U.S. Open: 10 Things I Want to See

Well we're finally here, the last Grand Slam of the season, and, boy, have the previous three given us some big expectations. Since the opening shots of the Australian Open, we've been treated to shocking upsets, stunning breakthroughs and huge comebacks. And while I certainly didn't see everything coming, I have to say I'm pretty satisfied with my Major wish lists this year.

Of course, having said that, I've probably doomed myself to a pathetic score this time around, but why not try to go out with a bang. So without further ado, here are the things I most want to see happen at this year's U.S. Open.

10. Genie goes four-for-four

At the start of the year, I never would have thought this was a possibility. Sure other players have made the semifinals of every Slam in one season, but those are so often tried and true champions like Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic. And sure young stars have had breakouts at single Majors, but either, like Caroline Wozniacki after the 2009 U.S. Open, they struggle to return to form or, like 2005 French Open champion Gaston Gaudio, they fizzle out entirely.

But for Genie Bouchard, barely out of Junior leagues, ranking just #145 at last year's Australian Open, playing her first full season of Majors, to make not one, not two, but three Slam semis and a final -- well that's really something.

She's struggled a bit since Wimbledon, though -- in her homeland of Montreal, she was shocked by then-world #113 Shelby Rogers, a little bad luck pitted her against red-hot Svetlana Kuznetsova in her Cincinnatti opener, and after a nice opening in New Haven, she fell in straight sets to Sam Stosur in her second round. Still, she's been surprisingly consistent after her breakthrough in Melbourne, racking up wins over the likes of Venus Williams, Angelique Kerber and Simona Halep this season, and there's no reason she can't keep going.

9. A summer star steals the spotlight

Speaking of breakouts, there are plenty others who could take up the mantle now that Bouchard has passed squarely into the established elite. And some of the guys who caused a stir over the last few weeks could now get something done on a big stage.

Topping this list of contenders might be the woman who upset Genie on her own homecourt. Shelby Rogers was ranked barely inside the top hundred fifty at the start of the summer, but took out three seeded players -- including clay court specialist Sara Errani -- on her way to the Bad Gastein final. And she made a successful transition to the hardcourts earlier this month, beating Nanchang champ Shaui Peng to qualify for Montreal before ousting Bouchard a few rounds later. She's still ranked a low #86, and has never won a main draw match at the U.S. Open -- her only Major victory came last year in Paris over even lesser known wildcard Irena Pavlovic. But recent successes suggest that's about to change.

Vasek Pospisil has had a few more opportunities at the Slams, but in his nine previous main draws he's still only scored four singles match wins in total -- he is, of course, coming off his first doubles Major, winning Wimbledon with Jack Sock to start the summer. He's got a shot at improving that record in New York though -- he beat both Tomas Berdych and Richard Gasquet on his way to a runner-up finish in DC, the first Tour-level final of his career, and though he lost a bunch of ranking points after failing to match his 2013 semifinal showing in Montreal, he did manage to take a set off Roger Federer last week in Cincinnati. He's still outside seeding territory for this fortnight, but he could turn out to be a spoiler to one of the favorites if he gets his game together.

So could veteran Julien Benneteau, making his eleventh trip to the U.S. Open. The thirty-two year old Frenchman has only won one match at a Major so far this year, but he upped his game big time during the summer -- after taking out Lleyton Hewitt and Ernests Gulbis in Toronto, he stunned Stan Wawrinka to make the semifinals in Cincinnati. He's now back in the top thirty, seeded twenty-fourth in New York, and while he's barely won as many matches as he's lost this year, he looks to have more momentum than he's had in a long time. The long-time journeyman is still looking for his first title -- he's lost every one of the nine ATP finals he's played during his career -- so I can't realistically expect him to walk away with the trophy, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him hanging around in Week Two, maybe adding a few more big scalps to his take.

8. A low seed rises high

Sure, Benneteau could certainly fall into this category as well, but isn't always more fun when the Cinderella's seem to come out of nowhere? To be fair, both of these players have had some nice results this year, so we shouldn't be too surprised to see them doing well. Still, considering how far off the radar they were at the start of the year, it really would be great to see them finish it off with a bang.

Ivo Karlovic was ranked in the low double-digits when the season began, but the Croat is now in the top thirty, thanks in part to four final appearances, two on hardcourts. Not surprisingly, the thirty-five year old leads the ATP in almost every serving statistic category -- he's fired off almost nine hundred aces this year, averaging about eighteen a match, won eighty-four percent of his first serves and ninety-three percent of his service games. He's never really done well in New York, reaching just the third round a few times, and has slowed down a bit since playing for the title in Bogota -- he lost to Steve Johnson in Washington and Benjamin Becker in Cincinnati -- but wouldn't that make a deep run this year that much more impressive?

Barbora Zahlavova Strycova has already shown how impressive she can be -- barely ranked inside the top hundred when the season began, she beat three seeded players on the way to the final in Birmingham and then knocked out Na Li and Caroline Wozniacki on her way to the Wimbledon quarters. She's been a little less splashy since then but still managed wins over Mona Barthel and Roberta Vinci at a couple Premier-level events and this week in New Haven has so far scored wins over rising stars Belinda Bencic and Caroline Garcia. Her performance has been enough to earn her a seed in New York -- the first time that's happened at a Major in her decade-plus long career -- and something tells me she might just be able to rise even higher.

7. An American wildcard steps up

I realize this is a little derivative of previous wishes, but I'm going to be a little more particular here. We've been talking a long time about the next generation of American stars, and after the results some players put up over the summer, there's no reason to believe this won't be their chance to really shine.

Former Junior #1 Taylor Townsend, who added two ITF titles to her kitty this year, is entered in her first U.S. Open main draw, having fallen in qualifying rounds two times before. Still the eighteen year old is at her highest career ranking, #103 in the world, and has managed wins over Klara Koukalova and Julia Goerges during the summer hardcourt season. She was also, against all odds, the last American woman standing at the French Open, reaching the third round with wins over Vania King and Alize Cornet. And if the draw works in her favor she might be able to surpass even that this coming fortnight.

Also on the wildcard list is twenty-six year old Tim Smyczek, ranked just inside the top hundred. He's had a little more experience at Flushing Meadows and has steadily improved his performance here, barely losing in the third round in 2013 to Marcel Granollers. He's been busy the last couple months, too, reaching the third round in DC and hanging tough with Feliciano Lopez after qualifying for the Toronto Masters. He hasn't quite matched the results of contemporaries like Jack Sock or Steve Johnson this season, but he could be ready to turn that around now.

6. Young guns hit their stride

Of course even with homecourt advantage, the Americans will face a tough challenge in New York. And a couple players still on the verge of making the big time could prove to be their undoing.

One-time French Open Cinderella David Goffin is running on a most-unlikely twenty-five match win streak this summer. The twenty-three year old Belgian had fallen well off the radar over the past eighteen months and dropped as low as #113 in the world at the start of the season. But after losing his first round at Wimbledon -- his seventh straight opening round loss at a Major -- he picked up three consecutive Challengers' titles and his first big boy's crown in Kitzbühel last month. This week in Winston-Salem he defeated defending champion Jurgen Melzer and and will play his quarterfinal match later today. He's still off his career high ranking, but he seems to have more confidence and is playing better ball than we've seen from him in a long time. And that could bode well for him when he hits the courts of New York.

Perhaps former Junior Roland Garros champion Elina Svitolina has an even better shot at making a splash. The world #34 just successfully defended her title in Baku and is fresh off her first top-ten win, beating Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova on her way to the quarters in Cincinnati. She doesn't have a lot of success in the Majors' main draws -- her best result was the third round of this year's Australian Open -- but she's only been playing with the big girls a few years. And she's scored wins over multiple Grand Slam champions -- Kvitova, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Francesca Schiavone -- as well as over the likes of Carla Suarez Navarro, Sloane Stephens and Genie Bouchard. She might not be a favorite yet, but she has the talent to spoil the hopes of a couple who are.

5. A weak streak is ended

For every player who's put together a great run this season, there is one who has let his or her game slip a bit. For some it's been months since we saw their best stuff, for others much longer than that. But what better place to turn around their luck than at the last Major of the year?

Mikhail Youzhny certainly has had some of his best results in New York -- twice a semifinalist, he even made the quarters here last year. But he's had three straight second-round exits at the Majors this season, and hasn't won more than two matches at any event in 2014. But there is reason to believe he can rebound -- last week in Cincinnati, he summarily ended the momentum of Toronto champ Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and followed up the win with a straight set victory over Andreas Seppi. He'll have a lot on the line over the next few weeks, but with his history and hopefully rebuilt confidence, he has a real shot at going far.

Alize Cornet actually had been having one of the best years of her career, reaching the final in Dubai and winning the title in Katowice. At #23 in the world, she's at her highest ranking since 2009, and earlier this summer she notched her first ever top-ten win at a Slam, stunning Serena Williams for the second time in a row in the Wimbledon third round. Since then, however, she's only won one match, losing twice to players ranked outside the top hundred. On the plus side, though, she should be well rested when she heads out to defend those third round points from last year -- and if she can harness the talent we know she has somewhere in there, she should be able to do it.

Flavia Pennetta has a little more on the line at the U.S. Open -- last year's surprise semifinalist beat Svetlana Kuznetsova, Sara Errani and Simona Halep during her 2013 campaign. She carried that momentum with her early into this season, too, reaching the quarters in Melbourne and then winning her biggest title to date in Indian Wells. But then she really slowed down -- she lost in the second rounds of both Roland Garros and Wimbledon and couldn't put up much of a fight in the summer Premier events. Her latest effort resulted in an early upset this week by world #44 Alison Riske in New Haven. Still, despite her recent weakness, she's risen to her highest ranking in over four years -- if she wants to stay there, she's going to have to deliver big this fortnight.

4. A former champ makes a stand

For the last several years this tournament has really been dominated by just a few players -- Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer have won all but two of the last ten U.S. Open men's crowns and Serena Williams is going for the three-peat in New York, looking for her sixth career trophy here. But a couple players who actually broke their Grand Slam seal in Flushing Meadows have fallen a little out of the spotlight, and this could be their chance to jump back in.

We're not that far removed from Andy Murray's heyday -- it was only last year that he was making history as Wimbledon champion. But back issues plagued him late last season, and though he was able to reach the semis at Roland Garros, he hasn't put up much of a fight even outside the Majors. Now #9 in the world, he's in danger of going title-less for the first time since 2005, surprising for a man who seemed so unstoppable just a few months ago. He's shown some signs of strength on the summer hardcourts -- he dismantled Rafa-killer Nick Kyrgios in his Toronto opener and sneaked out a close win over John Isner last week in Cincinnati. The pressure will be turned higher at the Open, though, the first Slam he won, but it seems that's when he does best, so watch for him to make a statement on his return.

Svetlana Kuznetsova's reign in the Big Apple was a little longer ago -- it's been a full decade since she beat Elena Dementieva for the U.S. Open title. Her career's gone up and down since then -- she peaked at #2 in the world way back in 2007, battled various injuries and struggled with her form, shocked the world with a crown at Roland Garros in 2009 and picked up a couple doubles titles at the Majors too, fell out of the top fifty and went a full four years without a trophy. Still, the veteran Russian has been a fixture on Tour, playing singles in all but two of the last forty-eight Slams, and at #21 in the world now, she's at her best ranking in over two years. She kicked off the summer with her first title since 2010 and beat Genie Bouchard in the second round of Cincinnati. It's probably a long shot to call for Sveta to make the second week, but the long-trudging workhorse is one of those players no one wants to see in her section of the draw, and she certainly could surprise us all.

So could, it seems, two-time champion Venus Williams, who played her last final here in 2002. The thirty-four year old has lost in the second round here the last three years, but despite illness and injury refuses to go away. To start the year, she pushed Ana Ivanovic to a third set in the Auckland final and exacted revenge in Dubai, where she ultimately claimed the title, her first since 2012. Earlier this month she pulled off her first win over sister Serena in five years, coming back after losing the first set to the world #1 in the Montreal semis. Whether she can last a full fortnight remains to be seen -- she's fallen before the fourth round at eleven of the last twelve Majors she's played -- but perhaps this time the extra day of rest between matches will help. She's certainly got the drive and talent to make a run, so why not do it at her homeland Slam?

3. A winner trades up

While these guys are looking for a return to glory of sorts, a couple of recent champions are still hoping for that big break. They've all been talked about as contenders in the past -- some long ago, some very recently -- but maybe their recent performances on the North American hardcourts suggest they're ready for some even glossier hardware.

Milos Raonic has long been discussed as a potential multi-Slam winner, but it wasn't until this year that he finally hit his stride. The big-serving Canadian reached the quarterfinals in Paris and broke through to the semis at Wimbledon, climbing to a career-high #6 in the world. To start the summer, he added the biggest trophy yet to his coffers, claiming his first 500-level event in DC. To go from that straight to a Major is probably a big ask, but he has the ability to give the top stars a run for the money, and on this surface, by far his best despite stalling in the fourth round here two years straight, he's probably got the best chance to do it.

Agnieszka Radwanska has been playing in the big leagues for years, but seemed to fall by the wayside after her runner's-up finish at the All England Club two years back. Sure, she's picked up a few titles here and there, but none nearly as big as the one that slipped through her fingers in 2012. Losses in some big matches she should have won also seemed to suggest her best days were behind her. But earlier this month in Montreal, the former world #2 took out some huge opponents -- Sabine Lisicki, Victoria Azarenka, Venus Williams, to name a few -- on the way to her biggest crown in quite a while. She has yet to make the quarterfinals in New York, but that could be about to change.

Like Aga, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga hadn't played his best tennis in years. Though the 2008 runner-up at the Australian Open had scored wins over the likes of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer at the Slams, this year he'd been struggling, needing five sets to get past both Sam Querrey and Jurgen Melzer at Wimbledon. But he got his game together in a big way this month -- seeded a mediocre thirteenth in Toronto, he took out four top-ten players in a row, the first player to do that at a Masters event since Guillermo Canas in 2002, ironically, also at the Rogers Cup. He was understandably exhausted and lost his next match to Mikhail Youzhny, but with a few weeks off between that and his opener in New York, he should have built up the strength for another deep run here.

2. The curse is broken

The tricky thing about Grand Slams is that it's so often difficult to follow up one win with another -- in fact, so many players have trouble even lasting a few rounds into the next event they play. And some of this year's champions are going to want to change that trend.

Stanislas Wawrinka shocked the tennis world with his maiden Major in Melbourne, where he turned the tables on Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal -- both of whom he'd held losing records to before. He climbed to #3 in the world after that and even picked up his first Masters title a few months later. But he's also disappointed when the pressure was on -- he lost his opener in Paris, was bested by sub-fifty player Andrey Golubev in Davis Cup and notched two losses to Kevin Anderson on the U.S. hardcourts. Last week in Cincinnati, he squandered a 6-1 lead over Julien Benneteau and crumbled quickly in the eighty minute match. He did reach the semifinals in New York last year, then his best Slam showing, but if he wants to prove he's no one-hit wonder, he might need to do more than just defend those points.

Petra Kvitova had also struggled immediately after she was first crowned a Grand Slam champion -- the 2011 Wimbledon winner only won two matches during that summer and lost in her New York first round to world #48 Alexandra Dulgheru just a few weeks after her surprise run at the All England Club. She'll want to make sure that doesn't happen again -- in her first tournament since Trophy #2, she fell in three sets to Ekaterina Makarova in Montreal and lost last week to Elina Svitolina in her Cincy opener. She's been strong so far in New Haven, dropping just three games in a grudge match versus Makarova, and will next take on compatriot Barbora Zahlahvova Strycova for a spot in the semis. Hopefully, if she doesn't tire herself out, she'll be able to ride that momentum into a truly successful run in Flushing Meadows.

1. #2 upends #1

As much as each individual match win at a Major matters, ultimately the goal for every player is to win the trophy at the end of the fortnight. And, upsets, breakdowns and Cinderellas aside, you have to assume the favorites have earned that status for a reason. But there's no reason that, even if the top two seeds smash their way into the finals, we can't see a couple fireworks when the titles are on the line. And why not have the biggest surprises come when the stakes are highest?

With Rafael Nadal's injury-induced absence, fellow former champions Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer claim the high spots in the men's draw at the U.S. Open, and if the seedings play out as planned, they'd set up their fifth meeting of the year and their third battle when a Major trophy's on the line. Not surprisingly, the pair's head-to-head record is spitting-distance close -- Nole's five-set victory at the All England Club brought him a match away from drawing even against the All Time Great. And as the top-ranked player in the world, he'd be the favorite to close the gap in this potential match up -- but I'm hoping Roger pulls back ahead. The Swiss is fresh off back-to-back Masters finals, claiming his sixth trophy in Cincinnati. Far from done with his record breaking career, he might just be primed to add Slam #18 to his mantel during his campaign here.

It's a bit of a tougher sell to call for the same to happen on the ladies' side. Five-time champion Serena Williams is the favorite again, followed somewhat distantly by relative newbie Simona Halep, who's reached just one Major final in her much-shorter career. Serena is coming off wins in both Stanford and Cincinnati, clinching the top spot in the U.S. Open Series, Halep dropped her opener in New Haven to world #68 Magadalena Rybarikova. But the young Romanian is an impressive 15-3 in Grand Slams this year compared to an uncharacteristic 6-3 for the world #1. Halep has rocketed up the rankings, from #21 heading to Flushing Meadows last year to #2 now. She's also won an astonishing eight titles since the start of 2013, defeating the likes of Sam Stosur, Angelique Kerber and Petra Kvitova in the finals. She's got five top-ten wins this year, and though she's lost six straight sets to Williams over the last three years, she's not the kind of player that will let that bother her. If she can make it back to a championship match, I won't put winning it past her.

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There you have it -- my final Major wish list for the year. Lists are tough -- props to you, BuzzFeed -- I most likely will be changing my strategy next year, but until then, here's hoping I don't spoil my track record too much with this one.

Of course, I know I haven't covered all the bases yet -- don't worry that's still to come. Check back this weekend for my Blogcast preview of what to expect in the Big Apple. And in the meantime, let me know what you're hoping to see at this year's U.S. Open.

The Young(-ish) Guns

The early rounds of a Grand Slam are often a great opportunity for young talent -- either in terms of age or experience -- to catch some of the favorites a bit off guard, and this year's French Open is no exception. But while many of the top seeds have so far fallen to tried-and-true veterans, plenty others have been taken completely by surprise. And the victors in those matches could last even deeper into the draws in Paris.

There was some early promise from a couple youngsters on the men's side. Jiri Vesely had a solid win over one-time giant-killer Lukas Rosol and even had a chance to serve out the first set versus Milos Raonic before falling in straights. And Madrid stand-out Dominic Thiem won his first match at Roland Garros over hometown favorite Paul-Henri Mathieu but was cursed with a second round against eight-time champion Rafael Nadal -- he lost today in a little over two hours.

But while both those guys ultimately fell to big, legitimate threats, a couple others have sneaked through. Twenty-three year old Dusan Lajovic, who started the year at #116 in the world, qualified for his first Major main draw in Australia and took sets off both Alexandr Dolgopolov and Stan Wawrinka this year. He began his French campaign with a win over Nice finalist Federico Delbonis -- a man who'd himself beaten both John Isner and Gilles Simon just last week -- and followed up today by taking out Jurgen Zopp in straight sets. He'll face another upstart next in American Jack Sock, once the surprised mixed doubles champion at the U.S. Open. He benefited from the retirement of Nicolas Almagro in his opening set but earlier today took out compatriot Steve Johnson, who'd barely survived his own first round. Sock is technically the favorite in this match, ranked seventy-fifth to Lajovic's #83, but something tells me not to trust the numbers. The Serb has won four Futures and two Challengers titles on the clay, and might just be the surprise Cinderella hanging around the second week.

On the women's side, a couple ladies with some impressive seasons have been continuing their success. Spain's Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor lost a bit of her momentum since picking up her first career title in Marrakech -- she'd won just one match after that. But she took out thirtieth seed Klara Koukalova in her opener and stayed tough against Magdalena Rybarikova to reach her first Slam third round. She'll face world #4 Simona Halep next, though, so it's tough to see her going much further. Countrywoman Silvia Soler-Espinosa, who broke back into the top hundred last week with a run to the Strasbourg final, might have a better shot at advancing. She started this week dispatching Chanelle Scheepers and earlier today handed a one-sided loss to former world #12 Yanina Wickmayer, known more these days for adding to the pain of Caroline Wozniacki. She's got a third round date with world #148 Kiki Bertens, certainly someone who can cause troubles, but an opponent that should be more than manageable.

And as impressive as all these performances have been, it's the young ladies in the top half of the draw who've really shone in the early rounds. Eighteen year old Taylor Townsend, the 2012 Juniors champion in Melbourne, made a successful debut in France's adult competition with an upset of homeland heroine Alize Cornet on Wednesday. And nineteen year old Anna Schmiedlova, who picked up a couple ITF titles in recent weeks and climbed to a career high of #56 in the world, improved on her second round showing last year. After taking out one-time Wimbledon and Aussie semifinalist Jie Zheng in her opener, she then stunned multiple-Major winner Venus Williams on Wednesday morning. That was followed quickly, of course, by the biggest shock of any Slam match this year, the loss of defending champion Serena Williams, who was coming off a title in Rome and an 8-0 clay court season. Garbine Muguruza, who'd cooled off some since her red hot start to the year, recorded the biggest win of her career, a straight set victory over the world #1 in just over an hour. And with no seeds in her way for at least two rounds, she's got a pretty good shot at turning around her underdog status.

The slew of upsets we've seen in the first few rounds of action in Paris may have made the draws a little less intimidating for the favorites, but wins by some players way below the radar prove they might just be in contention too. If their momentum continues into the coming rounds, the coming tournaments or the coming years, any one of them could establish themselves as forces way beyond just Roland Garros.

And the way they're playing, any one of them deserves it.

Five Things to Look Forward to in 2013

We're just a few days away from the dawn of a New Year, and there's already a lot on the docket for this coming tennis season. After all the excitement and surprises we witnessed over the last twelve months, we should know there's no telling what 2013 will bring for the favorites or the underdogs. From comebacks to breakthroughs to meltdowns to simple ole' shenanigans, there's plenty of opportunity to see some big headlines this year, and the best ones are likely to be those no one can predict.

But while nothing is certain, of course, there are a couple things high on the radar for tennis fans -- some are set in stone, others are wishful thinking, many have kept us holding our breath for months or longer. And each could have a big impact on the sport in 2013 -- good, bad or completely amazing.

So let's look at the five most anticipated events that could, would, or should transpire over the next four seasons.

#5: Monday Night Tennis

Are you ready for some racquetball?!

This year, for the first time, the U.S. Open schedulers have decided to put the men's final on a Monday night -- 5 p.m., to be exact, right during the evening rush hour. It's not that it hasn't happened before -- in fact, rain delays have forced a fifteenth day of play for the last five years -- but this time organizers are making the change at the outset, and feelings are decidedly mixed.

On the positive side, there will finally be a day of rest between the semis and championship match for both men and women -- New York had been the only Major that required back-to-back days of play. Stars like Serena Williams and Andy Murray have both applauded the decision, commending the much-maligned USTA for considering players' concerns. Combining that with the increased prize money at the event -- the total purse will be upped by over fifteen percent to a record $29.5 million -- and it looks like the tournament is making some big changes for the better.

But what's it mean for fans? Once treated to the promise of a Super Saturday, featuring two men's semis and the women's final, the last weekend of play will feature much less action than in years past. The ladies' championship, previously slotted for prime time, will now move to the gridiron, facing off against football's season-opening games on Sunday. And assuming the men's contest outlasts the evening commute -- the last five finals have lasted an average of three hours and forty five minutes -- it could cut in to CBS's Monday-night line-up in the U.S., sparking another wave of irate "How I Met Your Mother" (re-run!) fans to voice their disappointment over Twitter. Outside what it will mean for ratings in an already second-tier (to many) sport, I wonder what the shift means for ticket sales -- ardent fans may happily shell out hundreds or thousands of dollars to spend a weekend evening at Flushing Meadows, but can and will they do it on a workday?

While I'm all for giving athletes sufficient time to recover from what are often long, grueling matches, there might be other ways to accomplish the same thing. Roland Garros, for example, kicks off its fortnight on Sunday instead of beginning first round action Monday morning, and Wimbledon -- even with its Middle Sunday of rest -- manages to space out the championship weekend, albeit with the help of a recently-added retractable roof. The USTA has said it will decide on whether to keep the new schedule in future years once the 2013 Open is over, so at least we'll get to see how much players and fans are affected before anything more permanent is decided. I just hope the changes don't result in tennis being pushed so far out of the spotlight that fans are left in the dark.

#4: The Youngsters Grow Up

Last year was a good one for teenage talent on Tour, but in 2013 we could see how much they'll bring to the table against the big boys.

Some have already done a little to show their worth -- 2010 U.S. Open Juniors champion Jack Sock won the mixed doubles title in New York a year later with fellow phenom Melanie Oudin, and this year the then-nineteen year old made the third round in singles, lasting four sets -- three tiebreaks -- before falling to eleventh seed Nicolas Almagro. Meanwhile Laura Robson, who won the 2008 girls' title at Wimbledon when she was just fourteen, beat Kim Clijsters and Na Li to make the sweet sixteen in the ladies' draw at Flushing Meadows. She's climbed a little higher up the rankings than Sock, who's still hanging out in the mid-hundreds, but both have heightened their expectations for the coming season.

We'll also get a look at a couple other juniors, each of whom has the potential to shine in 2013. Australian Luke Saville and Canada's Filip Peliwo have both won a pair of little Majors, but with each having his nineteenth birthday early in the New Year, expect them to spend most of their time on the adult Tour. Peliwo, champion at both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open this year, ends outside the top five-hundred, but did manage a solid 15-12 record in ITF events, while Saville, also yet to play on the ATP, added a pair of Futures trophies to his collection, ending the season at #348 in the world. They're likely to graduate first into the Challenger events, but if they can pick up a few second-tier titles during the season, it won't be long before they're making strides against the elite.

But perhaps eyes will be most focused on Taylor Townsend, who ended 2012 as the top Junior girl in the world. The sixteen-year-old American kicked off the year with a trophy in Melbourne, but really started making headlines during the fall in New York. Though holding the #1 ranking just before the U.S. Open, she was asked by the USTA to sit out the tournament entirely, with General Manager Patrick McEnroe expressing concern over health, fitness and -- ahem -- weight. The player-development organization refused to pay Townsend's way into the event and didn't grant her wildcards into either the main draw or the qualifying rounds, forcing the young star to bare the expense herself. The ensuing outrage was loud and understandable, but Taylor handled the stress in the best possible way -- she kept on winning. She made the quarterfinals in singles and took home the championship trophy in doubles with partner Gabrielle Andrews, often playing two matches a day to do it. Officially pro as of early this month, the pressure will be on to continue to deliver. But if her performance on the WTA is anything like it's been on and off court to date, she could just take over the mantle U.S. tennis fans have been waiting so long to pass down.

#3: The Rivalries Continue...and Heat Up

Every year as the tennis world evolves and new players start to come into their games, we start seeing a couple of the same names face off time and time again, deep into tournaments, often with trophies, hefty prize money and more than a little pride on the line. We've seen great rivalries come and go -- McEnroe vs. Connors, Graf vs. Seles, Sampras vs. Agassi -- and even a few good ones emerge more recently. But this year might have given rise to a couple that transcended to new heights -- and they weren't always among the sport's elite.

Roger Federer and Andy Murray had battled fourteen times before the year began and the lower-ranked Scot actually held the 8-6 advantage. But the pair raised the stakes in 2012, with Murray getting his first set at a Slam off the recent #1 at Wimbledon and ultimately riding his confidence to Olympic Gold and a U.S. Open title. Roger still is undefeated against Murray at the Majors, though, and turned the tables on his rival with a semifinal win at the London championships. But with both players still going strong as we head into the new season, we could see even better matches in the coming months.

Victoria Azarenka certainly took her rivalry with Serena Williams to a new level this year, finally putting on the show we'd been expecting these two big-hitters to give us. But it was her clashes with one-time bestie Agnieszka Radwanska that took on a more high-intensity tone in 2012. The two, always on the outskirts of the top-tier, had been pretty close -- on the court and off -- before the year began, with the Belorussian holding a slight 5-3 advantage in their head-to-heads. Aggie, though, had won their most recent contest on her way to the Tokyo title in 2011 and took sets off her contemporary both in Sydney and at the Australian Open to start this season. It's been all Vika since then, though -- after getting just two more games in that Melbourne quarterfinal, she didn't win another set. The Pole took offense at Azarenka's apparent gamesmanship in their Doha semi and lost a total of six matches to her former friend through May -- in fact, the only person who could defeat her during the first four-plus months of the year. It's a bit of a shame that two women playing some of the best ball of their careers, reaching #1 and #2 in the world respectively, were so unevenly matched against each other this year -- but when they inevitably take the court against each other in 2013, I'm hoping we see some real fight. Knowing what these two are capable of, there's potential for some big fireworks when they meet.

These weren't the only rivalries that gained steam in 2012, of course -- Murray vs. Nole, Maria vs. Serena, Tomic vs. safe driving, Tipsy vs. women, they all made some headlines this season. But lesser known names caused just as much excitement too. Young Italian Camila Giorgi ends the year at a career-high of just #75 in the world, but that didn't stop her from handing losses to recently-resurgent veteran Nadia Petrova both times they met this year. Meanwhile Martin Klizan, whose breakout in St. Petersburg helped him rise to #30 in the world, nevertheless failed to make any headway against under-appreciated Marin Cilic in any of their three meetings this year. Whether these underdogs are able to keep up their runs, turn their luck around, or broaden out the swath they cut in the new year, could put them on track to really break through in 2013.

#2: Serena Reclaims #1

It's not in the bank, of course, but given her performance since the French Open, it's hard to imagine Serena Williams won't climb back to the top of the sport sometime this season.

After a long absence since winning Wimbledon in 2010, the veteran American fell briefly out of the top one hundred last year. But after some shaky results to start, she stormed back to take the title in Toronto and worked her way to the dramatic final in New York. She began the 2012 season just out of the top ten, and though she didn't win a title through the first three months of the season, once she hit the clay she was on a roll. Yes there was that bizarre outcome at Roland Garros, but Serena was nevertheless 48-2 since losing in the Miami quarters. That run included seven singles titles, two of which came at Grand Slams, Olympic Gold, and my award for "Player of the Year".

Still, even with all that success, Williams ended 2012 at just #3 in the rankings, a little more than 600 points behind long-time rival Maria Sharapova and about one Premier title from overtaking current top dog Victoria Azarenka. There's plenty of opportunity for her to recoup that ground, too -- with so many of her points safe until after the first quarter, and Vika defending so many of her own right off the bat, Serena could easily grab the #1 spot before the month is over. And, unlike with others in a similar position, it's hard to get nervous when she goes out to retain points in the back half of the year -- as long as she's healthy Williams is still the player to beat at pretty much any event she enters. And at thirty-one years of age, she's showing no sign that she's ready to pass that torch onto another player just yet.

Can she win Australia? Most definitely. Could she make a play for her only French Open title since 2002? With the prospect of a Serena Golden Slam on the line, absolutely. Might she end the year at #1? I wouldn't bet against it.

And, the way she's playing, no one else should, either.

#1: Rafa's Return

I don't know when it will happen, but sometime this year, sometime soon I hope, Rafael Nadal will be back on a competitive tennis court.

It's only been seven months since the world saw him -- shockingly, inexplicably -- leave the lawns of the All England Club in defeat, but it seems like so much longer than that. Thanks to his latest knee injury, the former #1 was forced to skip the Olympics, unable to defend the Gold he'd won in Beijing four years earlier, to pass by the entire summer hardcourt season and withdraw from the U.S. Open, where he'd played in the last two finals, and to miss the year-end championship for the first time since 2008, when he was also out of commission. We'd been given hope he'd recover in time to get in a few more shots here and there, but were thwarted over and over again, and a highly-anticipated planned comeback this week at an Abu Dhabi exhibition proved to be another red herring -- the beleaguered Spaniard pulled out on Tuesday because of a stomach bug.

Earlier today Rafa also withdrew from Doha and Melbourne, but even if he's back within a month it might be some time longer before last year's runner-up is really back in top form. Though he has certainly won during this stretch before, the Australian Open is far from his best Major, and he's only made it out of the quarters three times. More likely, he won't hit his stride until the spring when he'll defend all four titles he won in 2012 on the European clay. A couple long win streaks could be on the line, but if anyone can find a way to win on dirt even when playing at less than a hundred percent, it's this guy. And if he can pick up a couple titles during that stretch of the season, Nadal might be able to garner the momentum, confidence and match-play he needs to thrive the rest of the year. With a little less success, he's bound to see a precipitous drop in the rankings come June -- but Rafa's the kind of player that never gives up, and I'd expect him to launch quite the comeback in the second half of the year.

And once he's back, there might be no stopping him.

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With the start of the 2013 season oh-so-close there's, of course, no telling what's in store. But with a couple balls teed up for us already, we can certainly anticipate this year's going to be rife with excitement, surprises, and a whole lot of drama. Whoever comes out on top, whoever takes a bit of a stumble, whoever finds a way to completely wow us, there's going to be a lot to talk about over the next twelve months.

And I, for one, certainly can't wait for it all to start.