*Ed. Note: Peter Bodo is on vacation until the 16th. We are proud to present commentary by the TW Tribe in his absence.
*In the spirit of Rob Gordon, I bring you the Top Five Young Guns destined for success at this year's U.S Open! Of course, as of now, they barely make the Top Five Storylines of the U.S Open; such is the (deserved) hype the final stop in Andre's farewell tour is getting.
However, should the Scheduling Gods spread these kids around the draw with benevolent hands, come the second week at Flushing they should be making headlines -- especially if this young armada starts taking down top seeds.
Such is the potential I see in this group that I'll go on the record with this Rasheed Wallace-inspired guarantee: at least one of these kids will make the semifinals this year and at least two will make the quarters.
That's how talented these young guns are. That's how driven they are. Taking on these kids is every player's nightmare.
Should one of these youngsters go on to win the whole dog-and-pony show, I wouldn't be surprised. After all, the US Open has provided us with three 21-and-under champions just this past decade: Marat Safin, Lleyton Hewitt, and Andy Roddick.
Enough buildup. As Rob would say, number five of the Top-Five Young Gun List, here's...
5. Gael "Royale with Cheese" Monfils
(Rank: 29 Age: 19, Will turn 20 on 9/01/06)
On the bright side, Gael is a lock to feature in Wertheim's U.S Open preview, with Jon surely picking him to go all the way to the semis.
Nice bandwagon, but, I'm not riding on it.
Monfils is strong, fast, and intense. Great defense. Unfortunately, Gael tends to be somewhat naïve tactically and has a propensity to indulge in five-set sweatfests with the likes of Dick Norman.
The Frenchman's game is still not defined as either an attacking or a counterpunching proposition and, often, it's these moments of tactical ambiguity that give away match control to a more decided rival. This spells disaster when you consider the speed of the courts at Flushing.
Despite his tactical shortcomings, Monfils' athleticism is a tremendous weapon in and of itself. Once his body is fully recovered, it can carry Gael's ambiguous game through a couple of rounds. Being seeded helps, of course, since it helps Monfils avoid the more tactically-sound veterans in the early rounds.
Speaking of momentum, the McDonald's-loving Frenchman (an oddity in itself) thrived when the crowd was behind him at Roland Garros and Monte Carlo. However, Monfils still has yet to find the necessary focus to
maintain his intensity in a more neutral/hostile environment.
Look for the Royale with Brie to do some damage early before bowing out to a more organized contender by the end of the first week.
4. Andy "Wallace" Murray
(Rank: 35 Age: 19)
Brad Gilbert has his work cut out for him; polishing this young Scot's game will be no easy task. Andy's game is still somewhat raw in comparison to the other names in the Top Five.
Murray has one great strength -- his backhand -- yet he remains clueless as to how he's supposed to dictate a point with it (hint: look at how the World #3 does it. Yeah. The guy with the beer belly).
It's all too easy for opponents to play to Andy's forehand, which can be either enormous or suicidally small, giving foes both time and space to move Murray around. Andy also tends to drop back and let his opponent take control of the match far too frequently. The Scot just doesn't cover the court as effectively as a player such as Monfils.
Andy has the potential to be a deadly service returner, paticularly on his backhand side. However, if he fails to build on that deadly stroke against more patient veterans, this potential advantage could be negated.
Still, of all the young guns, Andy is the only one with a hardcourt title. Murray took San José in impressive fashion; en route to the title he downed Roddick and Hewitt. One can sense he feels at home on harcourts and that's a big plus heading into the final stretch of the USO Series.
Even though the impact of Brad Gilbert's coaching has been immediate, I just don't see the Scot surviving a mildly focused opponent who picks his game apart. Clement showed the way, as did Baghdatis at Wimbledon.
Thanks to the Legg Mason final, Murray is guaranteed a seed at the Open. However, this gift will only get him through the door. Like Monfils, I wouldn't be surprised if he's taken out by some savvy veteran in the first week.
*
Well, that's enough young blood for one sitting. The Countdown will return on Friday with the promise of deadlier weapons.
-- Juan Jose