US Open 2018: The four main contenders for the title at Flushing Meadows

After eight months of exciting, dramatic and unpredictable tennis, we are now at the last stop on the Grand Slam journey; Queens, New York. The three majors have all seen familiar names leave victorious, with Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic winning on each of the three surfaces. However, in the midst of their success, there have been a fair few surprises, with some unseeded and unheralded players reaching the latter stages of this year's Grand Slam tournament.

The shocks began at the Australian Open, as Hyeon Chung and Kyle Edmund knocked out the six-time Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic and the tournament's fifth seed Grigor Dimitrov. South Korea's Chung tormented Novak in a similar manner to which the Serb had frustrated his opponents over the years, with incredible defence and flexibility. The tournament Down Under saw Edmund turn from a British No.2 to a potential top-10 player in the world.

There were surprises too at Roland Garros, as 25-year-old Marco Cecchinato reached the semi-final stage, beating Novak Djokovic en route to the last four. The big names were not immune at Wimbledon either, as Roger Federer lost in dramatic fashion to South Africa's Kevin Anderson, after leading by two sets to love. Last year's finalist Marin Cilic lost in a near identical manner to Roger Federer, as he squandered a two-set lead and departed in the second round.

Will one of the familiar names prevail or will a new star be born? Here is a look at four contenders for the US Open title.

Rafael Nadal

Last year's champion at Flush Meadows enters the last major of the year in fine fettle and brimming with confidence after his victory in Toronto. The win in Canada forced Nadal to pull out of Cincinnati to preserve and conserve his body ahead of the US Open. The Spaniard, however, is no stranger when it comes to pulling out of tournaments and has had to contend with fitness and health issues right throughout his career.

Each one of the Spaniard's wins have had a rather significant on the 32-year-old's career. His first US Open title victory eight years ago meant that Nadal became the seventh man in history to win all four majors. The left-hand secured victory at the US Open three years later; a win that proved pivotal in Nadal ending the year as world No.1. His third win in New York last year completed a magnificent comeback after nearly three years without a Grand Slam and several early exits at majors during that time.

The US Open remains the Mallorcan's most successful Grand Slam tournament outside the red dirt of Roland Garros, with three victories to his name. No player, however, has retained the US Open since Roger Federer did so back in 2008. Could Rafael Nadal win a fourth title and make even more history?

Novak Djokovic

The Serb will go into the US Open, fresh from his exertions in Cincinnati where he made history and became the first man to win all nine Masters series titles. The 31-year-old's form improved vastly during the clay-court season and started to look like the Novak Djokovic of old, moving freely around the court and serving with accuracy and precision.

The Serb has been refreshingly open about his physical and mental struggles over the past year-and-a-half. The 31-year-old cited a loss of motivation and the recurring elbow injury as the main reasons behind his downfall but is now looking like the all-conquering warrior that dominated tennis for nearly four years.

New York has been a place of great success for Novak but also a place where he has been made to feel slightly unwelcome and uncomfortable. Back in 2008, Nole progressed to the semi-finals, after defeating home favourite Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals. The post-interview, however, did not have the usual warm and celebratory atmosphere, with Andy Roddick and many of the American crowd believing that Djokovic faked injuries to try and throw off the opponent.

Seven years later, the Serb had to deal with a similarly hostile in the final against Roger Federer. The crowd was very much pro-Federer to start off with but became even more antagonistic, especially when many started booing Djokovic and cheering after every first serve he missed. The former world No.1 remained unperturbed and sealed a four-set victory to earn his second US Open title.

Roger Federer

One can never overlook the Swiss maestro when drawing up a shortlist of possible champions. 2018 started off in tremendous fashion for the 37-year-old, as he retained the Australian Open for the first time since 2007.

Federer followed up his win in Australia, by securing his 97th career title in Rotterdam, which also saw him return to world No.1, after nearly a six-year absence. However, a failure to retain either one of his titles from Indian Wells and Miami last year meant a return to the No.2 spot for Roger.

The victory at the Stuttgart Open followed by a run to the final at Halle looked to have set Federer's season back on track. A shock loss, however, in the quarter-final of Wimbledon quickly put a halt to his progress.

The Swiss star will also have to banish any demons from his previous tournaments at Flushing Meadows, with several moments of heartbreak and many near misses along the way. In 2010 and 2011, lightning did indeed strike the same place twice, as Federer squandered match points and lost the two semi-finals on both occasions. Novak Djokovic was his opponent in both matches, as he denied Roger the chance to play for a sixth US Open title.

In 2015, the tables looked to have turned, as Roger made the final after an emphatic straight-sets win over compatriot Stan Wawrinka. The Swiss maestro came unstuck in the final, as he failed to make Djokovic pay, converting only four out of the twenty-three break-point opportunities. The Serb came out on top once again and left Federer rueing all those break-point chances that came and went. The 37-year-old can defy the odds like no other and cannot be counted out, especially after his mesmerizing campaign in 2017.

Stan Wawrinka

Stan Wawrinka may have fallen at the semi-finals at Cincinnati, but he brought smiles to the faces of fans worldwide, as the world saw glimpses of the old Wawrinka. The former US Open champion put in a good showing at the Rogers Cup, where he competed valiantly against Rafael Nadal before losing in two tight sets.

The most significant improvement in Stan's game over the past couple of months has been his movement. From the start of this year to the grass court-season, Wawrinka looked a mere shadow of his former self as the knee injury looked to have taken its toll on the former French Open champion. Sharp movement allows a player to get into position to hit the shots they want, especially for someone like Wawrinka who plays so aggressively.

The 33-year-old also has experience of winning in New York, after securing the 2016 US Open title and the third major of his career. Victory at Flushing Meadows would be one of tennis' most remarkable comebacks, given his recent injury struggles and his absence from last year's tournament.

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Edited by Moderator -PJ