By Ben Walker THE ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW YORK -- Rafael Nadal is faulty at Flushing Meadows, Roger Federer is suddenly shaky. Justine Henin is gone, Maria Sharapova is injured. Might as well make this the U.S. Wide Open. The final Grand Slam of the year starts Monday, and this one includes more than its share of wild cards. "The good thing about tennis this year is that you have many players who are winning some major events," said No. 3 men's seed Novak Djokovic. "It's a bigger competition. It's more attractive for the fans." The first unknown: How will travel trauma affect the stars coming back from Beijing? Throw in a bad draw for the Williams sisters, a surprising medals sweep by the Russian women at the Olympics, the breakthrough by Ana Ivanovic and a big streak by Juan Martin del Potro, plus James Blake and his rowdy rooters in the J-Block. Should be plenty to watch over the next two weeks, as matches stretch from before noon to after midnight. "I know there are some hungry guys ... desperate to make some type of mark," four-time U.S. Open champion John McEnroe said. "I'd say it's pretty unpredictable on the women's side." The women's draw is especially tricky to pick since Henin retired several months after winning her second U.S. Open last year and Sharapova injured her right shoulder. Sharapova doesn't plan to attend any tennis events, but will be in town for fashion week -- maybe that's where she can bring back her shiny red dress with the 600 crystals. So start this U.S. Open with Nadal and Federer. Federer has owned Arthur Ashe Stadium in recent years, winning the last four championships. He often treats the New York crowd to something special, be it a sharp black outfit or a behind-the-back, through-the-legs volley. But his run toward Pete Sampras' record of 14 major titles has stalled this season -- he's been shut out, leaving him with 12. Instead, he lost a thrilling, five-set match to Nadal at Wimbledon and fell to his rival at the French Open. At 27, Federer is no longer unbeatable. "You don't ever know when you're going to see the beginning of the end," McEnroe said. "When you lose a little bit of that swagger, guys in any sport pick up on that," he said. "You work for years to built that invincibility knowing that at some point it's going to break, the mirror is going to break." Fluent in several languages, Federer understands what others are now saying about him. "I've enjoyed it, talking about it, being compared to the greatest," he said. "It's a nice challenge ... beating the next generation, trying to play for a long time, trying to stay healthy, trying to beat records." "It's always been difficult to beat all these guys. It's just not so easy to keep it up all the time. Eventually, sometimes they get you," he said. This year, more and more have done it -- Andy Roddick, Andy Murray, Djokovic and Blake are among them. "I think that's maybe what I feel most this year. You know, just losing too many matches," Federer said. "I look forward to the U.S. Open. I still have really this and then the Masters Cup in Shanghai to really do well now. Try to save my season." While Federer won Olympic gold in doubles, Nadal returns from Beijing with the prize his rival really wanted: the singles titles. Ready, Rafa? Nadal enters the Open at No. 1, having taken over the spot Federer occupied for more than four years. Nadal also is the first top-seeded player at a Grand Slam event other than Federer since January 2004, when Roddick earned that slot at the Australian Open. Plus, Nadal is 12-6 lifetime against Federer, including victories in all four meetings this season. "The last years I did very well, too. I was very happy being the No. 2. So finally I'm No. 1," Nadal said. "I don't have time to celebrate. So probably after New York, after Davis Cup, I'm going to have a good time." That said, the 22-year-old Spaniard has not done well at the U.S. Open. He's never advanced past the quarter-finals and lost in the fourth round last year. Ivanovic certainly has stepped up her game, beating Dinara Safina in the French Open for her first major championship. But the 21-year-old Serb pulled out of the Olympics before they started because of inflammation in her right hand, a problem that left her unable to practice last month. Ivanovic is seeded No. 1, with the expressive Jelena Jankovic at No. 2, former U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova at No. 3 and Olympic champion Elena Dementieva at No. 5. Looming, as always, are the Williams sisters. Two-time U.S. Open champion Serena Williams is the oddsmakers' choice to win. No prediction yet on what she'll wear -- last year, it was a babydoll dress for the opening round. At 28, Venus Williams is two years older than Serena and beat her in the Wimbledon final. They won't play in this final because they would meet in the quarter-finals if they make it that far. "I'm really excited for the Open," Serena said. "I feel like I'm playing really solid and much better than I have been all year, to be honest. I really look forward to it." So does Djokovic, who became a favourite at Flushing Meadows last year with his spirited play and spot-on imitations of Nadal and Sharapova. He reached the final, then lost seven set points and fell to Federer. This time, Djokovic and others see the tournament as open season. "It's very unpredictable. Tennis is like that," the Serbian star said. "You know, it can turn around in a split of a second."
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