Rafael Nadal, No. 1 seed is the favorite to win the 2008 U.S Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y. from August 25 – September 7. Nadal, the Olympic gold medalist in men’s singles in Beijing, will now deal with the pressure of the being the prey. In his first match at the 2008 US Open he had a hard time dispatching German Bjorn Phau 7-6, 6-3, 7-6. The Spaniard player struggled more than expected to defeat an unseeded player who ranks 136 at the world ranking.
This marked his first win since he dethroned Roger Federer in the 2008 French Open Roland Garros, and at the All England Club, Wimbledon. Rafael Nadal has over matched Federer in an unprecedented way.
Now, Nadal will face the winner of the match between Belgian Olivier Rochus and American unseeded player Ryler De Heart.
Young Spaniard has never gone pass the quarterfinals in the U.S. Open. Nevertheless, Rafael Nadal likes his chances: “When you are playing well you feel comfortable on all courts… in the past when I was playing well, I did well on hard courts, too. I feel good for sure. I won two tournaments in Toronto and the Olympics, and I played semifinals in Cincinnati.”
Nadal, 22, has won eight titles this year including the 30th of his career at the ATP Masters Series event in Cincinnati. He will attempt to become the first man to win the French Open, Wimbledon and 2008 US Open in the same year since Rod Laver in 1969.