US Open

From on-court training to lung-bursting sprints, gym and yoga studio work, Andy Murray has worked tirelessly with his dedicated team over the past 12 months to transform himself from tour danger man to a genuine contender at Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai.

With the ATP taking on a new look in 2009, many questions have come up.

From marketing changes, to revamped naming conventions of elite events, to stiffer penalties rendered, the tour is hoping for a more fan-friendly, healthier and streamlined structure. Here are 10 salient questions that will provide some clarity for the upcoming season.

1. How does the new tournament structure work?

By design, very simply:

Grand Slams (4): Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, U.S. Open

Great Britain’s Andy Murray qualified to make his debut at Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai after a stellar summer that saw him clinch his first ATP Masters Series shield and reach his first Grand Slam final.

Novak Djokovic became the first Serbian to capture a Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open in January, when he beat Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(2). He had clinched his second Tennis Masters Cup appearance in July.

At 20 years, 250 days, he was the fourth-youngest Australian Open winner in the Open Era and also the first first-time Grand Slam champion since Rafael Nadal won Roland Garros in June 2005.

In August, he secured Serbia a bronze medal in the singles competition at the Olympic Games in Beijing (d. Blake).

 A weary Roger Federer will pace himself carefully for the rest of the season, the world number two said on Monday.

The five-times U.S. Open champion pulled out of last week's Stockholm Open saying he needed a rest but returns at this week's Madrid Masters.

Federer has not played since helping Switzerland beat Belgium in their Davis Cup World Group playoff three weeks ago.

"I'm still very tired. I felt I just needed some rest. I wasn't sure how much was needed," he told a news conference.

Andy Murray returns to ATP Tour action at the Madrid Masters this week feeling refreshed from his recent break - but the world number four knows he will be afforded little time to find his rhythm again.

Murray has been enjoying some well-earned time off since representing Great Britain in their Davis Cup clash against Austria three weeks ago, and his appearance in the Spanish capital this week will be his first Tour event since reaching the US Open final.

 Andy Roddick, the top remaining seed in the men's draw at the China Open, said Thursday that the game in the United States is in good health despite no Grand Slam titles in five years.

Roddick, who won his second round match in Beijing against compatriot Brendan Evans 6-4, 6-3, was the last US player to win a major -- the US Open in 2003.

Defending champions the United States were beaten in the semi-finals of the Davis Cup by Spain over the weekend, with Roddick part of the losing team.

U.S. Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe is hopeful the absence of two key players won’t affect the defending champion’s semifinal against Spain.

Top-ranked Rafael Nadal leads a strong clay-court team against the Americans, who are without James Blake and injured doubles player Bob Bryan. The best-of-five series starts Friday with two singles matches at the 21,000-seat Las Ventas bullfighting arena.

On-court action and drama weren't the only memories we were left with from the US Open this year. After their matches, the stars of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour gave us something to think about in their press conferences. The following is a collection of some of the best quotes.