Who can stop the Djoker-naut at the US Open?

The final Grand Slam of the season is upon us and while New York has been preparing to deal with Hurricane Irene, the tennis players in Flushing Meadows have been thinking of ways to deal with Hurricane Novak.

Top seed Novak Djokovic arrives to the US Open with a stellar 57-2 record this season, meaning in the 11 tournaments he’s played so far this year, the Serb has completely swept the opposition in nine of them.

While Ireland’s Conor Niland is the first on Djokovic’s hit list, the 24-year-old has the rest of the field terrorised and the million-dollar-question remains: who can beat Djokovic at the US Open?

On the women’s side, Serena Williams’ return to her almost-winning-best has been the story of the summer in North America but can she win herself a fourth US Open trophy fighting her way through the draw from her No.28 seeding?

The following may help you come up with answers.

The defending champions

World No.2 Rafael Nadal returns to New York for the first time as the defending champion. Before last year, the Spaniard had never done particularly well at the US Open - at least in Rafa-standards - and when he beat Djokovic to win the title and complete his career Grand Slam, it was in fact his first time in the US Open final.

Last year Nadal arrived in New York unsure about his form following a loss to Andy Murray in the semi-finals in Toronto and a quarter-final exit to Marcos Baghdatis in Cincinnati, but a new and improved serve he said he discovered by coincidence, helped him coast through a stunning two weeks and he left the United States with the trophy and a ninth Major title.

This summer, the Mallorcan’s losses in Canada and Cincinnati were more worrying and even though he added a tenth Grand Slam to his trophy cabinet with a victory at Roland Garros, his confidence is shaken by the five straight losses he suffered to Djokovic this season and he already has eyes on his off-season regime where he plans on tweaking his game to counter the Serb’s onslaught.

Nadal appears to be both mentally and physically tired and perhaps he needs a miracle like last year’s pleasant serving coincidence to have a shot at defending his title.

Meanwhile, Kim Clijsters will not be in New York due to an abdominal injury and Serena is the most recent US Open champion present in the draw.

The favourites

The most obvious picks out there for the US Open would be none other than Djokovic and Serena. There may be some doubts over Djokovic’s fitness after he retired from his final against Murray in Cincinnati but at the moment, no one can bet against a healthy, gluten-free Djokovic.

He’s a two-time finalist already at the US Open and odds are the third time is going to be a charm. While Djokovic has won nine tournaments this year, Serena has only played five, but in those appearances she has won 12 out of 13 matches on hardcourts including two titles in Stanford and Toronto.

The 13th match was not even a straight out loss but a withdrawal prior to her match with Sam Stosur in Cincinnati where she was troubled by a toe injury. The comeback queen is in full force and having missed the Open last year through illness and injury, Serena is playing like she’s trying to make up for lost time.

Who needs it the most

Every year that goes by without Andy Murray winning a Grand Slam is another badge of underachievement and disappointment for the Scot. Since the world No.4 won the junior title in 2004, the US Open has been poised to be the Major where Murray is expected to lift his first Grand Slam trophy.

It’s where he made his first Major final and where he’s produced his best tennis. And having won in Cincinnati eight days ago, he’s even had the perfect build-up.

The 24-year-old has made the semi-finals or better in all three Slams this year and this fortnight could be his chance to transform himself from being a perennial contender to an actual Grand Slam winner.

Caroline Wozniacki’s new boyfriend Rory McIlroy said it would be “pretty cool” if the couple each had a US Open to their names, but surely the Dane would use some more dramatic words to describe her triumph should she win the title in two weeks time.

The 22-year-old has been pestered about not winning a Grand Slam throughout the 45 weeks that she has been ranked No.1 in the world with some going as far as saying that the closest she’ll ever get to a major is through dating McIlroy, who won his first golf Major at the US Open in June.

A semi-finalist last year and a runner-up the year before; the US Open is where Wozniacki has done best so far and should be the hungriest lady in the draw.

Six to Watch

Mardy Fish 
For once the Americans won’t have all their hopes pinned on Andy Roddick as Fish has finally stepped up to the task at the age of 29. He’s won 14 of 17 matches on hardcourts heading into the Open – including a win over Nadal – and is the US Open Series champion which means he’s competing for an extra $1million (Dh3.67m) should he win the title. The No.8 seed could definitely stir some trouble for the guys at the top.

Roger Federer
He’s made six straight finals in New York and won five of them. No active player has enjoyed the kind of success that Federer has had at the US Open and even though his pre-Open prep has not been perfect, the Swiss has shown he’s still got the goods when he made the finals in the French Open last June. It’s a Grand Slam, it’s Federer… you do the math!

Tomas Berdych
Although he forgets how good he is more often than he should, Berdych is dangerous on any fast surface and his straight sets drubbing of Federer in Cincinnati was reminiscent of his lethal form from last season. He even bothered Djokovic in the semi-finals after that before he retired with a shoulder problem. He’s never made it past the fourth round in New York and last year lost in his opening match but the ninth-seeded Czech is both unpredictable and tricky.

Juan Martin del Potro
The Argentine is back to the US Open for the first time since he won the title in 2009, after which he suffered an injury and had wrist surgery. While he is not exactly near his form that saw him pull off that epic win over Federer in the final two years ago, if he succeeds in navigating through the draw to the quarter-finals, the No.18 seed could then face Murray and things could get quite interesting.

Maria Sharapova 
Right behind Serena, Sharapova is second in line for that US Open title. The 2006 champion won Cincinnati beating four top-15 players en route and if she keeps her serving woes in check, the Russian should give the ladies a run for their money.

Vera Zvonareva
Last year’s finalist has been busy since Wimbledon. A winner in Baku, a finalist in San Diego and a semi-finalist in Cincinnati, Zvonareva is looking to go one better this year at the US Open.

Sabine Lisicki
The Wimbledon semi-finalist has just cracked the top 20 thanks to her title in New Haven. She’s made the semis in Stanford, the quarters in San Diego, and is peaking at just the right time for the Open and her potential second round with Venus Williams will be the perfect chance to show her true colours.