Novak Djokovic will stride into the US Open as the favorite for the first time ever and not just as any kind of leading man but one with the look of a guy who is all but unbeatable when he's on his game on hard courts.

The new No. 1 just lost his first match of the year on concrete in the final of Cincinnati to 2009 US Open finalist Andy Murray, and that was due to a retirement, as his shoulder was quite sore after a long season of standout play when he's only lost two matches. While Murray scored the victory, there is no question that Djokovic is the man to beat, having become the first player in history to win five ATP Masters 1000 titles in one season (three of which were on North American hard courts at Indian Wells, Miami and Toronto), taking the Australian Open and Wimbledon titles and besting former No. 1 Nadal in a remarkable five different finals.

John McEnroe, who will be calling the action for ESPN and CBS, called the Serbian a substantial favorite.

“He's unbelievable,” he said. “There is no question about it that he's a big favorite. When you have guys like Nadal defending the championship and Federer and Murray, who I assume should be hungrier than ever and more desperate than ever the way things have been going, I can't say overwhelming, especially with the pressure that he'll be feeling, but certainly a big favorite. I just want to see Nadal play Federer [for the first time] at the Open. So in a way, if it's the semis, I'm good with that. That would mean whomever won that would be playing with a lot more confidence when and if they had to play Djokovic.”

Djokovic will enter the US Open with a 57-2 season record, similar to that of what John McEnroe had in 1984, when the American entered the US Open with only two losses on the season and stopped archrivals Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl en route to his fourth US Open crown.

John's younger brother Patrick, who is the head of USTA Player Development and also an ESPN commentator, expects defending champions Nadal and Federer to put up a strong fight. Nadal served as big as he ever did in knocking off Djokovic for the 2010 US Open crown, while Federer won the tournament five straight years between 2004-08.

“You have two of the greatest players of all time who will be extremely motivated,” Patrick McEnroe said. “For Federer, it's been a pretty disappointing year by his standards, so you know he'll be motivated. If he's got to play Rafa and potentially Novak back-to-back at 30, that's going to be really tough for him. But Nadal will be extremely motivated, so he's going to want to show that he can get back to No. 1. And if he wins the Open, he's certainly got a case, depending on how the rest of the year goes, to finish No. 1 or at least be in the conversation. But what Djokovic has done this year has just been off the charts.”

There are many reasons why Djokovic has hit his stride this year. Most of his elite foes will say he's always had a standout game, but his forehand is bigger than it used to be and it's more consistent, his first serve has once again become a hard-to-read weapon, and he is willing to go on offense more quickly and can still pay outstanding defense.

With all that said, funny things have happened to favorites before at the US Open, and there are plenty of men who want to show that they should not be forgotten, such as 2009 US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro, who missed last year's tournament with a wrist injury but who could win the title again if he can rediscover the power on his serve and accuracy with his blazing forehand. Other players from outside the United States who could be major factors include Frenchmen Gael Monfils and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Czech Tomas Berdych, Swede Robin Soderling and Spaniards David Ferrer and Fernando Verdasco.

American Mardy Fish, who is having his best season ever at the age of 29, will enter the tournament as a top-8 seed for the first time after winning the hard-court tournament in Atlanta, reaching the finals of Los Angeles and Toronto and the semifinals of Cincinnati. Fish has never reached the final four in New York but is the only true serve-and-volleyer in the top-10 mix and should be very effective on the quick court in Arthur Ashe stadium. His good friends - 2003 US Open champion Andy Roddick and former No. 4 James Blake - will certainly want to make some noise again, while No. 28 John Isner has picked up his play as of late, and teenagers Ryan Harrison and Jack Sock will look to entice fans to come over to their matches and watch them while they are on the rise.

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“Mardy's obviously playing the best tennis of his life," John McEnroe said. “The tough part for anyone that's not at that elite level, they have to beat two or three other guys if they're actually going to win a major. To be able to do that is unbelievably difficult. Mardy is in this great headspace and obviously fitness-wise. He's in as good a position as he could possibly be in. I think Isner's not as dangerous as he could be because he's chosen to play a style typical more or less of most of the other players. I'd like to see him take more chances and be even more of a headache to play against him than it already is.”

Former Davis Cup Captain Patrick McEnroe says that Roddick, who has been battling injuries for much of this year, is a question mark, but he would like to see him cut loose more.

“For me, he's still playing a little bit too defensively,” Patrick McEnroe said. “I'd like to see him try to step in and cut the court off a little bit more and come forward a little bit more. But he's pretty stubborn, which is part of the reason he's had a lot of success, but I think it could be getting in his way a little bit now.”