US Open 2013: Experts' picks for the men's draw

3. Dangerous floater

Bernard Tomic

Haresh Ramchandani: Frenchman Nicolas Mahut has climbed from No. 240 in the world in June to No. 80 in the latest rankings – thanks to two grasscourt titles. The 31-year-old plays 21st seed Mikhail Youzhny in the first round and if he wins that one, he could go deeper in New York than he ever has in the past (career-best performance at the US Open: second round).

SivaramL: I know I am betting big when I say Bernard Tomic could be the dangerous floater at the Open, but the draw appears to be kind enough for him to get into the second week for a potential fourth round match against Roger Federer. Tomic would probably want to say: “Let Roger reach the Round of 16!” about that potential clash, but I hope he lets his tennis do the talking this time.

Virendra: Russian Nikolay Davydenko, the man with those ultra-quick feet, finds himself in the bottom half of the men’s draw. Davydenko has had some of his best Grand Slam performances at Flushing Meadows, having made the semi-finals twice here. He also happens to be one of the few players on tour with a winning record against Rafael Nadal (6-5), who he could potentially face in Round 3.

Roh: Martin Klizan caused a flurry of upsets at the 2012 US Open which promptly thrust him into the limelight. Though the youngster has been quite muted since then, a return to the seat of his breakthrough can be a perfect opportunity for him to turn things over to his advantage.

Ram Narayanan: For Bernard Tomic it has been another controversial year right from the start of the season, especially off the court. But the talented Australian has a lot to prove on the court, and he will be due for a strong showing sooner or later. With only one title this year, and on the receiving end of his critics’ words all the time, Tomic has nothing to lose. Some day he is bound to come good, and for all we know, that day might come at this year’s US Open.

BallnRacquet: Alexandr Dolgopolov missed being seeded in the draw by a whisker. And as an unseeded player, he will likely prove to be a nightmare for many players with his unorthodox and unpredictable style of play. He could meet Mikhail Youzhny and Tommy Haas in the second and third rounds respectively, both of which are winnable matches for him.

Sumer: Seeing the Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov unseeded is very surprising considering his talent, but it also means dangerous times for the rest of the players in the draw. When he’s on his game Dolgopolov can challenge anyone, and an upset to his name would not surprise me at all.

Musab Abid: It seems impossible to get rid of Lleyton Hewitt, doesn’t it? The battle-hardened Aussie veteran continues to chug along, and continues to give unexpected fits to his higher-ranked peers. He is drawn to meet Juan Martin del Potro in the second round (although his first round against Brian Baker is no gimme); del Potro will likely have at least one sleepless night about that over the next few days.