The 139th edition of tennis’ US Open is underway in New York City. Our pre tournament coverage includes: a women’s preview, men’s preview, and a trip down memory lane with tennis legends.
Today we look at the five most interesting storylines to watch.
1. Will Anyone Outside The Big 3, Win The Men’s Title?
In a word. No.
Ok, we should rephrase. It’s unlikely anyone outside of the Big 3 will win this year’s title. 2016 was the last time someone not named Djokovic, Federer or Nadal won a major. That was Stan Wawrinka at the US Open.
If anyone outside the top 3 men will contend, it will have to be one of the young guns and they will need to go on quite a run. Keep your eyes on Daniil Medvedev and Dominic Thiem.
2. Is Serena Williams Ready to Exercise Her US Open Demons And Hoist Her 24th Grand Slam Title?
The queen of tennis and arguably greatest of all time, has been so close to capturing that elusive 24th grand slam singles title. That would tier her with Margaraet Court for the most all time. Though Williams has long held the “Open Era” record and is widely considered the best.
She was a finalist at Wimbledon this year and a finalist at last year’s Wimbledon and US Open championships.
Williams last won the US Open in 2014, her sixth. Since then there have been some tough matches in NYC for her. Her bid for the calendar slam in 2015 was stopped short in the semis. She lost to Naomi Osaka in last year’s final, which included point violations and an argument with the chair umpire.
Before that she’s had issues with line calls, other players, and all sorts of bizarre moments. But, this is the place where she won her first major all the way back in 1999 at the age of 17. She has a sense of history and great moments. This could be #24.
3. What’s Up With The American Women Not Named Williams?
It doesn’t look like there is a strong group of American women ready to take up the mantle whenever Serena and Venus Williams decide to retire.
Sloane Stephens has been up and down since her 2017 US Open win and 2018 French Open final appearance. She’s reunited with her former coach, so we’ll see if that changes things.
Sofia Kenin is seeded 20th and has beaten top 10 players at majors before. But she’s never been past the 4th round of a major. However she did advance to the semis in Toronto and Cincinnati, losing to the eventual champion both times.
Coco Gauff was the darling of this year’s Wimbledon Championships. The 15-year-old has serious game and is a wild card entry at this year’s tournament. She has said she wants to the be the greatest of all time. No time like the present to start.
Madison Keys’ year started out decent enough. She made it to the quarters of both the Australian and French Opens. She had a stunning first week exit at Wimbledon and struggled most of the summer until she found her game and won in Cincinnati.
4. Is the Canadian Revolution For Real?
Our neighbors to the north have produced some really interesting tennis results as of late. Bianca Andreescu is on a six match win streak and claimed the Rogers Cup title in Toronto. The Canadian is among the favorites this fortnight.
Dennis Shapovalov is a rising 19-year-old with a big game. He’s had an up and down season but went on a little run at the Winston-Salem tune up event. However his US Open tournament may not last long, because…
Félix Auger-Aliassime is 19 and the youngest player ranked inside the top 20 (19) on the ATP Tour. He will play his countrymen Shapovalov in round one.
5. Will This US Open Avoid Major Controversy?
Last season was marred a bit by the women’s final controversy. Though I think that was mostly overblown. It’s the final major of the season. The last chance these pros have to solidify their year or rewrite the narrative. The pressure and spotlight are intense. In a sport with so many personalities and uber aggressive competitors, controversy is bound to happen at one point or another.
