Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Alexander Zverev are out for the US Open and there is also a question mark behind Rafael Nadal’s form. Does that make defending champion Daniil Medvedev the big favourite?
The starting position before the Grand Slam tournament in New York is more exciting for men than it has been for a long time. The main reason for this is the absence of high-flyer Novak Djokovic, who is not allowed to enter the USA due to the lack of a corona vaccination. “Djokovic’s absence makes the tournament much more open,” believes tennis expert Heinz Günthardt.
“It is quite conceivable that we will see a winner who wins a Grand Slam tournament for the first time,” says the 63-year-old in an interview with blue Sport (in the video at the beginning of the article). In addition to Djokovic, two other big names, Alexander Zverev and Roger Federer, are not at the start. Who can benefit from it? The big check of favorites before the start of the tournament on Monday.
According to bookmakers, the defending champion is also a top favourite. However, Medvedev has not seemed untouchable in recent weeks. After the forced break in Wimbledon, the Russian won the tournament in Los Cabos, Mexico, at the beginning of the month, but shortly afterwards had to say goodbye in Montreal after losing to Kyrgios in the first round. In Cincinnati he is defeated in the semifinals by Stefanos Tsitsipas. At least the opening game against the American Stefan Kozlov shouldn’t be a big hurdle for Medvedev.
How fit is the four-time US Open champion? Since July in Wimbledon, where the Spaniard cannot play Kyrgios in the semifinals due to injury, Nadal has only played one tournament. At the comeback in Cincinnati he has to take a defeat against Borna Coric right at the start. The 36-year-old has long since proven that Nadal can win matches and tournaments even after suboptimal preparation. “I hope that I can be competitive with the means I have today,” Nadal dampened expectations before the duel with Australian Rinky Hijikata. But that doesn’t have to mean anything for the Spaniard either.
A year ago, the Spaniard advanced to the quarter-finals in Flushing Meadows and thus announced his great ambitions at the highest level for the first time. He is impressively demonstrating this in the first half of the current season and has won four titles in Rio de Janeiro, Miami, Barcelona and Madrid. The preparatory tournaments in Montreal and Cincinnati did not go as hoped for the 19-year-old, but number 3 on the seeding list is already one of the bookmakers’ top favourites.
The bad boy can tap his enormous potential more and more consistently. Only stopped in the final of Wimbledon, he played his way to victory in Washington at the beginning of August. Shortly afterwards in Montreal he beats world number 1 with Medvedev, but fails in the quarterfinals because of Hurkacz. Most recently it has put a damper on Cincinnati, but the Australian is one of the big contenders for the title with a record of 17: 3 wins in the last 20 games. Provided Kyrgios survives the awkward task at the start against his good friend and compatriot Thanasi Kokkinakis.
Borna Coric is the man of the hour on the ATP tour. The Croatian put the entire competition in their place in Cincinnati, beating Nadal, Auger-Aliassime and Tsitsipas on the way to the title, losing just one set. The draw in New York also means well with Coric, who meets a qualifier first. Expert John McEnroe believes the 25-year-old is capable of the really big hit: “Borna looked better to me in Cincinnati than everyone else. (…) He’s one of those who can win the US Open.”
The list of potential co-favorites is long. These include Stefanos Tsitsipas, Jannick Sinner, Taylor Fritz and Félix Auger-Aliassime. And with a bit of wishful thinking, Stan Wawrinka should not be forgotten from a Swiss point of view.
Since its comeback, the Romand has had a hard time getting going and has recently suffered five bankruptcies in a row. But Wawrinka is one of the few players in the tableau who knows how to win the last Grand Slam tournament of the year. At his last appearance in New York in 2019, the Swiss suggested Novak Djokovic and advanced to the quarter-finals. Experience has shown that if the Swiss survives the first laps unscathed, he is no longer that easy to stop.
