By Drew Vandemore
Staff Columnist

The US Open Series is a group of seven tournaments leading up to the US Open throughout different cities in North America. Players accumulate points by participating and advancing in these tournaments with the top 3 in the final US Open Series standings receiving bonus price money after they are finished playing in the US Open in Flushing Meadows, NY. 

The series starts on July 19 with the BB&T Open in Atlanta. Without further ado, here is Season’s Over’s preview for the 2014 US Open Series:

Player Previews

Milos Raonic (CAN)

After an impressive showing at Wimbledon where he reached the semi-final, Raonic looks to continue his positive momentum into the summer’s hard court series. With one of the most powerful serves on tour (At one point winning over 30 straight points on his serve against Nick Kyrgios), Raonic looks to make another impressive follow up on last year’s fourth place finish in the Series. Raonic has continued to improve his game since he joined the tour in 2008. 

Still very young at age 23, Raonic is on path to join the ranks of the elite. I predict that he will come out of the gate looking to prove something this summer, and walk away with the US Open Series title and a strong seeding at the US Open. 

Rafael Nadal (ESP) 

Don’t get me wrong, Nadal is probably still a better hard court player at this stage in his career than Raonic is, but he has two things working against him here. One, is that he more than likely won’t play every tournament (Or even half of them) in the Series due to his health history and in order to get proper rest before the US Open (Most of the big players such as Nadal, Federer, and Djokovic only play two of the seven tournaments). 

The other is that Raonic is coming into the series on an absolute tear after Wimbledon, where Nadal lost early and was playing golf as the Canadian got important grand slam experience. 

When the US Open rolls around Nadal will be one of the top two seeds- and he should be- but he won’t bring home the US Open Series title. I expect him to make the finals in both Toronto and Cincinnati, the only two tournaments he is currently signed up for. 

Grigor Dimitrov (BUL)

Dimitrov is another youngster (age 23) who had a great showing at Wimbledon, losing to Djokovic in the opposite semi-final from Raonic after splitting the first two sets. The Bulgarian broke into the Top 10 of the Emirates ATP Rankings after his impressive performance at Wimbledon and seems to be gaining momentum and confidence heading into the summer’s action. 

He’s earned the nickname “Baby Fed” for his similar style of play to that of tennis legend, and one of his biggest role models, Roger Federer. He should fare well enough in the tournaments he plays in (I expect him to play in at least three of the events) to earn a third place finish. 

John Isner (USA)

The American is quite the enigma. Isner to me is similar mentally to Gael Monfils in that one minute he can look like he has it all together, and the next he looks absolutely helpless. He has a big serve (similar to Raonic) but he lacks the necessary athleticism at 6’10 to really utilize his height, rarely making his way to the net. 

He is already 29 after completing a career at the University of Georgia, which makes it hard for me to see him becoming anything other than a 4th round threat at majors who is capable of winning some of the smaller tournaments (He is signed up for Atlanta and Winston-Salem, among others). 

Isner is taking the smart approach for someone of his skill set however, signing up for 5 of the 7 tournaments in order to have a better shot at accumulating points. Unfortunately for the Greensboro, NC native, I don’t see him earning enough points to qualify for the top 3 and the bonus prize money that comes with it. 

Novak Djokovic (SRB)

What can I possibly say in order to convince you any further that this name belongs on this list? The 2014 Wimbledon title holder comes into the summer on a roll, and is signed up to play in both Toronto and Cincinnati as of now. Djokovic has a good shot at facing Nadal in the finals of these two tournaments, winning the Roger’s Cup tournament (Which alternates between Toronto and Montreal) in 2007, 2011, and 2012, but not owning a title from Cincinnati. 

Only playing in the two events will allow for Djokovic to get the necessary rest to play well in the US Open and make amends for his 2013 finals loss to Nadal. Simply making the finals in both tournaments he plays in should allow for Djokovic to accumulate enough points to retain his spot in the top 5 of the Series standings after winning the title in 2012 and finishing 5th last year. 

Others:

1. Roger Federer (SUI)
   
2. Tomas Berdych (CZE)
   
3. Sam Querrey (USA)
   
4. Jack Sock (USA)

*Del Potro is out for the remainder of the 2014 season after injuring his wrist in the Sony Open in March. 

Why 32-year-old Roger Federer is still the king of tennis’s most prestigious venue regardless of last Sunday’s Wimbledon Final result.

By Drew Vandemore
Guest Columnist

He wasn’t always like this. Coming up through the ranks and qualifying tournaments, Roger Federer was once an out-of-control brat with an Agassi maturity and a McEnroe temper. 

He donned rebellious long hair in a ponytail when he beat defending champion Pete Sampras at age 19 in 2001 during the Fourth Round at Wimbledon. Viewers saw the talent the young star possessed, but most wondered whether he would be able to adapt the mentality that makes the greats of this game so hard to beat. Andy Roddick didn’t have it, for instance. While he consistently was able to get deep into majors during his playing career, Roddick was never able to develop the mental aspect of the game that is so critical in order to take the step from star to superstar. But why is this mentality so important? 

It's because tennis is so much different from other sports in that whatever happens on the court falls solely on the individual's shoulders. There are no teammates to blame. There are no bad coaching decisions. There are no improper substitutions.  And this is what makes tennis so exhilarating to watch. Not only can matches go 5+ hours in time, but there are so many emotional swings that each player must overcome in order to win a grand slam title. 

The 2008 Wimbledon Final between Rafael Nadal and Federer is a great example of this. Considered one of the best finals in grand slam history, Nadal and Federer battled on Centre Court for almost 5 hours. Federer was chasing greatness – an unprecedented sixth Wimbledon title in a row. Nadal was looking to break through at Wimbledon and earn a grand slam title at a venue other than Roland Garros in, which would validate his status as a serious challenger to Federer’s throne as the best in the sport. 

The duo battled back and forth, with each player raising their quality of play as the number of sets grew larger. The light grew dimmer and dimmer and yet neither player wanted to stop. The quality of the match superseded any sort of trivial annoyance like dim light. Both players just wanted to finish the match then and there. 

Nadal emerged victorious from the match when Federer’s forehand hit the top of the net after a brief rally on match point. Nadal fell to his knees. Federer looked on in astonishment. His throne as not only the King of Wimbledon was in trouble, but also his status as the greatest in the game. 

And yet something odd happened. Federer handled the situation with absolute class, congratulating his opponent on an incredible match and saying that Nadal earned the win. This was when I truly realized just how great Federer was. He had to be absolutely heartbroken, incredibly frustrated, and every other emotion in between. Yet he was able to put his own emotions aside to congratulate an opponent who had just stolen the show at his sanctuary. 

He has what could be considered the best endorsement deals in all of sports (Consisting of a Mercedes Benz, Rolex, and more). He has the most majors out of any active player. He’s tied with Pete Sampras for the record of most Wimbledon titles with seven. Could anyone blame him for being cocky if he wanted to be? Could that be what tennis needs? 

If you look at the women’s side of things, Serena Williams is about as opposite in terms of personality as you can get from Federer. She regularly fails to give credit to her opponents in post match interviews after losses, has seen her level of play subside substantially this season in majors (Serena hasn’t made it past the third round of a grand slam in 2014), and is now notoriously known for almost ripping off a ball person’s head at the 2009 US Open. Federer’s class makes him the favorite of many tennis aficionados, while Serena’s attitude has turned off at least this fan from wanting her to do well in any tournament. 

But what does this have anything to do with Federer dominating at one of the most hallowed grounds in all of professional sports? Without an attitude change and a large growth in the maturity department, Federer would not have been able to make the leap from star to superstar that any athlete must eventually make.

Look at the NBA, a league designed around the progress of superstars, and someone like Michael Beasley for instance. While the former No. 2 overall pick possesses all the talent in the world, he has had a hard time sticking to one NBA roster because of his attitude problems. He lets his selfishness (Among many other things, but we’ll stick with selfishness to be nice) get in the way of greatness. 

Federer grew up. He cut his hair. He got married. And he is now the ideal tennis superstar: Elegant and classy while being extremely interactive and kind with fans. Federer earned a chance at an 8th Wimbledon title on Sunday not only through his play on the court, but for his actions off of it. Despite falling to Novak Djokovic in five epic sets, Federer further cemented his spot at the top of tennis’ greatest venue by hitting awe inspiring shots during the match and handling himself with an unrivaled level of class when it was all over. 

Federer may or may not ever win another Wimbledon or grand slam title. But when looking back on his career it is clear that Federer not only graced us with beautiful tennis, but also with the class and elegance of a true gentleman.