This year’s U.S. Open featured breakthroughs for promising Americans such as Donald Young, John Isner and Sloane Stephens; instant classic matches (including the 2nd rounder between Gael Monfils and Juan Carlos Ferrero); the longest tie-breaker in women’s Grand Slam history (between eventual champion Samantha Stosur and Maria Kirilenko); the longest women’s U.S. Open match (between Stosur and Nadia Petrova); lots of rain; lots of scheduling mishaps; and, what could be, the seeds of a possible union for tennis players. Still, the three biggest storylines of the 2011 U.S. Open unfolded during its final weekend.

3. Roger Federer, Choke Artist? Roger Federer—#3 seed, 16-time Grand Slam event winner, Greatest Tennis Player [...]

Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams are the clear favorites at this year’s U.S. Open. Djokovic is playing at an insanely high level and has distanced himself from the rest of the Big Four—Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray. And as far as the women, the withdrawal of two-time defending champ Kim Clijsters clears the path for Serena Williams to win her fourth U.S. Open title. But since both Djokovic and Williams suffered injuries at a recent warm-up tournament, it might be premature to dispense trophies just yet. Some questions remain: Can Andy Murray somehow get by Djokovic to win the big one? Do any American males have a [...]

One of the best things about tennis is that you can switch allegiances every decade or so. That’s unacceptable in team sports. Changing teams reveals serious character flaws. There is one exception to that rule: If the franchise relocates to another city, then you, the fan, can pick a new favorite. (For example, when the New York Islanders leave Nassau County in 2015, I can acquire a new favorite hockey team. They’ll probably be Canadian. The Winnipeg Jets, perhaps?) Tennis is different. We're not rooting for laundry. We're rooting for individuals. And individuals get old and retire.

Growing up, my guy was Goran Ivanisevic. There were a few reasons why [...]

For years, conversations about the women’s game have revolved around players missing from the tour—past Grand Slam champions Justine Henin, Martina Hingis, Kim Clijsters and Amelie Mauresmo all retired young. Henin, Hingis and Clijsters unretired. Henin and Hingis have since re-retired. Clijsters, who has stuck around and won three Grand Slams during her comeback, is not in New York this week, having withdrawn with a stomach muscle injury. That leaves the returning Serena Williams as the favorite during this fortnight. But what about world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki? Is she the latest in a long line of pretenders—Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic, Dinara Safina—that have held the top spot in Williams’ [...]