Rafael Nadal: Project U.S. Open

Rafael Nadal will enter this year's U.S. Open with a different sense of urgency. He is currently ranked No. 3 in the world, and it’s unlikely he will recapture the No. 1 position anytime soon. His return to the game since an untimely knee injury has been highlighted by reluctant movement and cautious shot selection. However, this is New York, people, and the Rafa's inner rock star is ready to shine. Over the two weeks in New York City, the mandate for the island-born Spaniard will be a complicated, contorted, and gut-wrenching task: to win the only grand slam absent from his collection of major glory, and place himself alongside the six men who did it before. Rafa’s road to a title in Flushing Meadows will be tough. Not only will he have to deal with the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple, but his rivals have improved and are hungry. The state of his knees and willingness to go all-out is still unknown too. Roger Federer might be in the best form of his career; a...