An Email Conversation With: Former tennis player Jim Courier

Assessing Murray's US Open chances; Fancying Federer to shine once again; Still slugging it out with Pistol Pete

You've been playing on grass at Newport, Rhode Island, this weekend in the Outback Champions Series, which your company runs. Until you retired from the main tour you were regarded as one of the fittest players in tennis. Are you now the strongest on the seniors circuit? We play best-of-three-set matches, with champions' tie-breakers for the third set, so I don't have to train at the level I did in my twenties. I'm in very good shape, but I certainly don't push myself in the way I used to. I don't think my body would be able to sustain that sort of training. I'm pleased with my life in tennis now. I enjoy being involved in the Outback Championship Series, commentating for TV, getting involved in the promotional side and giving something back with the charity efforts we make at all of our tournaments.

You've played Pete Sampras this year. How did you get on? Pete's playing beautifully. He beat me in Greece and in an exhibition match in New York about a month ago. He's serving huge and ripping the forehand. All the shots are there.

Do you agree with those who say he could still be a contender on the ATP tour? Pete is one of the all-time greats and, when you consider he's only 36, I think we'd all be a little narrow-minded if we thought he couldn't compete with the top guys today. Pete's first and second serves were two of the biggest weapons we've ever seen, which instantly makes him competitive, but he's not putting in what would be necessary physically for today's game. The balls are travelling faster than ever. He would have to commit to two or three months of intense physical training, which he clearly is not going to do.

Let's talk about the US Open, starting today in New York. Roger Federer has lost six matches this year, one more than in 2006. Is he vulnerable? I don't think so. Last year was extraordinary. It would have been virtually impossible to replicate that. He's won so many close matches when he's had off days. What he's done this year might just pale a little bit in comparison, but it's still truly remarkable.

In Masters events this month Rafael Nadal lost to Novak Djokovic in Montreal and retired against Juan Monaco in Cincinnati. Do you think he might be at the start of a lean spell like the one he went through last year? In Cincinnati he looked fatigued and a bit disorientated, but he played really high-quality tennis in Montreal. That match with Djokovic was something else. Presuming he stays fresh and isn't overscheduled, I see no reason why he shouldn't have a good second half of the season.

Djokovic has had a phenomenal year, but he lost in straight sets to Nadal in the French Open semi-finals and retired in the third set of their Wimbledon semi. Is he physically equipped to handle a fortnight-long Grand Slam event, with matches played over five sets? Djokovic's confidence, self-belief and mental stability are growing all the time and it's exciting to have another guy in the conversation. Wimbledon was unique, with all that bad weather. Djokovic had to play so many days in a row that it took its toll. Nobody could have survived the amount of tennis he had to play. Your body has to break in the end. Provided the weather and the scheduling are OK, I don't see any physical problems for him. He seems quite fit to me. He's also a player who doesn't seem to overexert himself on the court. I think Nadal exerts himself a lot more.

Andy Murray is coming back from a wrist injury. Does he have a chance in New York? He looks to be struggling. He doesn't look prepared, physically or mentally, though that's not surprising, seeing he's coming back from injury. Confidence is king in pro tennis. I don't think anyone would question Andy's skills. When he gets some matches under his belt, I'm sure he'll show again how he's a player who rises to the occasion on the biggest stages. He's a terrific talent. He's got what I call a big tennis IQ. He understands the game. He reads the court well. He plays a nice combination of counter-attack and offence. He's certainly capable of winning Slams. He's also fiery, which is fun for fans. It's a nice contrast to some other players you've had from Britain recently.

How do you see the women's singles in New York? It's an open field, with Justine Henin probably favourite. She seems to be healthy and winning in Toronto will have done her confidence a lot of good. A lot of the top players have missed tournaments through injuries or chosen not to play. Maria Sharapova's been having problems and Serena Williams has still got trouble with the thumb she injured at Wimbledon. It's hard to say where Venus is, though you learn never to rule out the Williams sisters.

Of the two young Serbs, will Jelena Jankovic or Ana Ivanovic win a Grand Slam title first? I think Jankovic is better equipped now, but in the long term Ivanovic might prove more successful.

You won four Grand Slam titles but never the US Open. How much of a regret is that? I wouldn't describe it as a regret, because I achieved more than I thought I would, but if I could have traded one of my other majors for one US Open title I would certainly have done so. I made several semis and reached the 1991 final, but Stefan Edberg then played what he described as the best match of his career. He was awesome. It felt like there was nothing I could do to change the course of the match.

See Jim and other legends of tennis in the Gibson Guitar Champions Cup on ESPN Classic, Sky Channel 442, at 11pm tomorrow

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* Born 17 August 1970 (Sanford, Florida, US)

* Height 6ft 1in (1.85m)

* Weight 13st (83kg)

* Turned pro 1988

* Career prize-money $14,034,132 (£6.98m)

* Retired 2000

* Career record 506-237

* Career titles 23 (27th in overall rankings)

* Highest ranking 1 (20.2.92)

* Grand Slam titles

Australian Open 1992, 1993

French Open 1991, 1992

* Grand Slam finals

Wimbledon 1993

US Open 1991

* Doubles career record 124-97

* Titles 6

* Highest ranking 20 (9.10.89)