Return of big names bolsters men’s draw Serena set for NY spotlight
The return to form and fitness of a host of big names in the men’s draw at the US Open has strengthened the field for the year’s final Grand Slam, but Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer are still the favorites for the title of the tournament, which gets under way on Monday.
The trio have dominated the highest level of the sport for years and Djokovic’s victory at Wimbledon, combined with an impressive hard court season, sees him edge defending champion Nadal as the bookmakers’ pick to succeed at Flushing Meadows.
The sixth-seeded Serb has played his way back to form after a shaky start to the year following his return from a long-standing elbow injury that needed surgery, and is on the opposite side of the draw to top seed Nadal.
Second seed Federer, now 37, is on the same side of the draw as 31-yearold Djokovic and they could meet in the last-eight at Flushing Meadows.
Nadal stormed to victory last year in a field weakened by the absence of several top 10 players, but to win a fourth US Open title he will have to outlast seven former champions.
The Spaniard, fresh from victory at the Rogers Cup, where won his 33rd Masters 1000 title, has been coy about his chances in New York given how well his main rivals have been playing, but is counting on the atmosphere to give him a lift.
“The energy here in New York is difficult to compare with another place. I love the night sessions, I love the connection with the crowd. I feel very comfortable always here,” said the 32-year-old Nadal in a recent interview.
Behind the three favorites, the return of 2016 champion Stan Wawrinka, given a wild card by the organizers after making a comeback from a knee injury, and Andy Murray, returning after hip surgery, adds another layer of stiff competition.
Croat Marin Cilic and Argentine Juan Martin del Potro complete the ranks of former winners who will attempt to reclaim the title, while Alexander Zverev’s decision to hire Ivan Lendl as his coach also offers up an intriguing prospect.
Zverev is arguably the strongest of the next generation of players who have long been tipped to break the big three’s hold on the sport’s biggest prizes.
At 21, the German is ranked fourth in the world, but his temperament is suspect and Lendl, who coached Murray during the most productive spell of the Scot’s career, might help his young charge finally fulfill his potential.
On the women’s side, Sloane Stephens will be defending her title at Flushing Meadows, but all eyes will be on Serena Williams over the coming two weeks as the six-time champion attempts to win her first Grand Slam title since becoming a mother.
The tournament will be the third Grand Slam since Williams returned to competition after giving birth last September, and while she has yet to lift a title in 2018 the former world No. 1 has such a formidable record at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center that she can never be counted out.
Williams was cruising along at the French Open until a pectoral injury forced her to withdraw ahead of her last-16 match, and she finished runner-up at Wimbledon, where she showed she has lost none of her fighting spirit.
However, the 36-year-old has not had a smooth buildup to the US Open with early exits at San Jose and Cincinnati.
Chris Evert, an 18-time Grand Slam champion, said in a conference call that Williams was fighting to get back to her best and would definitely have a chance at the August 27-September 9 tournament.
“I just feel as I’ve seen her progress this summer and I hear her say she can feel it and taste it and she’s close... and you know she is working harder,” said Evert, now an ESPN tennis analyst.
Should Williams prevail she would equal Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam titles, although not all of Australian Court’s were captured during the professional era.
A win in two weeks would also put Williams, who has been seeded 17th, nine spots above her world ranking, in the company of Court, Evonne Goolagong and Kim Clijsters as the only mothers to win Grand Slam titles in the professional era.
Evert suggested it might be difficult for Williams to switch off from her mother role to become the fierce competitor she has to be to win.
“It doesn’t switch on and off. It’s there. Even if it’s not consciously there when she’s on the court it’s in the back of her mind and it will creep in I’m sure once in a while because she’s not a robot,” said Evert.
“It is very difficult and, even more than the physical part, the emotional part is the toughest one to try and figure out for Serena to be successful and to get back to being No. 1.”
Among the other top contenders are in-form world No. 1 Simona Halep, Stephens and Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber.
Halep has been playing with confidence since winning the French Open and her preparations for the US Open included a win at Montreal before reaching the Cincinnati final, though she pulled out from Connecticut to rest an Achilles injury.
“She’s confident, you can see it. She gets herself out of holes,” Evert said of the Romanian. “The last couple weeks she was down in matches and she pulled these matches out.
“That’s Serena-like and [Halep] is starting to have that belief in herself.”
Reigning champion Stephens, who lost to Halep in the final at Roland Garros, is a career-high third in the world rankings and while the 25-yearold has worked hard to shed her reputation as a nervous player she will face the pressure of trying to defend a Grand Slam title for the first time.
“I have faith in her ability and I have faith in how mentally tough she’s gotten,” Evert said.
“It just is going to be if she can get the crowd on her side and be inspired. I think she can win this tournament but it all depends on Sloane and how she reacts to the pressure.”
Israel lone competitor in either the men’s or women’s draws, Julia Glushko, will open with a first-round match against Romanian Monica Niculescu after the Israeli impressively came through three qualifying rounds. (Reuters)
On TV: US Open first-round coverage (live on Eurosport2 from 6 p.m.)