Federer hoping to get back to winning ways

His Wimbledon reign and No. 1 ranking surrendered, Roger Federer has one trump card left in his competition with Rafael Nadal: Four straight US Open titles.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal share a laugh during Arthur Ashe Kids' Day prior to the US Open. Can Nadal now steal the US title from Federer?
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NEW YORK // His Wimbledon reign and No. 1 ranking surrendered, Roger Federer has one trump card left in his competition with Rafael Nadal: Four straight US Open titles. The Swiss star, fresh from Beijing with an Olympic gold hanging around his neck in the men's doubles, believes that counts for something heading into the start of the year's final Grand Slam today. "I still believe it's an advantage if you know how to win a US Open," said Federer, who has yet to win a Grand Slam this calendar year.

"It's a tough tournament to win." There were questions during media day on Saturday about a "different" Federer and whether Nadal was a clear favourite for the tournament, even though the Spaniard has never been past the quarter-finals stage. The American James Blake squashed Federer's Olympic men's singles hopes in the quarter-finals in Beijing, beating Federer for the first time after winning just one set in eight previous matches.

"Well, I hope it wasn't too different," Blake said when asked which Federer he beat. "I think he definitely didn't have his best day against me, but playing him nine times - I guess he's bound to have one off day out of all of them, because there are times when I felt like there was nothing I could do." Nadal dismissed talk of a changing landscape and more pressure accompanying his rise to the top spot. "The goal is still the same and the pressure is still the same," said Nadal, who opens against the German qualifier Bjorn Phau in the Arthur Ashe Stadium.

"The goal is to continue to improve my tennis and to continue playing a very good tournament." Federer did not appear too disappointed to hand the No. 1 mantle to Nadal, at least for now. Federer spent 237 weeks at the top - basically four-and-a-half years - before Nadal replaced him last week. "Rafa will now feel what I had to feel for a very long time," Federer said. "So it will be interesting to see how he handles it, but so far he's been great and he's played so well on all surfaces now. Maybe it's nice to go into a Grand Slam for a change not having No. 1 next to me, and it should be interesting."

Andy Roddick, among the players to hand Federer one of his 12 losses this year, thinks Nadal deserves to be regarded as the favourite for the US Open simply because he is "playing the best tennis." But Roddick is not ready to give up on Federer, who is dangerously close to ending a five-year run with at least one Grand Slam singles title. "I think it's tough to play perfect for five years in a row," Roddick said. "I think one big result and it's turned around for him. I know pretty much every player except for one that would take his bad year. So I think you have to use a little bit of perspective. He's created a monster for himself."

*AP