US Open 2011 Dates

For tennis fans, the month of August couldn't be more exciting. This is because the final Grand Slam of the year, the US Open takes place in the last week of August. After a break of nearly 2 months, the top players in the world get ready to face off for the final Grand Slam of the year. With 3 of the 4 Grand Slams already done and dusted, the US Open is a final chance for those looking to win a Grand Slam in this calendar year.

When is the US Open 2011?

The US Open, being the last Grand Slam of the year, is played in late August, usually in the last week of the month. In 2011, the US Open will be played from the 29th of August to the 11th of September at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City. Preceded by the prestigious Wimbledon, the US Open is the last of the four Grand Slam events in the calendar year, with the ATP World Tour Finals being the only other notable tournament following it. Due to it being late in the year, the US Open is often considered to be the most demanding Grand Slam of them all, but this is probably due to the fact that players have played the entire season and are obviously a little tired. Perhaps due to this fact, the US Open remains the only Grand Slam to feature tie-breaks even in the final set of the match [3rd set for women's, and 5th set for men's], thereby shortening some matches considerably.

Who Won the 2010 US Open?

The 2010 US Open was a keenly contested affair, and at the end of 2 weeks of intense tennis, it was Rafael Nadal who took home the title, defeating Novak Djokovic in the finals of the men's event, while it was Kim Clijsters who won the women's event, defeating Vera Zvonareva in an anti-climatic final. In the men's doubles, the Bryan brothers, Mike and Bob, took the title, defeating Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi in a keenly contested final, while in the women's doubles, it was Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova who defeated Liezel Huber and Nadia Petrova to take home the title. Liezel Huber and Bob Bryan added another title to their kitty when they defeated Květa Peschke and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi to take home the mixed doubles title as well.

Who Will Win the 2011 US Open?

Though Rafael Nadal is the defending champion at the US Open, the 2011 title might well go to another player, and that is none other than Novak Djokovic. Playing an incredible season so far, the Serb has lost just two matches this year, one to Roger Federer in the semi-finals of the French Open, and the other to Andy Murray in the finals of the Cincinnati Open, where he withdrew due to a shoulder injury. Winning the Australian Open and the Wimbledon titles will give him the confidence he needs, and this should be the year where he wins his first US Open title. However, Nadal, Federer, Murray, and the others, cannot be counted out, and the road to victory and the championship will definitely not be a piece of cake for the Serbian.

Who will win the 2011 US Open in the women's event is slightly more difficult to predict, as the defending champion Kim Clijsters will unfortunately not be defending her title due to a stomach injury, leaving the field for the women wide open. Serena Williams, making a comeback post injury, won both the warm-up tournaments, and is looking like a good contender for the title. The women's top seed, Caroline Wozniacki, is also looking good, and 2011 might just be the year where she gets her maiden major title. Let's also not forget the likes of Vera Zvonareva, Maria Sharapova and Francesca Schiavone, who are all capable of taking home the trophy.

So lots of action coming from the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in the next two weeks, and it will be interesting to see how the 2011 US Open shapes up. To say the least, it should be an intense two weeks of top class tennis.