The 2024 US Open started yesterday and the top players of the men’s tournament did not disappoint. The only shocking elimination was of Holger Rune, who was clearly defeated by Nakashima proving to be still far from the best form. After the extraordinary triumph at Paris-Bercy in 2022, the Danish player’s rise has stopped and his confidence has been steadily declining.
Novak Djokovic made his debut against Moldovan veteran Radu Albot, who played a good match on the iconic Arthur Ashe Stadium but was beaten in three sets by the 24-time Grand Slam champion. The Serbian legend will face his compatriot Laslo Djere in the second round.
Today, fans can watch the debut of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. The world number 1 will face the American McDonald and assess his physical condition after the difficulties he had in Montreal and Cincinnati. The Australian Open 2024 champion has not had an easy time because of the doping case that involved him and which has generated a lot of controversy in the last week.
Alcaraz – on the other hand – will have to find his best tennis after being eliminated in Cincinnati. The young Spaniard appeared dead in Ohio and could pay for the energies spent over the past two months, in which he won two Majors and silver medal at the Paris Olympics.
The US Open has started
Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are the main favorites for the win at the 2024 US Open, while behind them we find Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev.
In an interview given to Tennis365, Patrick Mouratoglou known coach French on several occasions also on the bench of Holger Rune with whom he has recently again interrupted the collaboration relationship, spoke about the Us Open, The fourth and last annual Slam started yesterday in New York. And during the interview he explained who is in his opinion the favorite player for the victory in this US Open.
In the trio of great favorites composed by Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, Mouratoglou sees the Serbian tennis player on pole position. Djokovic that if he wins this Us Open would accomplish an enterprise that has not been successful since 2008 or win the tournament for two years in a row.
Mouratoglou has no doubts and for him at the moment the tennis player who comes in the best condition of the three is Novak Djokovic. “The one who is in the best position – analyzes the French coach – at this time is Novak. After the gold medal in Paris and the quality of tennis played to beat Carlos Alcaraz in the final, we can think that he is completely back“.
“Sinner – continued Mouratoglou – we all know the situation, he has some minor injuries here and there and even if he won in Cincinnati, he struggled more than usual. Then you look at Carlos Alcaraz and see that he played a really bad tournament in Cincinnati. I don’t know where he is mentally right now. It’s really hard to play so many games week after week and win so much. It’s hard to stay focused. Sinner and Alcaraz can definitely win the US Open, but if you ask me to choose the favorite right now, I would say Novak.”
A very uncertain tournament
The US Open has been the most uncertain Grand Slam tournament in the last 10-15 years and even in 2024 there seems to be room for a surprise winner. In a recent interview with Eurosport, John McEnroe sent a warning to the US Open title favourites: “Alcaraz is my favourite player to watch right now. You know he brings everything. I like people that can do everything. It almost seems impossible that someone like him could stay so positive, always smiling. It’s hard to believe he wouldn’t get frustrated, especially in a sport as mentally tough as tennis.
I’m sure, in a way, he probably needed a longer break. But maybe he felt some pressure because Novak wasn’t playing, and at 37. In hindsight, he probably would have been better off not playing at all. Given everything that’s happened, emotionally, it’s going to be a big ask for him to win this tournament. How much does he have left in the tank? This might open the door for someone outside of the three guys we expect… the door is certainly open for a surprise.”
Medvedev and Zverev are the main outsiders in this tournament, considering that both of them are very well on this surface. The Russian won the US Open in 2021, while Sascha had reached the final the year before.