Novak Djokovic wins US Open for his 25th Grand Slam as Jannik Sinner falls short - our predictions

Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz look set to battle for the US Open crown

The 2024 US Open is approaching and the men’s tournament at the fourth and final Grand Slam of the season promises to be a fascinating watch.

Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz are the leading trio in men’s tennis and choosing between the three stars is a difficult task heading into the hard-court major.

With less than a week before main draw action gets underway at Flushing Meadows, we make some predictions for the men’s singles event.

The Jannik Sinner conundrum

Sinner will enter the US Open on the back of winning the Cincinnati Open and making the quarter-finals of the Montreal Masters.

This impressive hard-court run, coupled with the fact Sinner did not feature at the Paris Olympics, looks to have given the the world No 1 the ideal US Open preparation.

It is worrying, though, that Sinner was troubled during his campaigns in Montreal and Cincinnati by the same hip issue he sustained in the clay season.

The 23-year-old will also have to contend with the scrutiny and added pressure that comes with news of his two failed doping tests emerging at such an inopportune moment. Sinner’s coach Darren Cahill revealed the case had been weighing on the world No 1 in recent months.

VERDICT: It is a big ask for Sinner to go all the way given the circumstances, but he will still at least progress to the semi-finals if healthy.

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Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz’s prospects

Djokovic has not played since winning his maiden gold medal at the Paris Olympics earlier this month — his first title in what had been a challenging year.

The legendary Serbian’s lack of hard-court matchplay ahead of his US Open title defence is not ideal, but he may be in a stronger position mentally than his rivals.

After claiming the only significant prize missing from his collection at the Olympics, Djokovic could be liberated as he chases his 25th Grand Slam title.

The 37-year-old’s stunning victory over Alcaraz in the gold medal match will be a huge source of confidence, while it was a devastating blow for the Spaniard.

Alcaraz will be seeded third in New York but he has been the best player in the world this summer, having won the French Open and Wimbledon before his silver medal result.

Missing out on a gold medal in Paris was clearly a huge disappointment for the 21-year-old star, though, and he was badly out-of-sorts in a shock defeat to Gael Monfils in his opening match in Cincinnati.

VERDICT: Djokovic defends his crown to win a 25th Grand Slam, while Alcaraz falls narrowly short of a third-straight major.

Most likely player to win a maiden major?

It is tough to look beyond the top three, but No 4 seed Alexander Zverev is surely the strongest contender of the players hoping to make their Grand Slam breakthrough.

Zverev was a French Open runner-up in June and was a set away from the Australian Open final in January, where he lost to Daniil Medvedev from two sets up.

The 27-year-old German enters the US Open after strong runs to the semi-finals in Cincinnati and the quarter-finals in Montreal.

VERDICT: Zverev reaches the semi-finals and loses to Sinner, Djokovic or Alcaraz.

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