up yet, but that's going to be up to him. The New York crowds love him, and could push him not only through this tournament for a few rounds, but also into a few more years on tour.

10. Can I really go through 10 questions previewing the Open without mentioning the top-ranked and No. 1 seeded woman?

Dinara Safina. There, I said her name.

Email me at gregcouch09@aol.com