The 136th edition of the US Open is only five days away now and all eyes will be on the final Grand Slam of the year. This year’s US Open is bound to be exciting as many of the top ranked players will be back in action after missing out on the Olympics owing to injury or Zika virus fears.
Given the amount of upsets that were caused during the Wimbledon Championships, Rio Olympics and the Cincinnati Masters, we can hardly say that Novak Djokovic will be the only favorite to lift the winners’ trophy on the 11th of September as there are a couple of players who are bound to give them a tough fight.
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With five days to go before the Arthur Ashe stadium gets jam-packed, let’s take a quick look at some of the favorites in the men’s singles tournament.
#5 Juan Martin Del Potro
The 2009 Champion might be ranked 141st in the world, but his recent performances in the Rio Olympics are enough to say that Del Potro is back. He returned to tennis this February after taking a two-year hiatus from the sport owing to a wrist injury and from No. 1048, he has risen up the rankings quickly and is currently ranked 141st in the world.
Del Potro was a giant killer during the Rio Olympics, beating favorite Novak Djokovic in the first round in straight sets before beating Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals. He eventually lost in the final to Andy Murray and ended up with a silver medal which was sufficient to grant him a wildcard for the US Open.
Del Potro will be a heavy dark horse coming into the tournament and provided he maintains his good form then he is bound to give the top players a run for their money
#4 Kei Nishikori
The World No.6 has put up a series of good performances since his fourth-round exit at Wimbledon. Nishikori made it to the final of the Rogers Cup before giving Japan its first tennis medal at the Olympics in 96 years by winning the bronze medal at the Men’s singles tournaments, beating 2008 gold medalist Rafael Nadal in the bronze medal play-off.
Nishikori will be a dangerous dark horse ahead of the US Open as his balanced play that enables him to hit powerful groundstrokes in addition to wearing out his opponent makes him a very dangerous opponent to face. If the 2014 runner-up can continue his good run of form, then he could well be a player everyone should be wary of.
#3 Rafael Nadal
Despite concerns over his wrist injury, Nadal played at the Rio Olympics and put up a good show, reaching the semi-finals of the singles tournament and winning the gold medal at the Men’s doubles tournament. The King of Clay has surely redeemed himself at Rio and will be looking to put up a much better showing at Flushing Meadows.
Injuries prevented Nadal from playing at his best but now he has returned to full fitness and is a heavy dark horse to win the title if not a favorite. Since beating Novak Djokovic to win his ninth French Open title in 2014, Nadal’s performances in Grand Slams deteriorated as in the Grand Slams that have followed, he has only made it to the quarter-finals twice.
However, this time it is bound to be different for the fourth seed as he looks to win a third US Open title and a fifteenth Grand Slam title.
#2 Andy Murray
This year has possibly been Andy Murray’s best year so far, as he has been in the form of his life. After losing in two straight Grand Slam finals at the Australian Open and the French Open, Andy reunited with his former coach Ivan Lendl and this reunion has elevated his performance level, as he won a second Wimbledon title and a month later, became the first ever singles player to defend an Olympic gold.
Ever since winning the title four years ago, Murray’s performances at the US Open haven’t been very good at the tournaments that have followed. A quarter-final finish in 2013 and 2014 have been the best he has been able to do and last year he wasn’t even able to make it to the quarters, losing to Kevin Anderson in the fourth round.
However, this year, the World No.2 is a heavy favorite to take the title and given his consistent form, there is a good possibility he might win.
#1 Novak Djokovic
Nole began the year brilliantly by winning a sixth Australian Open title and a maiden French Open title, thus completing a career slam which was dubbed by the media as the Nole Slam. However, the last few months have been quite disappointing for Djokovic as he bowed out of the third round of the Wimbledon and lost in the opening round of the Rio Olympics after winning the Rogers Cup.
This was the first time Djokovic lost in the opening round of a tournament since the 2009 Brisbane International.
However, despite Djokovic underperforming in the last few months, a player of his stature cannot be written off as he can always be expected to bounce back strongly. Djokovic’s performances at the US Open may not be as good as his performances in the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
However, it still remains to be one of Novak’s most consistent Grand Slams as he has never bowed out before the semifinals of the US Open since breaking into the top 10. The world No.1’s all-round court play along with his agility and backhand make him a tough opponent to beat and the reigning Champion will be looking to put an end to his recent poor form by winning a third US Open.
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