Five men to watch at this year’s U.S. Open at Flushing Meadows.
Alexander Zverev
Zverev is ranked second in the world, and seeded first in Flushing, thanks to Jannik Sinner withdrawing with a knee injury. He might also be the most in-form contender, 18-2 in majors this year. After breaking through with his first Slam title at the French Open — followed by a Wimbledon final loss to Sinner — he could claim the crown here with the latter sidelined.
Carlos Alcaraz
The defending champ is 24-3 all time in Flushing, but Alcaraz is coming back to the U.S. Open as not just the betting favorite but also a giant question mark. He hasn’t played since April, a wrist injury costing him four months. That’s a lot of rust to shake off. Alcaraz, the No. 2 seed, has to open against Roman Safiullin (who beat him in Paris in 2023) and possibly Ben Shelton in the quarters.
Novak Djokovic
At 39, Djokovic, seeded fourth, is showing LeBron James-Lionel Messi-type longevity. And he’s still going strong, starting off the year by reaching the Australian Open final then making the Wimbledon semis. A mouthwatering matchup with Alcaraz looms in the U.S. Open semifinals.
Ben Shelton
Shelton is ranked ninth and seeded eighth, but try to find a hotter player right now other than Zverev. Shelton just became the first man to defend his Montreal title since Rafael Nadal in 2019, and also reached the fourth round in Hamburg. The 23-year-old lefty could face Alcaraz in the quarters. Would anybody be shocked to see him knock off the Spaniard?
Taylor Fritz
This spot easily could’ve gone to fellow American Frances Tiafoe, ranked 12th.
But the ninth-seeded Fritz gets the nod here, after winning his first title of the year in Washington and reaching the quarters in both Wimbledon and Cincinnati last week. The Californian made the 2024 U.S. Open final and quarters last year, and is a real threat for another deep run.
