Grand Slam Professional Tennis Predictions and Picks by Nick Bollettieri. US Open, French Open, Wimbledon, Australian Open

Nick’s Picks along with Tennis Week and CBS Sports will bring you live coverage of the US Open from New York City. Check back everyday for insight leading up to the Open and then throughout.

Well, we arrived in NYC today and couldn’t be more excited for the tournament to begin. When we got here, we were greeted by the good news that both Michelle and Ricardas won their qualifying matches and now are one match away from the Main Draw. That is exciting! Today is also “Draw” day, so without further ado, let’s take a look at this year’s US Open Draw.

Men

The first thing I look for when glancing over the Men’s Draw is what half of the draw Novak Djokovic is in. Like the Australian Open, he is on Roger’s side and could meet him in the semis. Now, remember, Roger’s side is the bottom half for the Open. This is something that I am still getting used to seeing. I can’t remember the last time I looked at a Grand Slam draw and didn’t see Federer at the very top.

Speaking of Federer, he will open up with Maximo Gonzalez, and could get his first real challenge in the third round if he faces Radek Stepanek. Federer is 4-2 against Stepanek, but in their only meeting in 2008 Stepanek came out on top. This will be a great gauge to see where Federer’s head is at. Personally, I think he is ready to show everyone that he is still the man.

Staying with the bottom half of the draw, American Andy Roddick has a tough start against “The Magician”, Fabrice Santoro. Roddick is 2-1 against Santoro, but Santoro did win their last match in 2007. If Roddick can get by that one, he will most likely face the very talented youngster Ernests Gulbis. The two have never faced, but I surely wouldn’t be surprised to see Gulbis win, especially if Roddick is still hurting. If Roddick gets to the quarters, he most likely would face Djokovic. That would be an extremely interesting match, and they have played twice before with each player winning once.

One very interesting first-round match on the bottom half is former world #2 Tommy Haas taking on #12 Richard Gasquet. In their two previous meetings, each player has taken a match but they haven’t faced since 2006. If Haas wins this match, I wouldn’t consider it an upset at all. Neither player has been completely healthy this year, but this is one match I will definitely be attending.

Let’s move on to the top half. The first seeded player that Nadal could face would be German Phillip Kohlschreiber in the third round. Nadal is 4-0 against Kohlschreiber, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the German pushed him a bit. If Nadal gets through there like expected he could be looking at Tomas Berdych or Ivo Karlovic in the fourth round, and then possibly James Blake/David Nalbandian/Gael Monfils in the quarters. A Blake/Nadal match would be compelling because of Blake’s great support in NY, and the fact that he is 3-2 against him with a win at the US Open back in 2005.

On the bottom part of Nadal’s half, David Ferrer, Andy Murray, and Juan Martin Del Potro headline the field. Murray and Del Potro have been playing excellent tennis as of late (minus Murray’s loss at the Olympics), and I think either one of these guys could be challenging for their first Grand Slam semi. This part of the draw is also where we find NBTA alum Kei Nishikori. The Japanese tennis sensation will face a big challenge in the first round in Juan Monaco, but if he plays his best he is certainly up for it.

All in all, I think the top half is a bit stronger just because of the way Nadal, Murray, and Del Potro have been playing. Also on that side of Stanislas Wawrinka, Gilles Simon, and the aforementioned Blake. All three have the ability to make a deep run.

P.S. Keep an eye out on the James Blake/Donald Young first round match. Could be a fun one to watch!

Women

Wow! What a top half of the women’s draw. Talk about unbalanced, this is a the perfect example. You have The Williams’ sisters, Ana Ivanovic, and Dinara Safina. Not to mention Nicole Vaidisova, Agnes Szavay, Agnieszka Radwanska, and Alize Cornet. Serena and Venus could meet in the quarters as could Ivanovic and Safina (a rematch of the 2008 French Open finals).

The bottom half does have Jelena Jankovic, Olympic champion Elena Dementieva, 2007 finalist Svetlana Kuznetsova, American Lindsay Davenport and talented up-and-comer Caroline Wozniacki. While this side is good, it is no where as talented as the top half. I can’t believe how unbalanced this is. You have to feel good if you are on the bottom half and you don’t have to see either of the Williams sisters or Safina until the finals. This could definitely be the spot where Jankovic gets to her first Grand Slam final.

Speaking of Jankovic, she will face a young American in the first round in Coco Vandeweghe. This could be a good match, and you know the American fans will be out in full support of Coco. We watched her play in Miami and were impressed. She has all the tools to become a very solid player. Watch this match if you get a chance.

Another interesting first round match is between Na Li and Shahar Peer. Li just reached the semis of the Olympics, and she has the talent to play with anyone. She just needs to stay away from the injury bug and she will be alright.

Overall, the women’s field is wide open. I think the winner will come out of the top half, but at the same time they may all take each other out leaving an unexpected winner at the end. You never know…