The final Grand Slam on the tennis calendar begins in earnest on Monday, August 28, at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York.
The Serbian World No. 2 is the betting favorite at DraftKings NJ to win the US Open, but Spains’ Carlos Alcaraz may have other plans for the 23-time Grand Slam champion.
As of August 22, 2023, the favorites at DraftKings are:
- Novak Djokovic (+120)
- Carlos Alcaraz (+150)
- Daniil Medvedev (+700)
- Stefanos Tsitsipas (+1000)
- Alexander Zverev (+2200)
Djokovic upended Alcaraz as the US Open betting favorite after his stunning, three-set victory over Alcaraz this past Sunday at the Western and Southern Open.
The three-time US Open champion and future Hall of Famer has won a record 23 Grand Slam titles but missed last year’s event due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Djokovic Excited About Returning to New York
Djokovic recently shared with Serbian news outlet Klub just how excited he is to return to New York City after his one-year absence.
“I am looking forward to coming back to New York. Throughout my career, I’ve played my best on hard courts, although grass has become my favorite surface too, in the last five-six years. But overall, considering tournaments where I’ve been most successful – it’s hard courts. I’ve played a lot of finals in New York (record 3-5 in those finals). I lost the last one to Medvedev, but I received a lot of love from the crowd, which wasn’t the case in the past. I left New York with that image in my head, so I am really looking forward to going back.”
Alcaraz Standing in His Way
If this year is any indication, Alcaraz isn’t going anywhere. The world No. 1 is the sport’s rising star and has played impressive tennis since arriving on the scene nearly 18 months ago. He’s battled Djokovic to an impressive 2-2 record, including an amazing five-set Wimbledon victory over the Serbian.
Last season Alcaraz didn’t play a single match where he didn’t win at least one set. He’s a hard-nosed competitor and will likely be the crowd favorite if he does play Djokovic in the final.
It wouldn’t surprise anyone to see the two battle for the US Open title, but a few other names could sneak past the two and win this event.
Medvedev, Zverev Could Contend for US Open Title
While the tennis world is gushing over a possible Dkokovic-Alcaraz final, these players could spoil their plans and come away with the 2023 US Open title.
Medvedev defeated Djokovic for the 2021 US Open title and has amassed a 47-13 record on the hard courts over the past 52 weeks but is just 3-2 post-Wimbledon. Medvedev is a streaky player, and if he gets hot can beat anyone, but he is 35-36 lifetime against the top 10.
Tsitsipas is a two-time Grand Slam finalist and won Los Cabos but has dropped two of his previous three matches. The Greek No. 1 is 7-6 in New York but hasn’t surpassed the second round in his six attempts.
Zverev is 5-2 post-Wimbledon but hasn’t reached a hardcourt final since 2021. He reached the finals here in 2020 and is 13-11 on hardcourts this season, but he is a dangerous player who is deadly from both wings.
US Open Darkhorses
The US Open can be unpredictable, and these players could give the top five on the betting board a serious run for their money in New York.
Jannik Sinner is +1200 on the board at Bet365 NJ, and he’s had a good summer with a huge Masters victory in Toronto. Sinner has all the weapons, including a massive serve and forehand combo that could win the young Italian his first Grand Slam title.
American Tommy Paul is +13000 to win here in New York. Those are incredibly high odds for a player who scraps and wins as he does. He’s battled Alcaraz twice this summer, defeating the young Spaniard in Toronto but falling to him in Cincinnati, and the young American could make a deep run in New York.
Finally, the Men’s US Open champion will have a battle on their hands to lift the cup. While it appears that Djokovic and Alcaraz are headed for another epic battle, players like Medvedev, Sinner, and maybe even Paul could ruin their plans and snatch the title away from the odds of betting favorites.
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