Following the in-house odds and analysis for the women at next week's U.S. Open, here's a fearless look at the men.
It is probably a little premature because the draw is not being done until late morning on Thursday, and it could have a major impact on the chances of the various frontrunners.
With that caveat, here goes:
ROGER FEDERER: 3-1 - The great Swiss was just one set, in last year's final against Juan Martin del Potro, away from making it six U.S. Open titles in a row. His fine showings in Toronto (runner-up) and Cincinnati (winner) have suddenly boosted his credibility among the erstwhile doomsayers. But Federer is Federer, even if he is 29, and he knows how to play at the big ones. He's more vulnerable to a heavy hitter like a Tomas Berdych or a Robin Soderling but, over best-of-five-set matches, he will be very tough to take out. That said, the Federer faithful will be hoping their man doesn't go through anything like the edge-of-the-ledge, inexplicable five-set thriller he survived against Alejandro Falla in the first round of Wimbledon two months ago.
ANDY MURRAY: 4-1 - The Scot has had the perfect preparation by beating Rafael Nadal and Federer in Toronto. He was pretty well cooked by the time he got to Cincinnati and his loss there to Mardy Fish shouldn't do anything to alter his confidence. Murray has always said that the U.S. Open is his favourite Grand Slam - he won the junior title there in 2004 - and has already been in a final, losing to Federer in 2008. If he does not lapse into tennis that is too defensive, a first Grand Slam title could be less than three weeks away.
RAFAEL NADAL: 4-1 - Seemingly bullet-proof after winning the French Open and Wimbledon and becoming No. 1 by a large margin, the genial Spaniard has come back to earth after losing to Murray (in the Toronto semis) and Marcos Baghdatis (in the Cincy quarters). Everyone knows the U.S. Open title is all that separates him from a career Grand Slam. And everyone knows how incredibly focused he can be when he has a goal. It could be a matter of his willpower overcoming the shortcomings in his game on hard courts. Like Federer, he's much better in best-of-five-set matches. So, his recent losses should probably be viewed with that in mind.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: 9-1 - It is clear Djokovic has something physically wrong that affects him in hot, humid weather, and in any match that lasts a long time and forces him to deplete his energy reserves. He played impressively in pushing Federer to 7-5 in the third set in the Toronto semi-finals. Then he really gutted out the second-set tiebreak, saving two set points, when he was visibly out of it in the third round against David Nalbandian in Cincinnati, before losing to Andy Roddick.
Djokovic's game seems to be as sharp as it has been all year, but will he survive if the going gets hot and heavy? Particularly difficult for him could be the back-to-back semi-finals and final on the last Saturday and Sunday.
TOMAS BERDYCH: 14-1 - People have long been aware of the powerful Czech's boundless potential. He can simply hit almost anyone off the court, and make it all look fairly effortless while doing so. After a semi-final at the French Open, and a final at Wimbledon, he seems, at almost 25 years old, to be finally figuring things out. In the progression based on his last two Grand Slams, he would win the U.S. Open title. It's not likely, but certainly more probable than in years past when he was basically just a tourist at Flushing Meadows, a man who possessed no real belief that he could win there.
There are a few other players (the usual suspects) who are in the conversation. Among them would be Nikolay Davydenko, Robin Soderling and the resurgent Nalbandian. The home folk will doubtless tout Andy Roddick and Fish, but they are long-shots at best.
It would be nice to think a Marin Cilic, Ernests Gulbis or Gael Monfils could come out of nowhere and pull off an upset, but they just have not shown the consistency, nothing like Juan Martin del Potro had before winning a year ago.
THE PICK: Rafael Nadal. It's a counter-intuitive choice. He comes in slightly under the radar but with a willpower that outstrips the competition. That helps him in the cauldron of five-set matches, as does the fact that he has already won eight Grand Slam singles titles.
And then there's that nasty topspin, cross-court forehand dive-bombing into Federer's backhand, if the two happen to meet in the final.