Knowing me as they do, many of my friends recognize that the US Open is second only to the Tour de France. It is a time when I will faithfully watch from the beginning to the end. It is a period when I set aside my way of life for two weeks and concentrate only on tennis. It is a time when New York City becomes a part of me, even though I live far away and for the two weeks my clocks are set to EST.

What is extraordinary to me is that the action can last until well into the early hours as the evening session under floodlights can go on until well after midnight, and that is when the action can be at its most tense and exciting. We can never predict when this might happen, but a good example was last year in the match between Andre Agassi and Andrei Pavel held in the Arthur Ashe Stadium on the opening night which went the full distance.

It was special, too, because it was Agassi's farewell tournament and we wanted to savor every last moment of his final event and make sure we didn't miss the end for him. Yes, I am proud to say that I saw that memorable first-night match.

'It was Agassi's farewell tournament and we wanted to savor every last moment of his final event and make sure we didn't miss the end for him'


But then at the other end of the scale was two years ago when Andy Roddick lost in the first round. American Express had a massive campaign surrounding Roddick on “Where’s your Mojo?”  I, of course, wished Roddick a happy birthday for his early exit.

Beyond the lengths of the matches, we viewers have the women screaming, yelling and grunting and we have the men grunting and yelling. The first week is when we are more likely to see some upsets and the tension can have us on the edge of our seats.

This 128th US Open will be the first without Agassi but who will New York support this year? Amelie Mauresmo is out this year as is Lindsay Davenport, and Kim Cljisters has also retired. I'll be watching Martina Hingis and I have confidence in her abilities. Deep down I know that after two years off the circuit her chances are not good.

I have no predictions for the finals and will take each round as they happen. That is what the US Open is about for me. The best tennis players in the world are in New York for two weeks and that is why I watch, whether it is a match in which I really know each of the players or even if I don't.