NEW YORK
As last year's U.S. Open began, plenty of people were wondering what was wrong with Roger Federer. Feeling sorry for the guy, even.
Federer arrived at Flushing Meadows in 2008 ranked No. 2, not No. 1. He arrived with zero Grand Slam titles for the season, having lost to Rafael Nadal in finals at the French Open (a blowout) and Wimbledon (a heartbreaker). He arrived to a chorus of questions about whether Nadal had surpassed him for good.
U.S. Open spectators rallied to Federer's side, cheering for him as if he were an underdog -- rather than the man who would depart with the champion's trophy for the fifth year in a row.
"I was really blown away. I thought that was so cool," Federer said. "It was like they said: ‘We have to support our man here, because he needs to come back to where he belongs.' It was like they wanted to push me back to the top. Winning the U.S. Open was sort of the jump start."
Yes, as this year's last Grand Slam tournament starts Monday, Federer is back.
Starting with his victory in New York, Federer has won three of the past four major tournaments to raise his career total to 15 Grand Slam championships, breaking Pete Sampras' record. He is ranked No. 1 again.
As Federer-the-father bids to become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to win three consecutive major championships in a single season, and the first since Bill Tilden in 1920-25 to win six straight titles at the American Grand Slam tournament, it's his nemesis, Nadal, who seems to be in need of a boost.
It's Nadal who recently relinquished the No. 1 ranking; he's now at No. 3. It's Nadal whose 31-match winning streak at the French Open ended. It's Nadal who did not defend his Wimbledon title, citing sore knees.
Nadal returned to the tour this month, but he acknowledges that he's not in peak condition.
"You never know. You never know," said Nadal, who needs a U.S. Open title to complete a career Grand Slam. "We will see how I am physically."
Federer's take? "He's downplaying his chances, which is very Rafa-like," Federer said. "I understand. He has to be cautious."
But Federer also said that he noticed something else bothering Nadal -- a stomach muscle injury.
"He looked a bit hurt in his abdominal last week, I have to say ... and already prior to that," Federer said Thursday. "I don't know how that's going to affect him now. You're not only talking about the knees, but also the abdominal."
There are other men in the mix.
Andy Murray, for example, is ranked No. 2 and hoping to win one more match at the U.S. Open than he did in 2008, when he reached his first major final.
"I was close last year," Murray said, "and I think I'm playing better now."
Andy Roddick, the 2003 champion, is a new man, with a trimmer physique, a more varied game and the confidence that comes with a strong run at Wimbledon -- even if it did end disappointingly with a 16-14 loss to Federer in the longest fifth set in Grand Slam final history.
Novak Djokovic of Serbia seems likely to add to his lone Grand Slam title one day.
There are others who play well on hard courts, such as Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France or Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina.
But right now, men's tennis comes down to the pair known as Rog and Rafa: One or the other has won 16 of the last 17 major championships. They played each other in seven of those finals.
"When he's on, obviously he's one of the toughest guys to beat out there. He's one of the big favorites next to me, in my personal opinion," Federer said. "But that is only if he's healthy, and we'll only know after a couple of matches played here. I hope he comes back strong, of course. I love the rivalry."
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