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Kim Clijsters' great career ended today at the 2012 US Open. British 18-year-old, Laura Robson, played an aggressive style to pull off the upset. Too bad it was in front of a small crowd in Arthur Ashe Stadium. More importantly, Clijsters will be remembered as a champion and a great person - and maybe not in that order. So, you can be a great person and competitor. There is no need to be cold or unfriendly to try and intimidate your opponents.

Clijsters' attitude was not always embraced as positively as it is today. Before winning her first Slam many thought Kim was not mentally tough enough. In my opinion that statement does not give credit to the great Justine Henin who often stood in Clijsters' way for a Slam. Kim did get nervous in some early Grand Slam opportunities but she has more than overcome any issues with nerves. And, that is not a knock on Clijsters. The great Roger Federer has admitted dealing with nerves especially early in his career.

Three US Open championships later and Clijsters is now held in high regard as a competitor. It is hard to believe this but the last time Kim lost at the Open was 2003 against Henin. Twenty-two straight matches. Amazing, especially over a nine year span.



What I have appreciated about Clijsters is her ability to be mentally tough despite not having a big weapon on the forehand, backhand, or serve. Her weapon is her movement and ability to play defense which is great, but you have to hit a ton of balls to win that way. Where Serena can serve her way out of any break point situation, Clijsters usually has to grind her way to victory. That takes a strong mental commitment and trust in your game.

Ultimately I think we learned two very important lessons when we think about Kim Clijsters. First, you can be a nice person and finish first. Second, just because your mental game is under attack early in your career you can develop your mental toughness and become a model of it to other players.

On Day 1 of the 2012 US Open the most impressive player on the day had to be Jack Sock of Nebraska. He dominated Florian Mayer the #22 seed and won in straight sets. Sock locked confident and composed throughout the match.

I think my serve was definitely pretty reliable when I was down.  I was down Love‑30 once or twice, down Love‑40 once.  Came up with some good serves, first‑ball combos.  I think that was definitely some turning points, not letting him get a break and not letting him get some momentum back. (from USOpen.org)

There has been talk that maybe Sock is not in the greatest shape. John McEnroe talked about it during the telecast. The interesting thing on Monday was that Sock outlasted Mayer who had to retire in the third set. Sock was convincing in the win, and looked the superior player throughout. Could that be due to the injury or fatigue of a long summer for Mayer? Quite possibly. Still, it is difficult to dominate at the professional level. A player has to have weapons to be able to beat seeded players and beat them handily. Sock has a huge serve, can back it up from the baseline and also threw in some serve and volley. His serve helped him keep the momentum on his serve and allowed Mayer very few looks at a break.



Watching Sock on Monday made me believe that he could have a bright future on the professional tour. During this Open Sock has a chance to go in to the second week. In the next round he plays Cipolla. With a win, which I think he could be the favorite in the second round, he would then potentially face #11 seed Nicholas Almagro who has not been a lock at all in the past at the US Open. I think it is feasible he could make the fourth round and face Tomas Berdych or Sam Querrey.

The possibility exists for a new American male player to make a name for himself at the US Open. If Sock can show the composure and confidence he displayed against Mayer I like his chances to win at least one or two more matches. Oh, yeah, and the big serve helps, too.

John Isner is the highest-ranked American male tennis player on the ATP tour. He is known for being laid back and a very good sport, and yet, he has a fiery competitive side. This is nice temperament to have for a professional tennis player. Isner competes with the best of the tour, but he also is down-to-earth, good person. John credits his family for helping him become a mature competitor.

In the ATP's Deuce magazine John talked about how his mother supported him during his junior years living in Greensboro, North Carolina.

"My mom was the perfect tennis parent," says Isner. "She was not too demanding, but always supportive. She encouraged me to practise tennis and basketball but she never forced me into any sport." (from John Isner: The Fire Within, Deuce)

Isner adds to the evidence that you do not need an overinvolved and controlling parent to be a professional tennis player. A parent can develop a good person and a good athlete.

Furthermore, I would suggest that Isner's intrinsic motivation (or fire) to compete is partially coming from the balanced support he received as a junior. He was able to develop his passion for tennis, never being forced to do something that he did not want to do.

Parents please remember this story. The next time you are upset because your child may want to take a break from a sport and you are thinking about forcing them to play, remember that intrinsic motivation or the fire does not come from someone telling you to do something. In the long run it has to come from the athlete. Ultimately, you likely are not facilitating the development of a professional tennis player but you are facilitating the development of a happy, healthy, decent adult that has passion for tennis and can use that passion to stay fit and enjoy life.

The 2012 US Open is nearly here, but will you be watching? In my opinion there are a multitude of reasons to be watching the Open. Here are 10 reasons why the US Open is "must-watch" TV.

1. Can Serena continue to roll this summer? After winning Wimbledon and the Olympic gold medal, Williams is positioned to pull off one of the most impressive runs in recent history. Serena has been dominant, but she is a fiery competitor and must maintain control better than she did in the last two Opens. Can Serena control her anger and emotions if things are not going her way? Should be interesting to watch.

2. The Top 3 players in the Open draw are battling for supremacy over the 2012 season. With Nadal out, both Djokovic and Federer are posed to win two majors in 2012. If one of these champions is able to win seven matches he will likely secure the #1 ranking for the year as well. Meanwhile, it would be possible for Andy Murray to make a claim for having the best 2012 if he were to win his first Slam at Flushing Meadows. It will make for high drama on the final weekend.



3. Outside of the Top 3 in the draw who is most likely to make a run and win his first Open? I personally feel that Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is the player that could finally breakthrough. However, he must avoid periods of time where he loses his focus and stay locked in for two weeks. Tsonga is capable of winning the Open but he must believe in his game in the big matches for for 4-5 hours. That is what it is going to take to beat Djokovic, Federer, or Murray.

4. On the women's side, Victoria Azarenka was positively dominant the first several months of the season. However, with the resurgence of Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams, the Australian Open winner has been kind of forgotten. Can Azarenka lay claim to being the best women's player in 2012? A win over Sharapova or Serena would prove once and for all that Azarenka is #1 and potentially the next great champion on the WTA Tour.

5. Is this John Isner's time? To me Isner has big enough game to win a Slam and it could happen now. Isner beat Federer in Davis Cup in Switzerland and is always dangerous. With a huge serve and great tiebreak record Isner is capable of serving his way in to the Final and winning it all.

6. American tennis has a lot to watch when it comes to young, talented female players in the draw. Last year American woman jumped in to the spotlight and this year I expect they could do well again. Christina McHale is a consistent player on the WTA tour and Sloane Stephens is showing signs of making a breakthrough. Look for young players like Irina Falconi and Nicole Gibbs. They could make some noise in the first week of the Open. But, just how far can they go?

7. During the Open there are two times of the day that I enjoy most. During the late afternoon/early evening you often will find matches deep in the final set. There is a buzz around the grounds as fans are moving to outer courts to catch the end of these marathons. Throw in the shadows and oncoming darkness and there is an air of intensity, especially on the Grandstand. The second, more obvious time, is night tennis. Some of the most memorable and prolific matches have happened at night in New York. Few matches have surpassed the drama of Agassi-Baghadatis in Agassi's final open. Or the special quarterfinals Andre played against Sampras and Blake at night. There is usually at least one late night that goes five sets. I am hoping there are four or five of those nights!

8. My players to watch who also my dark horses on the Men's side are Juan Martin Del Potro and Milos Raonic. Del Po is playing excellent tennis, but his wrist seemed questionable in Cincinnati. He is capable of beating any one on the tour and won his only Slam here 3 years ago. Raonic, like Isner, can hold his own against the top players with his huge serve but he needs to be more consistent. These are two guys to watch because they could win seven straight in New York.

9. Six courts of tennis on Directv on the big screen in the man cave. What more do I need to say!

10. It is the last Slam of 2012. Most of the big questions will be answered in the next 2 weeks. History will be made. Make sure you are watching.

Come back to the Tennis Mental Edge blog for more analysis throughout the 2012 US Open.

On August 25th I will begin blogging about the 2012 US Open the premier tennis event in the United States and the most attended sporting event in the world. Come back to the Tennis Mental Edge blog for match analyses, quotes, and mental game lessons from the world's best as they compete for the last Grand Slam of the year.

Congratulations to 18-year-old Dennis Novikov who won USTA Hard Court Nationals at Kalamazoo by defeating Alexios Halebian 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the final. Novikov receives entry in to the main draw of the US Open and hopefully not in to the waiting arms of one of the top four men!

Serena Williams would seem to be the overwhelming favorite to win the Women's title. In the Men's draw it will be the top four again vying for another Slam. Check back here read about the mental game happening at Flushing Meadows.