The 2019 US Open is just around the corner and recently hearing the news that Andy Murray won’t be making a return in Grand Slam singles, in addition to former champion Juan Martin del Potro as a result of injury, seems very likely. that one of the ‘big three’ would win the title. You’d must return to the 2016 US Open final to find the last time a major tournament wasn’t won by Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal – and on that occasion, Stan Wawrinka did. When you see a chance for US Open men’s competitionYou will obviously find the ‘top three’ to be overwhelming favorites – but what about the younger players finishing in the ATP top 10?
Dominic Thiem – world number 4
At 25 years old, Dominic Thiem has been performing for several years now and come every Grand Slam, his name is commonly touted for fulfillment. His greatest accomplishment came at the French Open, making two finals (both lost to King of Clay, Nadal) and two semifinals at Roland-Garros.
Last year, however, he was at his best at Flushing Meadows, reaching the quarter-finals for the first time. Again, losing to Nadal, he will be hoping for a better draw this year.
Thiem has 14 ATP titles to his name, most of which were won on clay and he is commonly cited as the successor to Nadal. He has a 67% winning record over Federer, with Nadal and Djokovic both having better records against the Austrian.
Alexander Zverev – world number 6
At the age of 22, Alexander Zverev has been described as a ‘rising star’ in men’s tennis, with Nadal even calling him his “future number 1”. He is the current ATP Finals champion, having beaten Djokovic in straight sets and has 10 other titles to his name.
Despite a first round exit at Wimbledon recently, Zverev has been in fine form at Grand Slams this year, with a fourth round exit in Melbourne and a quarter-final spot at Roland-Garros. Last year, he reached the third round of the US Open, his best record to date, losing to compatriot Philipp Kohlschreiber.
There was some concern over the German, who bowed out of his opening round match at the Cincinnati Masters, making 20 double faults against Miomir Kecmanović – with off court problems cited for an absence of form. Looking at his head-to-head record over the ‘big three’, in addition to his three main rivals (Kyrgios, Tsitsipas and Thiem), Zverev is not ahead of any of them. If he was to achieve success at Flushing Meadows, he needed to quickly get back into shape.
Stefanos Tsitsipas – world number 7
Greece’s Tsitsipas is the youngest player in the ATP top 10 and he made his breakthrough last year, not only making the main draw of all four Grand Slam tournaments for the first time, but also reaching the final of the Canadian Open. He lost to Nadal, but beat four against the top 10 en route to the final.
This year alone, he has reached the semifinals of another hardcourt Grand Slam, the Australian Open, which he again lost to Nadal, who finished runner-up. However, he has a 50% winning record over Federer and Djokovic.
As 15th Last year’s US Open seed Tsitsipas lost in the second round and will, no doubt, be looking to go even further this year at Flushing Meadows.
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Another name to consider is Daniil Medvedev. The world number 8 is simply 23 years old and broke into the top 10 in July. Most recently, the Russian lost in the finals of the Canadian Masters and Washington Open and the semifinals at Queen’s ahead of Wimbledon.
Nick Kyrgios is another contender, depending on which side of the player comes up. The 24-year-old, who is known for her controversies, recently destroyed two racquets in her loss to Karen Khachanov at the Cincinnati Masters. But before that tournament, he won the Washington Open with a win over Medvedev. His farthest ride at Flushing Meadows was round three.
Khachanov also had to be considered and the 23-year-old moved up the rankings. She won the Paris Masters last year and has reached the Grand Slam quarter-finals this year.
Finally, Felix Auger Aliassime at the age of 19 became the youngest player in the top 100, ranked 21st Inside the world. She won the US Open Junior Grand Slam in 2016 and recently reached the third round at Wimbledon – she will absolutely be one to watch in the future, but maybe not this year.
