My picks for the possibly exciting games for the first round:

Djokovic / Troiki – Djokovic hasn’t been at his tempestuous best, and Troiki can hit a good ball. I see Djokovic through in 4.

Bagdatis / Clement – Clement is no slouch, but Bagdatis has been getting better and better. Watch his cross court backhand passing shot for perfection, beautiful! Great shot maker, but a bit slow around the court. Bagdatis in 4.

Hewitt / Mathieu. Watching Hewitt is great. He’s such a fighter, and getting better and better after coming off his injury. I see him meeting the Fed in the third round and it being a good to great match. Hewitt in 3 or 4. He likes to get a feel for his shots.

Gulbis / Chardy. Gulbis is ALWAYS entertaining to watch. He’s like a combination of McEnroe and that crazy eastern European guy I can’t remember the name of. He’s got crazy good shots and ability, but his head gets in the way. Once (if) he gets his head straight, he’ll be top 10. This one could go either way, depends what mood Gulbis is in, but I give it to him on form coming into the Open. Gulbis in 4.

Nadal will breeze through to the ¼ finals. Nalbandian and Murray are the ones to watch out for. Mardy Fish (US) could also make a good play for the quarters or even semis if he keeps up his good form. He had Federer on the ropes but failed to deliver the final blow in the Toronto (or was it Cinncimati) tournament.