Defending champions Rafael Nadal and Kim Clijsters (pictured) headline the men's and women's fields for the 2011 US Open, where the top tennis players in the world will attempt to make history.  
 
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Women's Field
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She has  barely played in the past year, but that hasn’t prevented Serena Williams being  voted as the most popular female sports star in a Harris interactive poll among  American sports fans. The poll was taken in June, at about the time Serena took  to the match court for the first time in 11 months.

Two more ‘inactive’  tennis players made the top 10, with Anna Kournikova coming in at number six and  Martina Navratilova at seven. Two more tennis players made the list, making five  of the 10. Venus Williams was second and Maria Sharapova fourth.

The US Open isn’t just about a trophy. It’s about money, and  there is a record amount of that on offer.

This year the US Open purse  will top $23.7 million, an increase of $1.1 million from last year. In addition  to the base purse of $23.7 million, the top three men’s and top three women’s  finishers in the Olympus US Open Series may earn up to an additional $2.6  million in bonus prize money at the US Open, providing a potential total payout  of $26.3 million.

Both the men’s and women’s US Open singles champions  will earn a record $1.8 million with the ability to earn an additional $1  million in bonus prize money, based on their performances in the Olympus US Open  Series. This is a 6.4 per cent increase in singles prize money over last  year.

The winner will receive $1,800,000. With a first place finish in  the US Open Series that will rise to $2,800,000, a second place takes the total  to $2,300,000 and third place $2,050,000. The US Open finalist receives  $900,000, with a first, second or third place in the US Open Series boosting the  prize money to $1,400,000, $1,150,000 and $1,025,000 respectively.

The US  Open semi-finalists win $450,000 with an additional $700,000, $575,000 or  $512,500 for a first, second or third place finish, and the quarter-finalists  win $225,000 plus a potential $350,000, $287,500 or $256,250 for a first, second  or third place finish.

Former Wimbledon and US Open finalist Mark Philippoussis  has finally given up on his ATP dream at age 34 after last playing an active  role in the sport half a decade ago.

The player whose work ethic never  matched his talent and whose knees have been the subject of six operations -  three per side - has finally admitted that he's far happier in his new life.  Philippoussis, who surfs from his southern California base near San Diego and  participates in the occasional senior event, has played TeamTennis this summer  with Boston.

"I don't really have any interest in returning to ATP," he  told the Boston Herald. "I'd love to play some events. I'm very interested in  playing some events, but I'm very happy playing senior events.

"I'm  having a lot of fun. It's a great group of guys. It's laid back. It's got a  great vibe, and I'm just really enjoying doing that. I'm not really into the  traveling. I've done so much of it over the years. I'm not really happy  traveling."

Philippoussis, who has had his share of love-life troubles  and financial worries, seems to have scaled back his ambitions. Only a few  months ago he was again dropping hints that a return to the ATP would be right  up his street.

The women's WTA event at La Costa, California, won't have  Kim Clijsters in the field starting a week from Monday but has added the three  young German players who are re-making the standing of the one-time tennis  power.

US Open champion Clijsters told officials she is still not fully  recovered form a June ankle injury which forced her to also miss Wimbledon and  is still concentrating on getting ready for the Open from August 29.

Also  out of the field is Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova, with the world No. 7  suffering with a pulled abdominal muscle. "I am sorry I am unable to play this  year but I'm still recovering from an injury that happened at Wimbledon," said  the Czech.

But riding to the rescue are the Teutonic trio of Andrea  Petkovic, Julia Goerges and Sabine Lisicki. No. 11 Petkovic, captured her second  career WTA singles title in Brisbane, and reached quarter-finals at the  Australian and French Opens in 2011.

No. 16 Goerges holds the Stuttgart  clay title while 26th-ranked Lisicki won on grass at Birmingham and reached the  Wimbledon quarters in a revival of the German game which has taken off this  season.

The event also includes entries from No. 3 Vera Zvonareva,  defending champion Svetlana Kuznetsova and former world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic.

The debate on whether tennis should be an Olympic sport and  is a Gold Medal the pinnacle of on-court achievement or will that always remain  the domain of the majors, is likely to go on throughout time but Andy Murray  insists this time next year things will be just as important for him as they are  in the last week of June and the first of July.

In 2012 the best of the  ATP World Tour and WTA roster will return to London SW19 less than a month after  the All England Championships to battle for Olympic glory rather than the  Wimbledon titles. “It's very important,” said Murray, who will spearhead the  home bid for gold. “It's right up there. All of the top players want to play in  the Olympics now.

“For all of the tennis players, playing at Wimbledon is  special at any time, but obviously now it's part of the Olympics it's something  different that we will never have experienced before. That place has got so much  history as well, so combined with the history of the Olympics will make it  amazing.”

And the Scot has the added incentive of aiming for doubles  glory alongside his brother Jamie. “It would be a pretty special experience,” he  said. “It would probably top most things we'll do in our careers if we do play  together at a home Olympics at Wimbledon."  Three years ago in Beijing almost  all the best players, with the exception of the United States’ Andy Roddick,  turned up to represent their nations and the lure of Wimbledon should ensure an  even more prestigious entry. And of course thetraditional predominantly white  clothing rule of the Championships will not be in force.

Rafael Nadal  said winning gold for Spain in Beijing was one of his proudest moments while the  Russian domination of the women’s singles podium, featuring the now retired  Elena Dementieva, Dinara Safina and Vera Zvonareva, remains one of the most  popular pictorial images in Moscow.

Murray, who made his Olympic debut as  a 21-year-old in Beijing but was beaten in the first round by Chinese Taipei’s  by Lu Yen-Hsun, continued: “When you are part of the Olympics and have been to  an opening ceremony and have stayed in an Olympic village, you see how great a  competition it is and how important it is to win medals for your country and  represent your country.

“Obviously I didn't play very well in Beijing but  it was one of the most amazing experiences I've had in sport. You move on, try  to improve and you get better. I'll make sure that I'm as well prepared as  possible for this one and try and put in a good performance. It's on the grass  at Wimbledon, I have played well there in the past, so I'll try and have another  good run.”

Murray's results did not detract from his enjoyment of the Olympics, though, with the 24-year-old adding: "The opening ceremony was unbelievable, just being around so many great athletes was inspiring.

"I really, really enjoyed it and now having it in London is going to make a huge 
difference. I'm sure they are going to put on a great show and I'm really looking forward to being part of it.

The USTA announced that 97 of the top 100 women, including  two-time defending US Open champion Kim Clijsters, and fellow singles champions  Li Na and Petra Kvitova, are entered in the women’s singles field for the 2011  US Open Tennis Championships.

Clijsters, Li and Kvitova will be joined  in the field by former US Open champions Serena Williams, Venus Williams,  Svetlana Kuznetsova and Maria Sharapova. 

Serena Williams, who won the  US Open in 1999, 2002 and 2008, utilized a special ranking to gain entry into  the field after missing nearly an entire year of competition due to injury.  Alona Bondarenko also gained entry via a special ranking.

The 2011 US  Open will be played August 29 – September 11 at the USTA Billie Jean King  National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.  Both the men’s and women’s US  Open singles champions will earn $1.8 million with the ability to earn an  additional $1 million in bonus prize money (for a total $2.8 million
potential  payout) based on their performances in the Olympus US Open Series.  

Russia’s Alisa Kleybanova will miss this year’s event following her   announcement that she is receiving treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and former world No. 1 Dinara Safina and Timea Bacsinszky will also sit out due to 
injuries.

Kim Clijsters, the reigning US Open and Australian Open champion, will have the opportunity to win her second major of the year, and fifth overall, at this year’s US Open.  She will also attempt to become the first female to win three consecutive US Open singles titles since Chris Evert (1976-78).  Additionally, she will look to extend her winning streak of 21 consecutive matches at the US Open, as she has won the title each of the last three times she has played (2005, 2009-10).  Reigning French Open and Wimbledon champions Li and Kvitova will each attempt to win her first US Open and second career major title. 

Leading the entry list is world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, who reached her first major final at the 2009 US Open.  Following Wozniacki on the entry list are No. 2 Kim Clijsters, No. 3 Vera Zvonareva, No. 4 Victoria Azarenka; No. 5 Maria Sharapova,  No. 6 Li Na, No. 7 Petra Kvitova, No. 8 Francesca Schiavone, No. 9 Marion Bartoli and No. 10 Samantha Stosur.

Other American women who received direct entry into this  year’s tournament include No. 30 Bethanie Mattek-Sands of Phoenix, the highest-ranked American in the field; No. 35 Venus Williams, No. 67 Christina McHale. No. 90 Vania King, No. 99 Coco Vandeweghe, No. 100 Melanie Oudin, No. 101 Varvara Lepchenko and No. 102 Irina Falconi. 

Misaki Doi of Japan, ranked No. 105, was the 104th and last player accepted directly into the women’s  field of 128.  Sixteen more players will gain entry through the US Open Qualifying Tournament, August 23-26, while the remaining eight spots are wild cards awarded by the USTA. 

The July 18 edition of the WTA rankings was used to determine the US Open main draw entry list.  Seeds will be determined and announced closer to the start of the event.

The first blows struck in the 2011 US Open are still more  than a month away at Flushing Meadows but former world no.1 and three times  champion Serena Williams has elected to use an injury-protected ranking to gain  entry to the concluding major of the year.

Initially 97 of the world’s  top 100 players on the WTA world rankings have been announced by the United  States Tennis Association in the provisional women’s field for the tournament,  which starts on August 29 at New York’s Flushing Meadows. 

Despite being  a 13-time major champion, Serena Williams’ ranking has
plummeted to 172nd in the  world after a playing just two tournaments in more
than a year and losing at the  fourth round in defense of her Wimbledon title.
She has however contributed to  Washington Kastles 100% 14-0 record in the
regular season of World Team Tennis.

Under WTA rules, Serena has the option of using a special  injury-protected ranking to enter up to eight tournaments, including one major.  “I have nothing to lose,” she maintained. “I think that’s when people are the  most dangerous.”

Speculation is mounting Roger Rasheed could become world  no.4 Andy Murray’s full-time coach after the Australian announced his three year  liaison with Gael Monfils has come to a conclusion.

Rasheedis both good  friends and a business partner of Darren Cahill, his fellow Adelaide native, who  has been working with Murray on a part-time basis for the last three  months.

Cahill’s commitments to being a key member of the ESPN tennis  commentary team and a leading light in the adidas Development Program mean he is  unable to commit more time to working with Murray who clearly is in need of a  full-time coach as he strives to narrow the gap between himself and the leading  three players in the world game; newly crowned Wimbledon champion Novak  Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
 
Rasheed, aged 42 and a former  Australian Rules footballer who spent three
and a half years coaching former  world no.1 Lleyton Hewitt, is a known admirer of Murray and has a good  understanding with the player’s mother Judy.

Announcing the split with  seventh ranked Monfils on Twitter, Rasheed said:
“After three years, Gael and I  think that the time has come for us to separate.
I enjoyed the challenge and I  wish Gael the best.”

And Rasheed added in another Tweet: “Next coaching  challenge? Can’t wait!”

Monfils and Rasheed forged an unlikely  relationship in July 2008 when the 24-year-old Frenchman first broke through as  a top ten player. He has subsequently reached two French Open quarter finals and  got to the last eight once at the US Open but many believe he has still not come  close to fulfilling his potential.
 
"We decided to stop our collaboration  by mutual agreement," said Monfils
after helping France into the semi-finals of  the Davis Cup with a comfortable
victory over Germany. "We had reached the end  of a great story. I owe him
[Rasheed] a lot. I learned a lot with him."It  went very well. We talked, we
had a good discussion. We're still very good  friends."

Monfils will now work with Patrick Chamagne who has already  been working as his fitness instructor.