Five-week lay-off only chink in Federer?s armour.

The tennis juggernaut rolls on across the Atlantic. A giant leap from the frugal servings of strawberries and cream at the Wimbledon to the mountains of hot dogs, burgers, pizzas etc. The US Open is a son et lumiere of unrestrained raucous, vibrant American culture. ‘Animals’ is what the five-time champion Jimmy Connors affectionately calls the spectators.

The atmosphere satiates a gladiatorial streak in the spectators just short of the thumbs down. Ramesh Krishnan sums it up by saying “you get the feeling that any moment anything can happen ? perhaps a bunch of brawling spectators will fall over you on the courts.”

In this mayhem, Roger Federer, the reigning champion and the No. 1 seed, on the threshold of being acclaimed as the greatest of all time, seems set to sail through to his second title. A five-week lay-off due to a foot injury is the only chink in Federer’s armour.

Just one tournament in Cincinnati, which Federer won convincingly, may not be adequate preparation for the trying two weeks of best-of-five set ordeals of a Grand Slam. His main challenger would have been the volatile and unpredictable Russian Marat Safin, but he has been forced to withdraw with a knee injury.

The resolve and tenacity of Australian Lleyton Hewitt should see him through to the semis. Nadal and Roddick are in the lower half of the draw. On the fast courts of Flushing Meadow, with vocifeorus crowd support, Roddick will enjoy an edge over Nadal, who is at his best on slower surfaces.

After Federer, the other seeds seem to be a mediocre lot and there is little chance, if any, of an exciting rivalry developing in the near future like the one between Sampras-Agassi or Connors-McEnroe. The men’s game has lost its lustre in the shadow of Federer’s genius.

In the women’s draw, the main contenders read like a casualty list. Recalling the injuries most of them have recovered from would provide a lesson on anatomy. Anyone of Sharapova, Davenport, the Williams sisters, Henin-Hardenne, Clijsters and Mauresmo could win if they are absolutely fit and can last the fortnight without injury.

Paying heed to rankings, 19-year-old Sharapova seems the freshest and the least injured of the lot. On form, Davenport is the best, but she has the tendency to break down in the final stages, like she did in the final against Venus Williams at Wimbledon.