Andy Murray enters the US Open at Flushing Meadows ranked second but Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and, of course, Roger Feder all provide serious obstacles to the British No 1 winning a first ever grand slam title in New York.
Roger Federer:
OK, so having a private jet and a nanny must have helped him this summer, but Federer's form since rejoining the tour with twin daughters in his entourage has been good; he struck the ball beautifully to beat Andy Murray in straight sets in the semi-finals of the Cincinnati tournament, and then defeated Novak Djokovic for the title.
And this is someone who has not lost at Flushing Meadows since 2003; he is seven matches away from becoming the first man since Bill Tilden in the 1920s to win six successive US Open titles.
Later in life, Tilden served prison sentences after "immoral offences", the first time for having sex with a male teenage prostitute, the second time for groping a male teenage hitchhiker, lost all his money backing ill-fated Broadway plays and died alone in a motel room with 100 dollars to his name.
Federer's achievement would be greater than Tilden's; the competition is tougher now than it was 80 years ago.
Verdict: champion or runner-up.
Andy Murray:
It was here last year that Murray made his first appearance in a grand slam final, losing in straight sets to Federer, but he is a better player than he was 12 months ago. That is reflected in the ranking, with Murray's rise to second in the world, even though he has been helped by Rafael Nadal missing Wimbledon with sore knees.
In North America this summer, Murray has won a title, in Montreal, and he lost in the Cincinnati semi-finals to Federer. Last year's run in New York will be useful experience if he finds himself in the final again. Though Murray lost in Cincinnati to Federer, he had been on a four-match winning streak against the Swiss before that.
The draw computer wasn't very kind to Britain's new world No 2, but he should get to the final, to play Federer once more.
Verdict: champion or runner-up.
Rafael Nadal:
Remember how men's tennis looked when Nadal walked on court at the French Open in May to play a fourth-round match against Sweden's Robin Soderling? It looks very different now.
Nadal lost his French Open title, he couldn't even play at Wimbledon because of his knees, and he only came back on tour in Montreal, where he lost in the quarter-finals to Juan Martin del Potro. In Cincinnati, Nadal looked a bit more comfortable, and turned in a decent performance to beat Tomas Berdych that took him through to the semi-finals, but there he lost a tame match against Novak Djokovic.
Nadal is just one US Open title away from completing his career grand slam.
Verdict: Could struggle to make the semi-finals.
Novak Djokovic: Was it a joke when the Serbian remarked this summer that he was "born in the wrong era", which has left him playing at the same time as Federer and Nadal?
Djokovic was the beaten finalist in Cincinnati, but he doesn't have the best of draws, as he is projected to play Andy Roddick in the quarter-finals. If he gets through that, he would expect to play Federer in the last four.
Can Djokovic add to his first grand slam titles, the one he won at last year's Australian Open, or will he have to carry on cracking his "born in the wrong era" jokes?
Verdict: Could go out to Roddick in the quarter-finals.
Andy Roddick:
Everyone has an opinion on that Wimbledon final – " Roddick's postman knocked on his door over the summer and, as well as handing over his letters, he also gave his opinion that the American might have lost because he didn't change his shirt enough. Apparently the sweaty shirts were weighing Roddick down on Centre Court.
After Roddick's performance at Wimbledon, it seemed rude to ever refer to him again as a one-slam wonder. Roddick is determined to win another slam to add to the title he won here six years ago.
Of course, determination only gets you so far, but how the American would like to discuss winning the US Open with his postman.
Verdict: He won't get past Federer in the semi-finals.
Juan Martin del Potro: Though the Argentine was suffering physically, he put up a decent effort in the Montreal final against Murray.
Del Potro, who stands at 6ft 6in, played Murray in the quarter-finals here last summer, and they are projected to meet at the same stage of this year's 'Open'.
Verdict: For the second year in succession, he could lose to Murray in the last eight.
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