The last Grand slam of the year starts today at the Flushing Meadows. Fresh Sports tennis pundit and writer will be looking at the men likely to win the championship.
For the first time since Indian wells 2017 Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Stanislas Wawrinka, Andy Murray and Juan Martin Del Potro will all be playing in a tournament.
Novak Djokovic looks like the man to beat on the men’s side and this is actually a proof of how hard the Serbian have worked hard since returning from the six months lay off that sidelined him from the tour for the last six months of last year. He made his comeback at the Australian Open but it wasn’t until the grass court season that he got his form back winning Wimbledon in the process and he has carried the form into the hard court swing. He became the first man to complete the golden masters after winning Cincinnati beating Roger Federer in the final. If he plays at the level he has been playing since Wimbledon it will be difficult to stop him. However Rafael Nadal who is not only the defending champion but have also been in incredible form all through the summer winning the Rogers cup, pose the major threat to Djokovic and if he could overcome a tricky first-round match against David Ferrer, he shouldn’t have a problem navigating through other matches. Also, Roger Federer who is a five-time champion in New York is always a threat even at the age of 37. He may not be playing at the level of his two main rivals yet but don’t rule out Roger. He said in his press conference that he feels ready physically and mentally having made the finals at Cincinnati despite not playing at his best, so it will be wise not to rule out Federer upsetting the odds.
One player could also be a threat to the big three is Del Potro should his wrist allow him. He is the 2009 champion, so he has what it takes to win.
Stanislas Wawrinka who is also a former champion here could also be the dark horse to win the trophy, but first, he has to overcome Grigor Dimitrov in the first round in a rematch of their Wimbledon meeting this year also at the same stage.
Andy Murray playing in his first grand slam since Wimbledon last year will also be hoping to make a statement provided he is fit enough to play the best of five matches.
Outside of the obvious picks, we have the next-gen lead by Alexander Zevrev who will be hoping to finally make a statement at a grand slam and he has hired the services of Ivan Lendl to achieve the cause. Greek sensation stefanos tsitsipas who made the final of Rogers cup is also one of the younger ones to look at along with Denis Shapovalov. Nevertheless, it promises to be two weeks of intense and exciting tennis at the last grand slam of the year. Enjoy.
