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What tennis has going for it is the unvarnished truth, which comes in the form of John McEnroe, Mary Carillo and other tennis analysts who are unafraid to take their sport to task. Their courage to speak their mind has become as dependable as a Pete Sampras forehand.

The NFL kicks off play Sept. 12, but the football players will compete for air time on their opening day with the final day of the U.S. Open. This will be the 32nd consecutive year of coverage for CBS, which it will share with cable ally USA Network. CBS has 40 hours of coverage and USA 86, with CBS' coverage beginning Monday and ending with the men's and women's finals.

McEnroe and Carillo, the Burns-and-Allen of their time, will be every bit as important to the event's Nielsen success as Pete Sampras or the Williams sisters. Tennis is one of the few sports that has voices who offer insight that stands on its own beyond the play on the court.

There's no analyst who can offer a volley of pointed criticism like McEnroe, who will work for both networks, and Carillo is just as critical without being quite as blunt.

The way they reflect the contrasts in tennis today is a perfect example. At the same time they praise women's tennis for its depth and criticism, they note that this depth hasn't stirred the masses as the U.S. Women's World Cup victory did.

"There was something nationalistic and jingoistic to watching the women's USA team compete," Carillo said. "I definitely got a kick out of it, and I've never cared a bit about soccer before. I think we always root and get more emotional for teams wearing USA jerseys. Women's tennis is an individual sport that doesn't have the promotional machinery that it deserves.

"Women's tennis actually has never been more exciting. For the last 10 months, the No. 1 ranking has gone back and forth among several players. Martina Hingis, Steffi Graf and Lindsey Davenport have all had their moments this season, a year after Jana Novotna and Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario were winning Grand Slam events.

"We're seeing Serena Williams playing great tennis, Anna Kournikova seems ready to break through, and we have a lot of good young players coming up. The sport right now is very healthy, even if we're not getting as much attention as the soccer team."

For example, the 16 seeded players in the women's draw includes Vicario and Conchita Martinez in the bottom half. Martina Hingis and Lindsey Davenport are ranked 1-2, meaning they won't meet unless it's the finals. The Williams sisters have been separated in the draw, so they won't face each other as they move on. And if Davenport repeats, she'll be the first woman to do so since Chris Evert won four in a row (1975-78).

The men's draw could produce another Sampras-Andre Agassi final, although two-time reigning chamnp Patrick Rafter will impact that if his ailing shoulder has healed. If Sampras wins, it will be his fifth U.S. Open title, tying him with Jimmy Connors for third place in all-time Open wins, and his 12th win in a major, breaking the world record he now shares with Roy Emerson at 11.

Whatever the issue, the analysts have opinions that can easily draw in the casual viewer. Examples:

McEnroe, on women's prize money: "There is no argument left to support unequal prize money between the men and the women, and people don't care that men play five sets and women play three. My position has changed to the degree that men have more to worry about when it comes to unequal prize money than women."

Carillo, on new star Alexander Stevenson: "She is real green and raw. But she likes the limelight. She wants the attention and the pressure, just like Venus (Williams), and that's great. We sometimes see young players quail from the limelight.

John McEnroe was one of the best as a player and he's equally as good in the broadcast booth.(Allsport)

Both, on Graf's decision to retire:

Carillo: "It's a pity, but I'm not surprised she did it. She didn't want a victory lap. After playing with so much joy at the French, I thought she played Wimbledon under duress. I don't think she can emotionally, physically and mentally fire up enough to win a major any more. And I think I know her well enough to say she won't change her mind."

McEnroe: "To be honest, there were many years when she looked miserable playing. I actually thought she looked happier at Wimbledon than a lot of other matches. Her play is still right there, so I was by surprised by her decision."

McEnroe, on the weekly rankings: "Five different men have been ranked No. 1 this season. Does it really matter? It's a pathetic, overblown attempt to raise interest in the sports, as opposed to raising interests from the grass roots level. I know you need rankings to seed tournaments, but it's all so misleading. Let's wait until the end of the year to say which player is No. 1.

"There are so many other things that are more important, like making players more accessible to the fans, doing more charity functions, getting more kids involved in the sport, and making more public contact. Instead, we waste timing talking about who's ranked No. 1."