For the first draw since last year's U.S. Open, we have all the top players entered. Everybody's back from injury or illness, and that's a good thing.

	Pam's Picks
	Shriver Former WTA Tour pro Pam Shriver is providing ESPN.com with in-depth analysis throughout the U.S. Open. Shriver, a tennis analyst for ESPN, was ranked as high as No. 3 in singles play. She won 21 singles and 112 doubles titles, including 22 Grand Slam titles.

Going into Wimbledon, people felt it would be a Williams vs. Williams final. But that same thing happening in the U.S. Open is highly questionable.

Serena has an injury; she pulled out of the tournament in Canada last week and before that lost to Chanda Rubin in the quarterfinals at L.A. Suddenly, Serena is coming into this major the opposite from the French Open -- injured and not as confident.

So, based on Serena's last couple of weeks, I give the nod to her sister Venus, the defending champ. It's really hard to win three Grand Slams in a row.

Lindsay Davenport could be a contender -- a little higher than where she was in her first three tournaments back -- going to the place where she won her first major.

Going in, we knew this draw was going to be interesting with Martina Hingis being seeded ninth for the first time in a long time. And Monica Seles is the lucky one to get her. It could be a Seles-Hingis matchup in the round of 16. They are in Venus' quarter of the draw.

At least by name and reputation, Hingis is not even playing like she did a year ago.

Chanda Rubin is also in that portion of the draw. Rubin won in Los Angeles by beating Serena Williams, Jelena Dokic and Lindsay Davenport -- in a row.

Jennifer Capriati, Kim Clijsters and Amelie Mauresmo are the three best players in the top quarter of the bottom half of the draw.

Of the three, Mauresmo is the most interesting. She's in good form after winning the title in Canada last week.

Clijsters has been injured a bit this year and she didn't have a good French Open or Wimbledon. But she's one of those players who, if she does hit her stride or gains confidence, could get past Capriati, who isn't playing well.

Capriati is in something of a slump. She hasn't won a tournament since the Australian Open. She needs to get back on the winning side of things. She has never won the U.S. Open, and hopefully for her sake she'll get fired up for it.

Serena has an interesting first round. She faces Corina Morariu, who is coming back from leukemia. And if Serena gets past her, she could play Marat Safin's little sister, Dinara Safina, in the second round.

Justine Henin could be Serena's quarterfinal opponent. Henin could play Daniela Hantuchova in the round of 16. Hantuchova is seeded 11. She's someone you need to respect in the draw and know who she is.

The bottom quarter on Serena's side of the draw is led by Davenport and Jelena Dokic. Davenport has had a successful return from knee surgery, and the Open will determine if she can raise her level. She was disappointed that she didn't win in L.A. She has a chance to win her second U.S. Open.

While Dokic has had her best 12 months ever, she could have been more competitive in a couple of matches. She really didn't play well against Rubin. Dokic also has a hamstring problem, which caused her to withdraw from the Pilot Pen. The other interesting player is Anna Kournikova, who could play Alexandra Stevenson in the second round. This time, Kournikova has won some matches coming in. She has had a better summer than spring.