Sports Then and Now

Mardy Fish will be looking for big results at the 2011 U.S. Open.

Mardy Fish knows he will be under the spotlight more than ever when the US Open begins on August 29.

The Americans in the crowd always root with fervour for their own, and Fish’s new status as the top-ranked male player from the US guarantees he will carry their hopes and expectations.

While Andy Roddick will still be among the crowd favorites in New York, Fish has the better form and the US Open tennis betting reflects this.

The 29-year-old, though, is trying to deflect some of the attention by talking up his friend’s status.

Going into the tournament, Roddick has the Grand Slam pedigree – he won the title back in 2003.

Fish, who has reached the quarter-finals of three Grand Slams, is keen that nobody overlooks Roddick.

“I don’t necessarily feel like I’ll be the top American. I will maybe be ranked the highest,” Fish said.

“I’ve sort of gone under the radar pretty comfortably; haven’t had to answer too many critics.”

He added: “With the No. 1 American comes a little bit of extra pressure, but it’s good pressure.

“It’s certainly a position you want to be in. Again, it’s new for me. It’s not a place that I feel extremely comfortable in.”

Fish is in a career-high ranking of no. 7 following his success at the Rogers Cup in Montreal last week, where he made the final before losing to world no. 1 Novak Djokovic. The 2011 US Open betting suggests he could have a very good slam with a little luck.

He has also been encouraged by his form at the summer’s U.S. Open Series events, where he won the Atlanta Tennis Championships and reached the final of the Farmers Classic in Los Angeles.

Djokovic paid tribute to him after their Montreal clash. “I think he’s playing the best tennis of his career, to be honest,” he said.

“I have been competing with him for the last couple of years, and, you know, he moves much better on the court nowadays. I think mentally he just believes it more against top players.”