By Michael Ventura
DNAinfo Senior Editor
MANHATTAN — The US Open kicks off Monday with some of the top talent in tennis taking the court.
Roger Federer, Andy Roddick and Venus Williams are some of the big names scheduled to play during opening day of the two-week tournament.
Rafael Nadal, the No. 1 player in the world, doesn't take to the hard court until Tuesday.
He and Federer, ranked No. 2, have one of the best rivalries in sports going, but that matchup has never been seen here in New York, the Wall Street Journal reported. They have faced each other 21 times over the past six years, including seven times in a Grand Slam final, the paper said.
Their epic match at Wimbledon in 2008 is widely considered to be one of the best ever played. But will they meet in the final this year?
"I hope we can do it this year," Federer told the Journal. "We have work to do first."
Roddick is looking to win his second Open championship. But he's had a rough year so far, including a bout of mono. And, at 28, he's getting up there in age for a top-level tennis player.
"Birthday or no birthday, you come in and try to win," Roddick said, the New York Post reported. "I didn't think too much about age. I'll play till I can. The urgency is always there."
Last year's surprise star, Melanie Oudin of Georgia, is back as well. Oudin came out of nowhere last year to make it to the women's quarterfinal.
“I joked last year about what the headline of the newspaper would say at this year’s US Open,” Oudin told the New York Times. “And I thought for sure it would be, like, ‘Can Oudin Do It Again?’ Or ‘Can She Do Another Cinderella Story?’ Something like that. I know people are going to expect me to do it again. I did it last year. Why can’t I go all the way this year?”
For a full schedule of US Open events, visit http://www.usopen.org.
