When you're the elite like
Roger Federer,
Rafael Nadal,
Novak Djokovic and even
Andy Roddick, unless you've been injured and you're looking for last-minute match play, you take the week before a Slam off. If you're "the rest," you're still chasing points and prize money up to the last minute before the
US Open begins.
Top 10ers
Nikolay Davydenko,
Tommy Robredo, and
James Blake are the headliners this week at the Pilot Pen Tennis in
New Haven, where Davydenko is the defending champ.
Blake, the former Connecticut resident on the top of his game after losing last week to Federer in the Masters Series-
Cincinnati final, after a bye will face the winner of Frenchman
Arnaud Clement and a qualifier. The top-seeded Dayvydenko opens against American Donald Young, who won his opening-round match against
Amer Delic on Sunday.
Other Top 8 seeds are
David Ferrer, Paul-Henri Mathieu,
Jarkko Nieminen,
Filippo Volandri and
Potito Starace.
The lower eight seeds in the event are Dominik "The Dominator" Hrbaty,
Nicolas Almagro, "Dr."
Ivo Karlovic, Fernando "Hot Sauce" Verdasco,
Gilles Simon,
Igor Andreev, Gael "Force" Monfils and last year's runner-up
Agustin Calleri.
