Professional tennis has seen one of its most intriguing years yet, but it’s not over yet. With the game’s top pros set to invade New York for the U.S. Open, many questions left unanswered. Will Serena Williams complete her comeback with a 24th Grand Slam? Can gentle giant Kevin Anderson claim his first major title? How will the field of American players fare? Here’s what we can expect from the 2018 U.S. Open.
On the women’s side, it’s been an exciting year complete with three different champions of the previous majors, including first-time winners Caroline Wozniacki and Simona Halep. However, the world is waiting in the wings to see if Serena Williams can reclaim the crown on home soil. She welcomed daughter Alexis Olympia a year ago and faced health complications that delayed her return to the court. After a rocky spring riddled with disappointing losses in Indian Wells and Miami, plus an elbow injury that forced her withdrawal from the French Open, Serena seemed to be back on track when she reached the Wimbledon final last month, before suffering a clean, straight-set defeat off the racket of Angelique Kerber.
Serena has earned the No. 17 seeding and will face Magda Linette in the opening round, but she has an uphill battle in her section. Should the draw play out as expected, a potential third-round blockbuster clash with big sister Venus is in the cards for Serena.
Defending champ Sloane Stephens enters the draw seeded third. Her 2018 season has been a roller coaster of sorts, having suffered first round losses in both Australia and Wimbledon but picking up a finalist trophy at the French Open. However, she thrives in New York, and with Serena firmly back in the mix, may prefer to fly under the radar as she attempts to defend her title. Stephens and Serena bolster the field of American women, and with Madison Keys (No. 14), Venus Williams (No. 16) and Coco Vandeweghe (No. 24) also in contention, a repeat of last year’s All-American semifinal may be in the cards.
In the men’s draw, all eyes are on the Big Three – Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic – who have shown their tremendous career longevity into their mid-30s and hoisted trophies at this year’s Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon, respectively. Federer, now 37, continues to be a threat in any tournament he plays despite being ten years removed from his last U.S. Open title. Defending champ Nadal and Federer stand atop the draw as the top two seeds, making the possibility of their first-ever clash in the Big Apple to occur in the finals. But of the three legends – who have a combined 50 Grand Slam titles – it’s No. 6 seed Djokovic who appears to enter New York in the best shape.
After an elbow injury found him in a two-year Grand Slam drought, the Serbian star found his groove again at Wimbledon, where he lifted his 13th major trophy. Djokovic is at his most dangerous on a hard-court, and he enters the 2018 U.S. Open the firm favorite after capturing his first title at Cincinnati’s Western and Southern Open, a win that also made him the first man to hold all four Grand Slams and all nine of the ATP’s Masters 1000 tournaments. Djokovic edged Federer for the title in Cincy, and the two could meet again in the U.S. Open quarterfinals.
The New York crowd shouldn’t count out previous U.S. Open champs Juan Martin Del Potro and Marin Cilic, who picked up the Nos. 3 and 7 seeds, respectively. Both are hungry to claim a second Slam, and their powerful games have rattled the Big Three in the past, proving they are a force to be reckoned with. Fifth seed Kevin Anderson has shown his potential as a major champion in the last twelve months after making the finals in New York and Wimbledon. One must wonder if his body will be able to recover from the amount of grueling tennis he’s played this summer, because if he’s at his A-game, Anderson could leave New York the 2018 U.S. Open champion.
Promising newcomers Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas are also poised to make a strong showing in Flushing Meadows. Three-time major winner Andy Murray remains a distant dark horse as he embarks on the comeback trail following hip surgery that kept him from the game for nearly a year. He’ll make his first Grand Slam appearance in 14 months in his first round clash against Aussie James Duckworth.
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