Can Andy Murray retain his US Open crown?

After the euphoria of his incredible Wimbledon triumph last month, you could be forgiven for forgetting Andy Murray actually won his first grand slam title almost 12 months ago on the courts of Flushing Meadows as he won the US Open.

That Monday night, September 10th 2012 will live long in the memory for anyone who watched Murray's historic five-set win over Novak Djokovic. It represented the culmination of years of struggle for Murray coming to an end as he won his first major title at the fifth time of asking.

Now, after winning Wimbledon to collect a second slam title, Murray can really stamp his authority on the tennis world by defending his US Open crown. However, that will be easier said than done.

The draw hasn't been the kindest to the man from Dunblane, but as we know now you write off Murray at your peril these days in Grand Slams.

Here is Murray's potential route to glory in New York:

Round 1- Michael Llodra (World Ranking-49)
The 33 year-old Frenchman shouldn't pose too many problems for Murray as he kicks off his campaign. Llodra is more of a doubles specialist these days and has had a decidedly mixed 2013 so far winning 12 out of 22 matches. 
However, he did reach the semi finals of the Paris Masters last year defeating Juan Martin Del Potro and John Isner along the way. But with Murray thumping him last year in straight sets in the Australian Open, he should do so again.

Round 2- Victor Hanescu (World Ranking- 54)
The Romanian should again be taken care of with relative ease by Murray. Like Llodra, he is now in his 30s and never poses any real threat to the top players. 
Furthermore he has never been beyond the second round at the US Open, so if Murray is on-song he should get through to the last 32 without too much fuss.

Round 3- Juan Monaco (World Ranking- 32)
The Daily Mail's guide on Friday dismissed Monaco as a journeyman but I think this won't be the easiest tie for Murray. He's is still an obvious clear favourite to beat the Argentinian, but Monaco was ranked as high as 10th in the world just over a year ago and has twice reached the 4th round of this tournament in 2007 and 2011. Murray should win in straight sets, but I wouldn't be surprises if this goes to 4 sets.

Round 4- Nicolas Almagro (World Ranking- 15)
The World Number 15 from Spain should await Murray in Round 4. It won't be all plain sailing for Murray against a consistent performer, but there can be no doubting Almagro is more of a clay-court specialist having reached the French Open quarter finals three times, including in 2008 when he beat Murray. 
However, over the last few years Murray has become accustomed to starting the second week of grand slams in top fashion and I'd expect him to have few issues against Almagro.

Quarter Final- Tomas Berdych (World Ranking- 5)
This is where things start to get a whole lot trickier for Murray. I'm rather worried about this potential match-up as Berdych is a real bogeyman for the Wimbledon hero. He beat him comfortably in Cincinnati just over two weeks ago and has won six out of their ten meetings. 
His forehand and big serve seem to really trouble Murray, but the Scot can take comfort in the fact that one of his wins came in last years US Open semi-final.
Berdych can be described as erratic, and Murray has much more big game experience than him. I'd tip Murray to win in five sets if this match-up occurs.

Semi-Final- Novak Djokovic (World Ranking- 1)
What a mouthwatering prospect this is but Murray would have preferred this to come in the final I would suspect. Murray will clearly have to be at his best to beat Djokovic but comes into this knowing that he beat him here last year and the Wimbledon final this year. The two of them have developed a fantastic rivalry and it really is a match that could be decided on the toss of a coin. 
If Murray gets his strategy bang on like he did at Wimbledon he will secure a place in the final. But Djokovic is such a machine, that you fancy him to be raring to atone for that Wimbledon loss.

Final- Rafael Nadal- (World Ranking- 2)
If Murray makes his second consecutive US Open final, it is likely he will have to beat the Spaniard who you can never write off. I will happily admit that I thought he was going to struggle again after his shock first-round loss at Wimbledon but he has been in brilliant form in the hard-court summer season so far winning the Montreal and Cincinnati Masters titles.
He would have to get by Roger Federer in a potentially brilliant quarter-final, but I'd fancy the in-form Spaniard to get past the ageing Swiss man.
Murray has a poor record against Nadal, only winning five of their 18 matches, but the better news for Murray is that those wins have all come on hard courts. And he did beat Nadal on his way to the 2008 US Open final and if this final did occur, you have to wonder about Nadal's knees after two brutal weeks on this surface.

Prediction: Murray to fall just short after a five-set epic semi-final with Djokovic, who will go onto beat Nadal in the final in two weeks.

Obviously I hope I'm wrong in that prediction. 

English Championship Preview: Runners and Riders

The English Championship kicks off in earnest at 12.15 today when Burnley take on Bolton in a northwest derby before a whole host of other teams kick off at the traditional time of 3pm, with Derby and Blackburn playing on Sunday.

For my money, the English second tier always delivers season after season in terms of excitement, drama and unpredictability. If I am being honest, it is one of my favourite leagues to watch in the world. With that in mind, here I take a look at some of the teams I reckon will do well this season and those that will be at the wrong end of the table.

The Promotion Candidates
QPR:  The Londoners were one of the three sides relegated from the Premier League last season and whilst they have lost some of their squad including Christopher Samba, Djibril Cisse and Jamie Mackie, manager Harry Redknapp has bought pretty shrewdly so far bringing in free-scoring Charlie Austin from Burnley and midfielder Karl Henry from Wolves amongst others. With their spending power and squad, they should win the division. However, I have to question Redknapp's ability to be tactically astute enough to win one of the toughest leagues in the world.

Reading: Reading are my own personal favourites for the league. Nigel Adkins is a man that knows this league inside out, having won promotion with Southampton in the league two years ago. The bonus for the Royals is that they have managed to keep their squad from last season, which has some very good talent in it in all areas of the park. They've also brought in Royston Drenthe, which is something of a coup for Adkins.

Watford: Gianfranco Zola's side will be looking to put last seasons play-off final and final day heartache by mounting a promotion charge this season. There seems to be controversial questions constantly surrounding the Hornets over their agreement with Udinese, but I have never really seen the fuss to be honest. Football is all about marketing these days and I think Zola should be applauded for bringing new talent into the Championship. With that in mind and backed with a good style of football, they can go very close this season.

Wigan Athletic:  I'm still tipping Wigan to do well despite losing manager Roberto Martinez to Everton in the summer. New boss Owen Coyle has had his problems in recent times, but he did an excellent job with Burnley in this division and has a squad capable of beating most teams in the Championship. Led by new striker Grant Holt, they should make the play-offs at least.

The Dark Horses

Bolton: I think Dougie Freedman's side could surprise a lot of people this season. The Wanderers finished last season very strongly and will be going into the new season full of confidence. I rate Freedman hugely as a man-manager and in attacking terms, he has a lot to choose from including new striker Jermaine Beckford.

Nottingham Forest: Another side who finished the previous campaign strongly and in Billy Davies, they have a manager who is something of a Championship specialist. Jamie Mackie is a great signing for this level and you have to fancy them to reach the play-offs at least.

Ipswich Town:  Mick McCarthy's men are my real outside bet, but are worth keeping an eye on. It's pushing it to say they can win the league after finishing 14th last season, but they've shown good form in pre-season and McCarthy is certainly confident- saying they are aiming for the top six.

Relegation Strugglers:

Yeovil Town: It will be nothing short of a miracle if Gary Johnson's men stay up. They did remarkably well to get promoted last season but surely this is a bridge too far. However, they love fighting against the odds, so you never know they might just surprise everyone.

Doncaster:   The League One champions will be at the wrong end of the table despite signing One Directions Louis Tomlinson in a bizarre stunt on Thursday. New manager Paul Dickov did well at Oldham, but faces a big test of his credentials especially if they get off to a slow start.

Barnsley:  The Yorkshiremen have hovered around the relegation zone for a number of years and only avoided dropping down to League One on the final day last season. Expect a season of struggle for David Flitcroft's side.

My 2013-2014 Championship Table

1. Reading
2. Bolton
3. Watford
4. QPR
5. Notts Forest
6. Wigan
7. Ipswich
8. Leicester
9. Brighton
10. Leeds
11. Derby
12. Middlesbrough
13. Blackburn
14. Birmingham
15. Blackpool
16. Charlton
17. Burnley
18. Millwall
19. Bournemouth
20. Sheffield Wednesday
21. Huddersfield
22. Doncaster
23. Barnsley
24. Yeovil