The 140th edition of the US Open will push through after all. Over at the men’s singles bracket, Rafael Nadal will not be there to defend the title he won in New York in 2019. Roger Federer is also not expected to hit the hard court as well. However, there won’t be any shortage of star power on the field, with the likes of Novak Djokovic, Dominic Thiem, and Stefanos Tsitsipas all set to vie for the US Open men’s singles title.
It’s hard not to see Djokovic as the overwhelming favorite to win the 2020 US Open men’s singles tournament. With his biggest rivals in Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal having withdrawn their names from the field, Djokovic is the only one left of the Big Three. In a recent interview, Djokovic did not seem to agree with the perception that his road to winning the 2020 US Open has become easier with Federer and Nadal out of the picture, saying that other guys on the field are just as tough as the absent duo to deal with. Nevertheless, Djokovic has three US Open singles titles to show why he is a true force to reckon with at the New York bubble.
Thiem is a young buck who’s just waiting for the Big Three to pass the torch to him. Currently ranked third in the world, Thiem has reached the Round of 16 in four of his last six trips to the US Open, including a quarterfinals appearance in 2018. Thiem is also the same youngster who gave Djokovic a run for his money back at the finals of the 2020 Australian Open in a thrilling five-setter. Thiem even defeated Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals and Alexander Zverev in the semifinals to get a date with Djokovic in that tournament.
Goffin has made it to the Round of 16 at the US Open three times since 2017. With some of the big guns sitting out this year’s US Open, Goffin is among those who could benefit from that, with a presumably easier route to the finals. As of this writing, Goffin has an 8-5 record in hard court ATP matches this year.
Bautista Agut said in a recent interview that he’s spent a lot of time during the COVID-19 break on working on his net game. At present, Bautista Agut owns a 9-3 record on hard court matches sanctioned by the ATP this year. He reached the Round of 16 at the US Open twice before (2014, 2015), though, he’s struck out of the first round in 2018 and 2019.
Ruud is known more for his ways on clay courts, but he’s been focusing on his game on the hard court of late. In an interview with ATPTour.com, Ruud said that he’s doing more work on the hard court on the clay court in hopes of becoming more competitive on the surface. The 21-year-old Norwegian still has a long way to go before becoming a serious contender, though. He recently flunked out of the first round of the Western & Southern Open during a loss to Diego Schwartzman.
Writer’s Prediction
Novak Djokovic wins the 2020 US Open Men’s singles.
