Gonzo, Haas and Karlovic Look to Make The Most of Injury Protection

Joining Serena Williams on the list of players that will enter the US Open via a special clause are Fernando Gonzalez from Chile, German Tommy Haas, and Ivo Karlovic of Croatia. The trio have enjoyed injury-protected rankings throughout 2011, due to absences from the court lasting longer than six months.

Gonzalez, one of just four Chileans in the top 300 on the ATP World Singles Rankings, is currently ranked 297th in the world and players ranked higher than 101st do not usually receive direct entry to the Grand Slam event. Those looking at the US Open Men's betting odds will be wondering how he will get on.

The 30-year-old has ranked as high as fifth in the world, but a knee injury sustained at the 2010 US Open ended his attempt on the Grand Slam, and threatened to bring the curtains down on his career. "I'm worried and I'll have to see what will happen”, he said, at the time.

Tommy Haas has been absent from professional competition for over a year and stands at a miserable 579th in the world, with just 40 points. Haas underwent surgery to his right hip and right elbow on February 21 and March 23 2010, respectively. He made a return to tennis in April 2011, contesting the BMW Open in Munich with doubles partner, Radek Stepanek.

Haas is likely to be ranked 18th at Flushing Meadows, next month, while Gonzo could step out onto the court as the 11th best player in the world. Whether the two players will be able to do their rankings justice is debatable, especially given the recurrent nature of Gonzalez's knee problem. Anyone following the men's tennis betting should bear this in mind.

Finally, Karlovic, who holds the record for the fastest serve ever, at 251km/hr, injured his achilles tendon at Wimbledon in 2010. The 6ft 10in player was absent for much of last year, making a return at the Australian Open in January 2011. The Croat's protected ranking is much harder to discern, but mid-thirties is a possibility.