Men to watch at the U.S. Open

Roger Federer

Basics: No. 1 seed, age 28, Swiss

2009: 47-7 record, 4 singles titles

Career: 61 singles titles, 15 major titles including U.S. Open in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008

Last 5 U.S. Opens: Won championship all 5 years

Topspin: Titles at French Open and Wimbledon allowed him to tie, then break, Pete Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slam championships.... Has reached the final at 16 of past 17 majors and the semifinals at 21 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments -- more than double the previous record…. Has won four of past five tournaments since May.

Andy Murray

Basics: No. 2 seed, age 22, British

2009: 53-8 record, 5 singles titles

Career: 13 singles titles, no major titles

Last 5 U.S. Opens: 2008-runner-up, 2007-Lost in 3rd Round, 2006-4th, 2005-2nd, 2004-did not play

Topspin: Moved to second in the ATP rankings this month, highest showing for a British man.... No British man has won a Grand Slam tournament since the 1930s.... Credits 2008 showing at Flushing Meadows, including upset of Rafael Nadal in semis, with boosting his career.

Rafael Nadal

Basics: No. 3 seed, age 23, Spanish

2009: 49-7 record, 5 singles titles

Career: 36 singles titles, 6 major titles

Last 5 U.S. Opens: 2008-SF, 2007-4th, 2006-QF, 2005-3rd, 2004-2nd

Topspin: U.S. Open will be Nadal's first Grand Slam action since May, when his 31-match French Open winning streak ended with a stunning loss to Robin Soderling in the fourth round… Skipped Wimbledon, citing tendinitis in both knees, and became only the second man in three decades not to defend his title there…. Can complete career Grand Slam by winning at Flushing Meadows.

Novak Djokovic (4)

Basics: No. 4 seed, age 22, Serbian

2009: 53-16 record, 2 singles titles

Career: 13 singles titles, 1 major title

Last 5 U.S. Opens: 2008-SF, 2007-RU, 2006-3rd, 2005-3rd, 2004-DNP

Topspin: Hasn't been past the quarterfinals at any of this year's majors, came into 2009 with semifinals or better at six of previous seven Grand Slam tournaments…. Worth watching: How New York crowds react to Djokovic this year, after loving him in 2007 and booing him in 2008?

Andy Roddick

Basics: No. 5 seed, age 27, American

2009: 46-12 record, 1 singles title

Career: 27 singles titles, 1 major title -- 2003 U.S. Open

Last 5 U.S. Opens: 2008-QF, 2007-QF, 2006-runner-up, 2005-champion, 2004-QF

Topspin: Only American man seeded in top 20.... Coming off heartbreaking loss to Federer at Wimbledon -- 16-14 in the longest fifth set in Grand Slam final history.... Run to title match there showed improvements to his game: movement, backhands, volleys, returns.

Juan Martin Del Potro

Basics: No. 6 seed, age 20, Argentine

2009: 42-11 record, 2 singles titles

Career: 6 singles titles, no major titles

Last 5 U.S. Opens: 2008-QF, 2007-3rd, 2006-1st, 2005-DNP, 2004-DNP

Topspin: Pushed Federer to five sets at Roland Garros in first career major semifinal.... Beat Roddick in final at Washington in August to win second consecutive title at that hard-court tuneup.... At 6-6 with versatile game, del Potro is high on the list of next big things in men's tennis.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

Basics: No. 7 seed, age 24, French

2009: 36-14 record, 2 singles titles

Career: 4 singles titles, no major titles

Last 5 U.S. Opens: 2008-3rd, 2007-3rd, 2006-DNP, 2005-DNP, 2004-DNP

Topspin: Just 4-4 since start of Wimbledon, but did upset Federer on hard courts in Montreal in August.... Was a U.S. Open junior champion.

Marat Safin

Basics: Unseeded, age 29, Russian

2009: 10-15 record, no singles titles

Career: 15 singles titles, 2 major titles including 2000 U.S. Open

Last 5 U.S. Opens: 2008-2nd, 2007-2nd, 2006-4th, 2005-DNP, 2004-1st

Topspin: Insists this is his final season on tour…. Always a crowd favorite, he's liable to do pretty much anything that comes to mind during a match -- scream at himself, break his racket, drop his shorts, play brilliantly or erratically -- and say pretty much anything that comes to mind afterward.