How could you look at the world’s top women tennis players and not consider Maria Sharapova for a contender at the 2012 US Open? Well of course you couldn’t and we’re not. Sharapova falls third on our list of contenders because she’s currently ranked as the #3 women’s tennis player in the world. But 1,2, or 3, Maria Sharapova is capable of winning any tennis tournament in the world and she’s proven it time and again.

If not hampered by an ankle injury we’d be inclined to put Sharapova at the top of our list. But caution dictates that we take that into consideration. But she’s not having a bad 2012 by any means. The injury forced her to withdraw from the Brisbane International but came back later in the season to finish as a runner-up in the Australian Open, and now seems stuck as a perpetual runner up of late. How much of this is due to injury remains to be seen.

While Sharapova could remain hindered by her ankle injury it’s entirely possible that she could regain her form over the summer and hit the 2012 US Open with a vengeance. She’s done it before, as titles at Wimbledon, the Australian Open, and of course a title at the 2006 US open have proven. heading into the 2012 US open though, Sharapova is a question mark and right now she’s sitting behind Azarenka on the rankings list. But that could change.

2012 US Open tickets are lining up a bevy of top tennis players to compete for the title of US open champ. We’re working our way through the list of contenders and we’ve arrives at a big one. Currently ranked 3rd on the list of the world’s best tennis players is Roger Federer, a familiar name in the tenniarena.

Roger Federer has made a name for himself by winning, pure and simple. He’s brought home the top spot at Wimbledon, the Australian Open, the French Open, and of course he’s already won at the US Open. A man would have to be a fool to think Federer doesn’t have a better than even shot at winning another US Open title.

So far in 2012 Roger Federer has had his ups and downs. He’s battled some injury problems, withdrawing from the Qatar Open, but has come back fairly well with wins in the ABN AMBRO World Tennis Tournament then had a big win against NADAL in the Paribas Open. Currently in Madrid, Roger Federer looks to be gearing up for a good summer which he could top off with a win at the 2012 US Open.

Victoria Azarenka brightened up her prospects for the US Open by winning in Australia

My, how things change. The last time I sat down to write about contenders at the 2012 US Open, the name Samantha Stosur was at the top of the list. Now Stosur is sitting at #5 and Victoria Azarenka has now assumed the mantle of the #1 player in Women’s Tennis. That kind of caught me off guard so let’s take a look at what Azarenka has done to suddenly hit my spotlight.

Well to begin with, the Belarusian won the 2012 Australian Open so there’s that. To reach that title Azarenka had to knock off none other than Maria Sharapova, the current #2 player. Moving on to the Qatar Open Azarenka topped Stosur in her first tennis tournament as the top player. An ankle injury derailed her appearance in Dubai, but she came back in the BNP Paribas Open and once again knocked off Sharapova.

The Women’s side of the 2012 US Open could be just as, or even more, entertaining than the men’s side. Since my last article the rankings have done a flip-flop and new names are coming to the top. I wouldn’t be surprised to see things change drastically again before we take another look at the top contenders for the 2012 US Open.

Rafael Nadal will be staring down opponents on the hard courts of the US Open in 2012.

In the newest installment of our look at players you might see with US Open tickets, we turn our attention to Rafael Nadal. Currently, Nadal is in at the Barcelona Open where he is defending his title there and he began with a win over Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. What we’re looking for is some evidence that Nadal can contend for a title at the US Open scheduled for August 27th to Sept. 9th.

Being known as “The King of Clay” means that Nadal may not be at his best when he’s playing at a US Open. he’s been dominant on the clay court, winning the French Open a total of six times, the last coming in 2011 against Roger Federer. Before you discount his abilities on the hard court though, you have to remember that Nadal has been very successful at the US Open, having won there in 2011 over current #1 Novak Djokovic. he’s also been successful on grass, having twice won Wimbledon. So despite the obvious aptitude on clay courts, Nadal can’t be counted out regardless of surface.

So far in 2012 Rafael Nadal has been playing well and may be hitting his stride when the US Open comes around. He reached the finals of the Australian Open this year before falling to Djokovic. Nadal got some revenge in the Rolex Open, topping Nadal in the finals there. This is going to be an interesting year for the tennis world, as we watch how the Olympics play out. I fully anticipate that Rafael Nadal will gather some steam in the French Open before moving on to Wimbledon and the Olympics and be in top form when the US Open begins.

Lock down your 2012 US Open Tennis Tickets and catch defending champion Samantha Stosur in action.

Fans with US Open tennis Tickets last season saw some memorable matches. Among them was the Finals match between Samantha Stosur and Serena Williams. Of course, as the women’s champion, Stosur has to be counted as a favorite in the 2012 US open.

Stosur spent most of 2011 building towards her US Open Championship. Early on things didn’t go to well as Stosur fell to lower ranked competition in both the Brisbane International and the Australian Open. A series of disappointing finishes followed, lightened only by a good performance in the doubles competition in the AEGON International where she and her partner reached the finals round.

But things began to perk up for Stosur and her US Open hopes when she managed to reach the finals against Serena Williams in the Rogers Cup. No win but a strong performance. With a ninth seed in the US Open Samantha Stosur could have been considered a long shot for a US Open win. Playing well in the early rounds Stosur, topped #2 seed Verena Zvonareva, and followed that with a semi-finals win over Angelique Kerber to reach the finals against Serena Williams. Winning in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3, Stosur cemented her place in US Open tennis history.

US Open tennis tickets will cap off a fine summer of tennis with the Olympics possibly shaping the competition in a new way. In any case, the US Open will be one of the most highly prized tennis tickets of the year and USOpentickets.org has plenty available.

Novak Djokovic returns to defend his US Open Tennis Championship at the 2012 US Open.

The 2012 US Open is approaching in August and though it’s a ways away things are beginning to shape up. While there’s still room for massive changes, tennis history tells us that a few players will gather momentum heading into the US Open and those are the guys and gals we need to keep a close watch on.  Over the course of the next few weeks and months we’ll be throwing out some player bios and speculating about where they might fare in the 2012 US Open. Remember, there’s plenty of tennis left to enjoy, not the least of which is Olympic tennis coming up this summer. there are even some who speculate that some players will lay it all on the line at the Olympics rather than focusing on the US Open. I believe that’s bunk. Both are there for the taking.

First on the list is Novak Djokovic. here’s a guy who is obviously a favorite to end up in the Men’s Finals of the 2012 US Open. he won it last season and shows no signs of slowing down at all. In 201 Djokovic assumed the mantle of the #1 player in men’s tennis and hasn’t relinquished the title as of this writing.  His 2012 season began with a win at the Australian Open, topping Rafael Nadal in five sets, in a grueling record setting match. Over the last few years Nadal and Djokovic have put on some epic matches with Nadal barely holding the edge. The 2012 US Open could turn out to be another match for the ages if this pair end up on the court in the Finals. If we’re going to talk about rivalries with Novak Djokovic, we have to mention Roger Federer. Djokovic is one of the few tennis players to conquer Federer three times in the space of a year.

If you’re thinking 2012 US Open tennis tickets you’re on the right track. Novak Djokovic is one of the top names in tennis and he’s sure to be in the running in 2012. Lock down your US Open tennis tickets and you may be in line for a historic matchup between Djokovic, Federe, Nadal, or one of the up and coming players on the circuit.

It looks like fans with tickets to Wimbledon for the Olympics may get to experience night time tennis on the storied courts. It was announced recently that while there will be no events scheduled for after dark it was highly likely that some matches would go on well past sundown. With five matches a day planned, and nothing beginning prior to 11:30 in the morning, some of those late afternoon matches will probably be good candidates.

It all looks good for some memorable nights at Wimbledon even if the weather cooperates and it probably won’t. Wimbledon and rain go hand in hand. While there are some venues that offer cover from inclement weather, in general Wimbledon is open to the rain. It all adds up to a memorable time for fans enjoying Olympic tennis at Wimbledon. Just remember, you may have some long days. Get plenty of rest, and settle in comfortable seats, Wimbledon is on the way.

Maria Sharapova at the U.S. Open

It may be a little early but let’s take a look at what’s going on in the rankings as we look ahead to  2012 U.S. Open tickets. These things can change due to injury or a slump or whatever but it’s been my idea that the players with the best chance of winning a U.S. Open are those who have reached a high level and been consistent. A flash in the pan has a shot but with the level of competition you see on the courts of Arthur Ashe Stadium that’s not a common occurrence.

So who is hot? Well right now Novak Djokovic seems to be the man to beat. Ranked #1 in the world, Djokovic has been victorious in the Australian Open, the Sony Ericson Open, Wimbledon, and several others. Right now he’s ranked #1 in the world ahead of Rafael Nadal by a fair margin and shows every sign of maintaining that momentum.

But don’t count out Nadal. He’s been there and done that and there’s plenty of tennis left to play before this things gets decided. The same can be said for Roger Federer. His recent win in Rotterdam indicates he’s beginning to snowball and by the time the U.S. Open comes around he could be in prime form.

On the women’s side Victoria Azarenka is at the top but by a fairly narrow margin. Right behind her is Maria Sharapova, who seems to have lightened her schedule, and is reaping the benefits of rest and relaxation between major tournaments.

Well, if you’re getting antsy about your US Open tickets for 2012 because you can’t wait to see the #1 tennis player in the world hit the court you may have scheduled some time to catch Novak Djokovic in Serbia’s Davis Cup. But you can scrap those plans because Novak won’t hit the courts. His coach has decided that he needs a little rest and recovery after the epic 5 hour hour battle with Nadal in the Australian Open. Right now the focus is on winning when he hits the court for the Olympics from what I’m gathering and of course there’s a few more challenges ahead, one of which is the 2012 U.S. Open.

With several months ahead before the U.S. Open takes place the Djokovic camp will be trying to find the right balance, a mix that keeps him playing top tennis without hitting the wall. A victory at the U.S Open in 2012 would be one more milestone to put Djokovic on a path to being legitimately called the best tennis player of his generations. Go too far and he’ll just be another burnout who missed the mark.

Venus Williams is slowly coming back, fighting her way through a months long layoff stemming from a bout with Sjogrens Syndrome, a disease that cause problems in the joints and extreme fatigue. I guess to Venus Williams it’s just another battle in  along career and her progress appears to be good. She’ll get back on the courts soon as she enters the Fedex Cup games against Belarus.

Williams is fighting both her disease and her desire to push herself to the limit. It’s a battle to balance the process against her competitive desire to go all out. But in this battle, slow but steady is the way to go and Venus Williams is preparing for a recovery that could get her back in shape in time for the 2012 U.S. Open. Expect some hitches along the way but Williams is looking to help the U.S Team as much as she can especially since she was bounced out of the Fedex Cup last year with a hip problem. It’s been a rough trip over the last couple of years as injuries have taken their toll. Hopefully Venus Williams can regain her form, and the whole thing with a comeback win in the US Open this summer.