How deep can Britain's Jack Draper go at Flushing Meadows? Will Aryna Sabalenka win her first US Open title? Pundits, including Tim Henman and Laura Robson, preview final major of the year, which is live on Sky Sports from August 26 to September 8
Saturday 24 August 2024 00:54, UK
The Sky Sports Tennis experts have their say on who will come out on top at the US Open and which Brits could challenge.
Watch the tournament exclusively live on Sky Sports between August 26 and September 8.
TIM HENMAN: I would put Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz down as the joint favourites. Just the fact that Djokovic has got that Olympic title, I think it might free him up even more to say 'I really have achieved everything that I wanted to achieve' and play with the ultimate freedom.
NAOMI BROADY: It's tough to call but I think Jannik Sinner, Alcaraz and Djokovic are above the pack. The only other players you could add are Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev, while Stefanos Tsitsipas and Casper Ruud might have a chance because it's more open than other years.
LAURA ROBSON: I'd probably go with Alcaraz but I don't know. It's between Djokovic, Alcaraz and Sinner. These are the real standouts for me.
GIGI SALMON: I think Novak Djokovic will successfully defend his title and move to 25 Grand Slam singles titles! Winning Olympic Gold released so much pressure and was the final major honour that was missing from the Djokovic CV and trophy cabinet. He didn't defend his Cincinnati title but it's no longer about the No 1 ranking and the chasing of points, it's all about Grand Slam titles and in particular the elusive 25, so as long as he didn't do too much partying after his Olympic win, I think he will beat Carlos Alcaraz in the final to be crowned Champion.
JONATHAN OVEREND: The men's is so hard to call. Djokovic is the defending champion, Alcaraz has won it before and you feel Sinner will win the US Open one day. Zverev is playing really well and you can never rule him out. It's so hard to pick one name out of those four but, for me, there is certainly that little cluster that have separated themselves.
MILES MACLAGAN: I certainly don't discount the likes of Medvedev and Zverev, who've obviously been to the backend of tournaments, but I think it is between the three obvious names. Sinner is coming in a little bit fresher than Djokovic and Alcaraz, so I say we bookend the year with Sinner slams.
NAOMI CAVADAY: I feel like Alcaraz is going to do it again. I still fear Sinner is not quite at 100 per cent fitness. It's one of Alcaraz or Djokovic, they're sort of out in front of everybody else. But it's Carlos for me.
BROADY: I think on the hardcourts it will be Aryna Sabalenka's turn, although so much depends on her fitness. She would have learned a lot from her loss to Coco Gauff last year. I'd love Coco to defend her title but she has a lot of points to defend and you have to think about what pressure that brings.
ROBSON: I'm going heavy on Sabalenka. Everyone else has had such a challenge going from one surface to another, but on a fast hardcourt Sabalenka has to be the standout.
OVEREND: I'd probably go with Gauff. I think she'll have huge support and the minute she comes back through the gates at Flushing Meadows, the memories from 12 months ago will return. That will absolutely lift her and bring the best out of her again.
MACLAGAN: Iga Swiatek is world No 1 by some way but is more vulnerable on a hardcourt. There's also the emotions of the Olympics where she was massively disappointed to not win gold, so I'm going to go with Sabalenka, she has a big game and has won slams on the hard courts in Australia.
CAVADAY: I'm going to stick my neck out there a little and go different because the top players are being a bit inconsistent - Gauff has looked vulnerable, Rybakina is having a lot of health issues, the pressure got to Swiatek at the Olympics. I'm going to land on Amanda Anisimova.
SALMON: Australian Open Champion Aryna Sabalenka is my women's winner. The world No 2 was forced to take some time out due to a shoulder injury over the summer, missing Wimbledon and she said while it was frustrating she was able to switch off and get some well earned rest. As she showed in Cincinnati, she's back and in the type of form which makes it difficult for others to keep up with her. Happy on and off the court, I think she will win her first Grand Slam title outside Australia!
She's not going to be seeded and nobody will want to draw her name next to theirs so early on in the tournament. She's also got the experience. How many people can say they've won the US Open?
BROADY: I think when Emma's on, she can beat anybody. She's not going to be seeded and nobody will want to draw her early. She's also got the experience. How many people can say they've won the US Open? She knows what it feels like to be in the latter stages of the tournament and to pace herself over two weeks. She has that all to her advantage and is becoming steadier with her results. She'll be wanting to make the second week.
SALMON: It's tough to say as Emma Raducanu hasn't played since Washington where she won a couple of matches losing to eventual winner Paula Badosa in the R16, after which she came home opting not to going through qualifying in Toronto and Cincinnati. As a former Champion it must be a special feeling returning to the scene of such joy, and possibly a little intimidating. The draw hasn't been kind, she faces former Australian Open Champion Sofia Kenin in the first round and then is set to face Toronto winner and Cincinnati finalist Jessica Pegula in round two. Raducanu at her best can blow most people off court, so it will be interesting to see how she fares under the intense spotlight that forever will follow her.
MACLAGAN: I'm not putting my money on another win, that would be incredibly unlikely. But a deep run is certainly possible. While Emma's a bit young in her career to have a second career, she has almost had to think about things and rebuild consciously. Sometimes that means you're a lot stronger second time around as you're really aware why you're trying to do things and play a certain way.
BROADY: He's a banana skin for a lot of the top seeds on these lively courts - big serve, he's a lefty so he can get the ball to kick up in awkward positions. He can be really aggressive with the forehand and he's starting to come forward a lot more, which I love as an addition to his game. He could well make it through to the second week.
OVEREND: Draper is definitely the man to take British tennis forward, we've known that for three or so years now. He's got the raw talent and he's working all the time on his fitness. I absolutely think he has got the ability to go very, very deep at the US Open. Every time I see him, I see some progress and I know he's feared in the locker room.
SALMON: Jack Draper's chances are good, at least in the early rounds! He had a great run in Cincinnati; he overcame some physical demons and won some tight matches and seems to be flourishing with the addition of Wayne Ferreria to his team.
It will be a physical match with Zhizhen Zhang in the first round - navigate that and the sticking point will be Carlos Alcaraz who he is due to meet in the third round. He beat him at Queen's in the summer but the Spaniard should get the win if they meet this time around.
BROADY: Arthur Fils is at a career-high. He recently won the Hamburg Open and made it through to the second week at Wimbledon. I think the energy of New York will suit his game. He enjoys getting that from the crowd.
ROBSON: I've got to go with Draper. Hopefully he gets a little bit of rest after Cincinnati and gets to New York with a fresh body and fresh mind. Can we even call him a surprise at this point? I think not.
MACLAGAN: Hubert Hurkacz has been playing some great tennis and has got a big game. Nerves have got the better of him at times, but he has won Masters 1000 titles and he's heading in the right direction. The Americans look strong as well, they have three or four players ranked in the top 20 now. From that bunch, I like Taylor Fritz.
SALMON: I hope it will be Dominic Thiem, former US Open Champion, who never fully recovered from a wrist injury and combined with what he calls an 'inner feeling' lead to him announcing that he hopes to retire at his home tournament in Austria later this year. The USTA have given him a wildcard and it would be lovely to see him win a few rounds and get the send off that he deserves, so maybe more one to watch than a surprise!
BROADY: I think Katie Boulter could have a great run. She's been so aggressive with the way she's developed her game in the past year. She had a great clay-court season, some good results and some tough losses, and had some good results on the grass. She is more confident and assured.
OVEREND: Qinwen Zheng has to be in the conversation as the gold medallist from Paris. Another one to watch is Mirra Andreeva, who is only 17, got to the French Open semi-finals and looked very good at Cincinnati in the lead-up to the US Open. She is undoubtedly a grand slam champion of the future and it could be sooner than we think. Others have won slams at 17 and she certainly has the talent to do it.
ROBSON: I'm going to go with Lulu Sun. I think she's going to back up her run to the Wimbledon quarter-finals and do well. I was talking to Heather Watson about her and she said: 'I've been telling people about her. I knew she was going to be good'. For people who played against her, her success probably wasn't a surprise.
SALMON: Mirra Andreeva is only 17 years old, she's No 21 in the world and has Conchita Martinez in her coaching corner. She is feisty, fiery and can get emotional on court, but she's like a sponge when it comes to learning and she loves being in a battle on a big stage! This is just her second appearance at the US Open, falling to eventual winner Coco Gauff in the second round last year. I can see her getting to the fourth round where she would more than likely come up against the world No 1 - Iga Swiatek!
The Sky Sports analysts were speaking to Raz Mirza and David Currie.
Watch the WTA and ATP Tours throughout 2024 on Sky Sports Tennis, including the US Open from August 26 to September 8.
