The US Open is one of the most anticipated events of the tennis calendar. And although we will be missing a couple of known names in this year’s edition, fans won’t be deprived with their dose of top quality action.
In the men’s division, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka, and Dominic Thiem have all confirmed that they won’t compete in this tournament due to injuries.
And with all them out, the US Open 2021 odds have installed Novak Djokovic as the overwhelming favourite to win, which would help in his pursuit of history.
He’ll be joined by the likes of Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev, and Andrey Rublev – who are all in the Top 10 of the updated ATP rankings.
This tennis tournament is about to commence on Monday. And unlike before where events are held behind closed doors or with a limited number of audience, spectators are going to be allowed in the venue if they’ll be able to show proof of their COVID-19 vaccination.
Allow SBOTOP to keep you up-to-date with the latest by bringing to you today’s serving of the US Open 2021 updates.
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer pull out
With Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer sidelined, the 2021 US Open is going to be the first Grand Slam event without the two in the main singles draw for the first time in 24 years.
Age plays a huge factor as to why two-thirds of the Big 3 are going to be out for the rest of the calendar year.
Rafael Nadal ended his 2021 campaign prematurely due to a chronic foot injury, and this will be the first time that he won’t have a Grand Slam since 2016.
The Spaniard’s foot flared up during the French Open last May where he lost to eventual champion Novak Djokovic. And last week, he had to sit out from the Masters 1000 event in Toronto because of the same issue.
His coach Carlos Moya revealed that Rafael Nadal is suffering from a rare condition called Muller-Weiss syndrome because of an improperly developed bone. Moya explained that Nadal has been dealing with it since 2005 and it has became worse as he’s getting older.
On the other hand, Roger Federer recently announced that he’ll undergo his third knee surgery in the last 18 months.
The 40-year-old Basel native went through the knife after the 2020 Australian Open and it was followed up by the same procedure few months later before returning this past May at the French Open.
These setbacks from Nadal and Federer are painful to watch since they’ve dominated the sport for quite some time. And perhaps this is the time to slowly pass the torch to the younger stars.
Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev have momentum on their side
Speaking of young stars, both Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev are ready to seize the opportunity here in the US Open.
Zverev is fresh from a gold medal campaign in the Tokyo Olympics, while Medvedev scored a huge Grand Slam victory in the recently-concluded Rogers Cup.
According to multiple pundits, Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev are standing in the way of tournament favourite Novak Djokovic, who’s clearly on a mission in this competition.
Djokovic is drawn in Zverev’s half of the draw, which means that the two can meet in the semi-finals. Meanwhile, Medvedev is the World No. 2 for a reason.
Assuming there’ll be no upsets in the early rounds, we expect them all to meet at some point in the deeper part of the competition and it’ll be exciting to see them duel it out once more.
Novak Djokovic is at the brink of a major milestone
But all eyes are going to be on Novak Djokovic since he can achieve something big should he win this tournament.
Because if he does so, the Serbian international will be the first man to reach 21 Major titles and the first since 1969 to achieve the Calendar Grand Slam.
Djokovic has won all four majors so far this season. He also became the record holder for weeks at No. 1 in the ATP rankings, leading over the pack via a considerable margin.
The Serb is the youngest among the Big 3 at 34 years old. And compared to his colleagues, Djokovic can still handle the rigors of competing in numerous tournaments despite his diminished athleticism.
His mission for this tournament and for this season is clear. He wants to remind everyone of his place as the No. 1 tennis player in the world and he’ll do so by rewriting history along the way.
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