Most every  article or broadcast preview of the U.S. Open I’ve seen focuses on the obvious questions, as though most tennis journalists are sharing notes– will Nadal win his first Open?  Can Federer reclaim another title?  Is Murray going to cash the U.S. Open Series bonus check for obscene millions and go to Disney World with an Olympus camera?  Blah, blah, blah…

But first thing on Monday is a match I’m excited about.  Michael Russell, 32 with a career ATP match record of 40 and 88 after 12 years on tour, plays perennial top tenner Nikolay Davydenko on the Louis Armstrong Stadium court the first match of the day.   Russell, ranked 80, is the obvious underdog to No. 6 Davydenko.  The two middleweights (Russell is 160 pounds to Davydenko’s 154) have never played before.

I’m going to be at the Open tomorrow morning and pulling for Russell for all I’m worth.  American tennis needs a Rocky, a player from down in the rankings who has been battling on the minor league circuits for years.  ESPN wrote an article about his tough career path three years ago – and he’s still out battling.  This is a great shot for him, on a show court, in the Big Apple.

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