Top Contenders for the 2024 US Open Men’s Title: Djokovic Faces Alcaraz and Sinner in High-Stakes Battle
2024 US Open Updates: Anticipation is growing for the men’s singles category at the 2024 US Open, where established players and up-and-coming talents will square off.
The trio of top candidates, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Novak Djokovic, have strong reasons to win the title at Flushing Meadows.
Even though he hasn’t played much on hard courts this year, Novak Djokovic is still a strong favorite to win the US Open.
The top five players that have the best chance of winning the championship are shown below.
1. Novak Djokovic
Even though he hasn’t played much on hard courts this year, Novak Djokovic is still a strong favorite to win the US Open. With 71 titles and 14 Grand Slam wins, his record on the hard court is unmatched, maybe making him the greatest player in hard court history.
Despite missing both Montreal and Cincinnati and not playing a hard-court match since Indian Wells in March, Djokovic is a strong favorite at the US Open due to his track record and performance there. He is going for a record 25th Grand Slam victory. His most recent Olympic gold medal victory solidifies his place among the leading candidates.
2. Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz has had an incredible 2024 season, and he would record-breaking victory in the US Open. If he prevails here, it will be his third Grand Slam triumph of the year, making him one of only six players in the Open Era to accomplish this remarkable achievement. Along with tennis greats Rod Laver and Rafael Nadal, Alcaraz would also become just the third player to win the US Open, Wimbledon, and French Open all in the same year.
Alcaraz, though, is coming into the competition after some recent failures. In the Olympic gold medal match, he was defeated by Novak Djokovic. He also had trouble in Cincinnati, losing to Gael Monfils in an unexpected encounter. In addition, Alcaraz hasn’t triumphed in a hard-court match since March, which begs the question of his surface play going into New York.
3. Jannik Sinner
Over the past year, Jannik Sinner has shown himself to be one of the hardest-court players to depend on. In 2024 alone, he has won five tournaments, including the Australian Open and major triumphs in Cincinnati and Melbourne.
Sinner’s illness kept him out of the Olympics, but he recovered well enough to show off his strong groundstrokes and versatility on hard courts. In addition, he concluded 2023 with two more hard-court championships and a great Davis Cup run, which solidified his position as the favorite in the US Open this year.
4. Daniil Medvedev
Another formidable opponent with a great record on hard courts is Daniil Medvedev. The 2021 US Open champion owns 20 ATP singles titles, including six wins at various venues in the Masters 1000.
With his victory over Djokovic in the US Open final in 2021, Medvedev shown his ability to defeat the greatest. This prevented the Serbian from completing a calendar Grand Slam. Following a slump in form, Medvedev found his form again in 2023, making it to two more major finals and solidifying his position as the best player on the hard courts.
5. Casper Ruud
Though his recent achievements imply otherwise, Casper Ruud may not be the first person that springs to mind when thinking of hard-court specialists. This year, Ruud accomplished a noteworthy milestone by winning his 100th game on a hard court. He is one of the few players under 25 to have accomplished this accomplishment on both clay and hard courts.
In addition, he advanced to the finals of the Geneva Open and Monte-Carlo Masters, where he won his 12th career championship. Ruud is positioned as a dark horse who might go far in the US Open this year thanks to his steady play, which included a great performance at the Olympics in Paris.
