Can Andy Roddick stake his claim at the US Open?

At odds of just 5/2, it would appear that Rafa Nadal is going to be unstoppable in this year's US Open.

However, men's tennis has been a little more open than usual this season, so is there a chance that someone could sneak through and snatch the title from under his nose? I would say yes.

The most obvious reason to oppose him is the fact that he has never won the event. Admittedly, he has made it to the semi-finals on his last two visits to Flushing Meadows, but that doesn't mean he will be able to go one better this season.

His Gran Slam form has been in recent months, he clocked up both the French Open and Wimbledon, but he's clearly beatable, a quarter final exit in the Australian Open shows that. At the moment, I think tennis odds of 5/2 are not great value.

So who could come through to challenge him? Well, the usual names will be bounded about and the likes of Roger Federer and Andy Murray are all in with a chance.

However, one less heralded player could make a massive impact. Andy Roddick may be largely disappointing on some surfaces, most notably clay, but he's still able to dominate hard courts and his US Open record reflects that. Since 2001 he has won the event, been beaten in the final once and made it to the quarter-finals on five occasions. That's a fantastic achievement.

Currently the tennis betting makes him a 14/1 shot and, given that he should be able to make it to the later rounds before he encounters any of the big boys of world tennis, that looks a very attractive price.

His record in the US is great, and he could easily add a second title.