The U.S. Open opened without the reigning women(***)s champion Kim Clijsters in the line-up. Three times winner Clijsters pulled out of the competition after failing to recover from a stomach injury. After a two-and-a-half year retirement, the Belgium returned to the game in 2009 by shocking the crowds beating both Williams sisters to claim her second U.S. Open title [GALLO/GETTY]
Published On 13 Sep 201113 Sep 2011
Venus Williams only managed one round at this year(***)s Open before also announcing her retirement. The American revealed to her fans she had been diagnosed with Sjogren(***)s syndrome, an autoimmune disease that can cause joint pain. Venus has won at Flushing Meadows twice in her career [GALLO/GETTY]
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Fourth seed Andy Murray was given an early shock when he went two sets down to Robin Haase (pictured) in the second round. The Brit finally fought back to win the mammoth game which led his opponent to put a tennis ball in his mouth. Whatever makes you feel better... [GALLO/GETTY]
The charismatic American Andy Roddick is a popular figure in the US despite not always being the most consistent tennis player. Here Roddick celebrates after defeating Julien Benneteau of France to make it into the last 16 in the tournament [GALLO/GETTY]
Rafael Nadal made the headlines when he collapsed dramatically in a news conference following his match with old friend David Nalbandian. Thankfully Nadal had won the match and told the media it was only cramp. What a relief! [GALLO/GETTY]
Serena Williams is through to the quarter-finals as she looks to get back to her best at Flushing Meadows after recovering from a life-threatening blood clot on her lungs. She says the Open is her mountain and if she can win the title it is likely to be the greatest achievement of her incredible career [GALLO/GETTY]
There is no sign of world number one Novak Djokovic faltering as he continues to brush off opponents in New York. Here the Serbian shakes hands with Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine after making the quarters on day eight [GALLO/GETTY]
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And the women(***)s world number one Caroline Wozniacki also looks in fine fettle as she embarks on winning her first major. The Dane fought back from a set down against Russian Svetlana Kuzenetsova to make the last 16 [GALLO/GETTY]
With the rise of Nadal and Djokovic, Roger Federer is no longer the force he once was on the tennis circuit. However, the Swiss has been in great form at the tournament so far and will be hoping to win his first Open of the season at the last Open of the season [GALLO/GETTY]
And then the rain came in. Day nine of the Open was a washout leaving half of the field waiting to complete their fourth round matches. The advantage looks to be with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer who are already through to the quarter-finals [GALLO/GETTY]
The rain continued to fall with all hands on deck to ensure the crowds saw 20 minutes of play on the three main courts at Flushing Meadows on Day 10. Rafael Nadal later said he was not happy about being forced to play in the slippery conditions [GALLO/GETTY]
When the rain finally subsided Andy Murray wasted no time in defeating Donald Young 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals. Rafael Nadal also joined Murray in the next round with victory over Gilles Muller [GALLO/GETTY]
A sweaty Roger Federer celebrates his straight sets victory over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the man who beat him in June(***)s Wimbledon quarter-final. The result sets up a juicy semi-final between Federer and world number one Novak Djokovic [GALLO/GETTY]
Another fascinating clash in the women(***)s competition will see the resurgent Serena Williams face world number one Caroline Wozniacki in the semi-finals. Serena made the semis after a 7-5, 6-1 win over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, a game delayed by two days of rain [GALLO/GETTY]
Rafael Nadal beats Andy Roddick of the United States on Day 12 to lineup a semi-final clash with Andy Murray, who put on a resilient display to defeat his American opponent John Isner [GALLO/GETTY]
Roger Federer let two sets and then two match points slip against Novak Djokovic as his hopes of a major tournament win this year disappeared. Djokovic now faces nemesis Rafael Nadal in the final who defeated number four seed Andy Murray [GALLO/GETTY]
Sam Stosur became the first Aussie to win the US Open in 38 years defeating a fired-up Serena Williams. Williams will be remembered for her vicious outburst after the umpire penalised her for shouting during a rally. But the Aussie kept her calm through the storm to secure her first grand slam title [GALLO/GETTY]
Superb Serb Novak Djokovic completes his year with victory over Rafael Nadal in the U.S. Open final. The trophy joins the Wimbledon and Australian titles he was won during a year which saw him take over Nadal as the world(***)s best player. And what a player he is! [GALLO/GETTY]
