US Open Update/News

The hard court season kicked off this week with the ATP Atlanta Open and WTA Livesport Prague Open. Players will have four weeks of tournaments, including ATP/WTA 1000 events like the National Bank Open and Western & Southern Open, to prepare for the last Grand Slam of the year: the US Open.

The US Open projects to have the best field of any Grand Slam this year based on the relative health of players. Several players, including Alex Zverev, are expected to return from injury after missing Wimbledon.

Top-ranked male and female players, including Daniil Medvedev and Aryna Sabalenka, also missed Wimbledon because the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club banned Russian and Belarussian players.

• Novak Djokovic +150
• Daniil Medvedev +225
• Carlos Alcaraz Garfia +350
• Rafael Nadal +550
• Stefanos Tsitsipas +1200
• Alexander Zverev +1400
• Matteo Berrettini +1600
• Jannik Sinner +1800
• Felix Auger-Aliassime +2000
• Andrey Rublev +2500

Novak Djokovic is the betting favorite at this year’s US Open, but that’s just a formality. The 21-time Grand Slam winner is unlikely to even participate in the tournament due to his COVID-19 vaccination status.

Djokovic also missed the Australian Open for the same reason, but the Australian government recently reversed its vaccination requirements for foreign travelers – there’s no indication yet the US government intends to do the same thing.

Of course, Djokovic could get vaccinated, but that also seems unlikely, given he’s taken a stance for this long. Some fans have petitioned the USTA to allow Djokovic to play, arguing that unvaccinated US players are allowed to play.

Rafael Nadal, who has one more Grand Slam victory than Djokovic, could add to his all-time lead in the category but only has the fourth-shortest odds to win the tournament. Last year’s champion, Daniil Medvedev, will be the betting favorite, assuming Djokovic isn’t able to participate.

• Iga Swiatek +250
• Naomi Osaka +900
• Simona Halep +1200
• Elena Rybakina +1200
• Cori Gauff +1200
• Aryna Sabalenka +1400
• Ons Jabeur +1400
• Paula Badosa Gibert +1600
• Serena Williams +1600
• Bianca Andreescu +1600

Serena Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam champion, made her much-anticipated return to tennis at this past Wimbledon but suffered a disappointing first-round defeat. She made it clear after the event, however, that she still intends to play in the US Open.

We’re a long way away now from the days of Williams being a dominant force in women’s tennis, but she still has the pedigree and experience to win – and there’s something about the US Open that could produce the right results for the 40-year-old.

Williams won’t go into the US Open cold as she did at Wimbledon. She received a wild card entry to participate in the National Bank Open in Toronto, Canada, two weeks prior to the US Open. She won the tournament in 2001, 2011, and 2013.