Sports Then and Now

All eyes will be on Serena Williams and her attempt at the calendar year grand slam.

One of the great locations to watch Grand Slam tennis is Flushing Meadows, especially when the match is close and the atmosphere becomes electric in a distinctly New York kind of way. The best seat in the house is in the elevated bleachers high above the baseline inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, as you get up-close and personal with some of the best players in the world.

Tennis is a sport with a long season full of ups and downs for players. Studying for an online masters in coaching shows how professional athletes like these must survive the mentally and physically grueling pace of the games. The U.S. Open begins August 31^st and is scheduled through September 13^th of this year. A lot is expected from the players, and here are a few determined to do well.

Serena Is the Talk of Broadway
One of the themes that has emerged on the WTA Tour this year is that Serena Williams is capable of blasting the competition off the tennis court. Her play has become increasingly aggressive with each passing Grand Slam, and it is pretty clear that a triumphant win at the U.S. Open would be a great achievement for Williams. She has made a career of surpassing expectations and frustrating opponents and is capable of doing it again in Flushing Meadows. The tennis world is longing for this type of a compelling story, and there’s no one more qualified to pull this off than Williams herself.

It has been a rough year for Rafael Nadal, but a strong showing at the U.S. Open would end it on a good note.

Nadal’s Comeback
The outcome of this year’s Open in Australia could change the entire landscape of men’s tennis if Rafael Nadal can muster a memorable comeback. Hopefully he will have trained back into peak performance and be able to chase the Number one spot in the rankings. The key to Nadal’s long-term success on the hard surface is maintaining service on a nightly basis. This beloved icon fully understands the nature of this task, and his attempt to regain stardom is apt to be one of the main subplots at the 2015 U.S. Open.

Djokovic Poised and Dominant
Novak Djokovic appears to be poised to conclude a dominant year with another men’s title win at the U.S. Open, especially the way he has played through the first three majors of 2015. The 11-month tennis calendar does take a toll on the top players both mentally and physically, but Djokovic has always been one of the best returners in the game. His rise to the top of the men’s ranking coincided with him getting into better shape and added a few elements, mainly fitness-related, that enabled him to close a challenger smoothly in the first set. For a ruggedly built player, Djokovic knows he must be at the top of his game to achieve this crowning moment in his career.

The U.S. Open is promising to be a highlight for many of these famed returning players, but many newcomers are sure to spark interest as well. Looking at the competition, it is sure to be an amazing tournament with the winners getting the fame and recognition they need to propel into a new season.