Tennis News

US Open Scouting Report: Djokovic Chasing History, Can Medvedev & Others Stop Him?

The world’s best players are ready for the US Open, the season’s fourth and final major. Novak Djokovic will aim to make more history and break further records, while Toronto titlist Daniil Medvedev and Cincinnati champion Alexander Zverev will be among the leading players trying to stop him.

Before play gets underway, ATPTour.com looks at 10 things to watch in New York.

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1) Djokovic Going For No. 21: After capturing his 20th major title at Wimbledon in July to move level with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on majors won, Djokovic will try to claim two historic achievements at the US Open over the next fortnight. The World No. 1 will stand alone at the top of the major record books with 21 titles with victory in New York.

The Serbian is also bidding to become just the second male player in the Open Era (since April 1968) to complete a Grand Slam, having lifted the trophy at the Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon this year. Djokovic hopes to match the accomplishment of Rod Laver, who completed a Grand Slam in 1969 (and 1962, before the Open Era). The three-time US Open champion will open his campaign against qualifier Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune, a #NextGenATP player from Denmark, and could meet seventh seed Matteo Berrettini in the quarter-finals.

2) Can Medvedev Capture Maiden Major? Russia’s Medvedev comes alive during the North American hard-court swing. In 2019, the World No. 2 lifted his first ATP Masters 1000 crown in Cincinnati just one week after advancing to his maiden championship match at that level in Montreal. This form helped propel the second seed to his first major final at the US Open that year where he fell to Rafael Nadal in five sets.

This year, Medvedev enjoyed a dominant run to his fourth Masters 1000 crown in Toronto, becoming the first Russian winner in Canada since Marat Safin in 2000. He then reached the last four in Cincinnati earlier this month. Will the 25-year-old use that momentum to surge to his first major title in New York, where he also made the semi-finals last year? Medvedev will face Frenchman Richard Gasquet, the former World No. 7, in the first round. 

3) Zverev In Form: Nobody arrives in New York in better form than World No. 4 Alexander Zverev. The German, who reached his first major final at the US Open last year, defeated Djokovic en route to winning the Tokyo Olympics singles gold medal earlier this month. Zverev then dropped just one set in Cincinnati at the Western & Southern Open as he claimed his fifth Masters 1000 title.

The 24-year-old is on an 11-match winning streak and will look to extend it against American Sam Querrey, a big-hitting former US Open quarter-finalist (2017) in the first round.

4) Tsitsipas Time: Stefanos Tsitsipas has been impressive this season, recording an ATP Tour-leading 48 victories. Earlier this year, the Greek captured his first Masters 1000 crown in Monte-Carlo and reached his maiden major final at Roland Garros. This has seen the him rise to a career-high No. 3 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. Tsitsipas enters the US Open with momentum after semi-final runs on hard in Toronto and Cincinnati this month.

However, the eight-time tour-level titlist has never advanced past the third round in three previous main draw appearances at Flushing Meadows, falling to Croatian Borna Coric in five sets last year. If Tsitsipas reaches the second week at Flushing Meadows, he could face Andrey Rublev in the quarter-finals.

5) Rublev Enters With Momentum: World No. 7 Rublev has reached two Masters 1000 finals this year, most recently in Cincinnati where he claimed a maiden victory over countryman Medvedev en route to the championship match. And he arrives at a venue, the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, where he has fond memories. In 2017, a 19-year-old Rublev became the youngest US Open quarter-finalist since Andy Roddick in 2001. The Russian also made the last eight in New York last year.

6) #NextGenATP Stars: There are a host of #NextGenATP stars set to compete in New York over the next fortnight. Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime, seeded 12th and Italy’s Jannik Sinner, seeded 13th, are two of the 32 seeds in the singles draw. Sinner captured his second tour-level title of the season in Washington at the start of August and will try to capture his first victory at the US Open in his third attempt when he faces wild card Max Purcell in the first round.

Auger-Aliassime notched his best performance at a major at the time last year when he enjoyed a run to the fourth round in New York. The 21-year-old arrives at Flushing Meadows on the back of reaching the quarter-finals at Wimbledon and in Cincinnati.

Umag champion Carlos Alcaraz and 19-year-old Lorenzo Musetti will make their US Open debuts, while American Sebastian Korda will be competing at his home major for a second time, having fallen to Denis Shapovalov last year in the first round. Alcaraz and Musetti enjoyed breakthrough runs to the third round and fourth round, respectively, at Roland Garros in June, with Korda reaching the last 16 at Wimbledon in July.

7) Murray In Action: After winning matches in Cincinnati and Winston-Salem this month, 2012 US Open champion Andy Murray will aim to continue building up his form at the US Open. The 34-year-old, who is competing at the hard-court major for the 15th time, has played singles in six tour-level tournaments this season. Murray has advanced to the second round in his past two appearances in New York (2018, 2020), last reaching the quarter-finals at a major in 2017 at Wimbledon. The Scot will begin his campaign against third seed Tsitsipas in a blockbuster clash. 

8) Opelka & Isner Lead American Charge: Big-servers Reilly Opelka and John Isner will lead the American quest for success in New York, with both arriving in strong form. Opelka, who begins against Soonwoo Kwon, notched his first top five win over Tsitsipas in Toronto en route to his maiden Masters 1000 final, while Isner, who plays #NextGenATP American Brandon Nakashima in the first round, reached the last four in Canada.

Alongside Korda and Nakashima, another #NextGenATP American will compete: World No. 99 Jenson Brooksby. Brooksby reached the final in Newport in July and backed that up by enjoying a run to the semi-finals on hard in Washington. The 20-year-old faces Swede Mikael Ymer in the first round.

9) More Players To Watch: Italy’s Berrettini has fond memories of New York, having reached the semi-finals in 2019. The sixth seed advanced to his first major championship match at Wimbledon in July and plays Jeremy Chardy in the first round. Casper Ruud will also look to transition his clay-court form onto hard, having become the first player since Andy Murray in October 2011 to win three consecutive tour-level titles in July (Gstaad, Bastad, Kitzbühel). The Norwegian recently advanced to the quarter-finals in Toronto and Cincinnati and will open against former World No. 5 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Hubert Hurkacz, who became the first Pole to win a Masters 1000 title when he lifted the trophy in Miami in March, has enjoyed a strong season. The 24-year-old, currently in ninth place in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin, advanced to the last eight in Toronto and reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon in July. The three-time tour-level champion begins against Egor Gerasimov.

Canadian Shapovalov and Australian Alex de Minaur will also be dangerous. Shapovalov will be aiming to snap a four-match losing streak in his opening match against Federico Delbonis, while De Minaur will look to build on the experience he gained from reaching the quarter-finals at the US Open last September to go further this year. The Eastbourne champion will face tricky American Taylor Fritz in the first round. 

10) Mektic/Pavic Targeting 10th Tour-Level Title Of 2021: Top seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic faced off against each other in the US Open final last year, with Pavic lifting the trophy with Brazilian Bruno Soares. Since teaming at the start of this season, the Croatians have enjoyed a dominant year, capturing nine tour-level titles, including three Masters 1000 crowns, Wimbledon and an Olympic gold medal.

They will face stiff competition from teams including Toronto champions Rajeev Ram and Joe Saliabury, Cincinnati winners Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos and Frenchmen Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut, who have captured all four major titles together.

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Opelka 'Optimistic' For More Success At US Open

Reilly Opelka has been working hard on being mentally tougher in the past few months as he prepares for his third appearance at the US Open.

The 24-year-old American attributes the development of his mentality as the main reason for his success this season. Opelka reached the semi-finals in Rome in May and enjoyed a run to the final in Toronto, where only World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev could stop him.

“I turned things around [in Toronto]… I beat [Stefanos] Tsitsipas, played a great final against Medvedev [in a] Masters 1000 final, my best result yet,” Opelka said in his pre-tournament press conference. “I think just having an optimistic mindset is so critical.

“The sport is already as tough as it is. If you’re not optimistic, it’s hard to get through those moments. Not saying I’m going to get through them every time now, but it just shows what getting through one moment like that can do.”

Despite the deep runs in Rome and Toronto, Opelka is not getting complacent with his recent success. The American’s most successful performance in a major is reaching the third round at Wimbledon in 2019 and Roland Garros this year. Opelka, who begins against World No. 74 Soonwoo Kwon, feels he has plenty to work on before making a deeper run at a major.

“I’ve grown a lot in the last year. It doesn’t mean that I’m not expecting to showcase it all in one week. The season’s long. The way the sport works, we’re 40 weeks pretty much,” Opelka said. “I would love to carry my momentum through this week. But everyone’s tough here.

“There’s no such thing as a good draw anymore. I think it’s been that way probably for the past 10, 15 years. Maybe in the past, you would see some first rounds that weren’t so close. Now anyone can beat anyone.”

On his mental development, Opelka said he had developed this in the past year, while there we no crowds. Nevertheless, the second highest-ranked American, after John Isner, will be looking forward to having fans supporting him once again next week in New York.

“It definitely changes things,” Opelka added. “I prefer it [playing with fans], but I’ve gotten used to playing without them. I think I got to really work on my mindset in that time.

“Having fans back is a total delight. It’s a treat. We’ve learned that. Especially New Yorkers. What better fans to have for our first 100 per cent capacity than the local New York crowd? That’s what makes the US Open the US Open.

“That’s what makes sport in New York so iconic. That’s why the Yankees are a legendary team, the Knicks as well. It’s the fan, the fan base, the culture of New York, New Yorkers.”

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US Open 2021: Andy Murray a tough start for me – Stefanos Tsitsipas

Former champion Andy Murray faces Greek world number three Stefanos Tsitsipas in the first round of the US Open.

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Ymer Is First Swedish Finalist In A Decade

Mikael Ymer became the first Swedish finalist in more than a decade after producing a stunning comeback to shock highly rated 18-year-old Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals of the Winston-Salem Open Friday night.

Ymer, 22, won seven straight games to turn a 3-5 first-set deficit into a commanding 7-5, 3-0 lead en route to his ultimate 7-5, 6-3 victory.

“With toolbox I have and the way he plays, [wearing him down] is more or less the only option, because he’s so aggressive,” Ymer said. “I think I executed the plan pretty well.”

Ymer is playing his first event of the US Open Series, but with the confidence earned by reaching back-to-back quarter-finals at his two most recent events on clay in Gstaad and Kitzbuehel. Robin Soderling was the last Swede to reach a final, winning Bastad in 2011.

In Saturday’s final Ymer will play Ilya Ivashka, who had a crushing 6-2, 6-1 win over Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori. Ivashka will attempt to become the first player from Belarus to win an ATP Tour singles title since Max Mirnyi in 2003 at Rotterdam.

“I feel good physically and mentally and I’m just trying to play my best tennis. I like to play on hard courts, so it’s all coming together this week,” Ivashka said.

“It is something I have been dreaming of to get an ATP title, so let’s see tomorrow if it happens.”

Ivashka and Mirnyi have been exchanging messages this week and recently spent time together at the Tokyo Olympics. “He’s a really nice guy, an unbelievable human being and a legend of our sport,” Ivashka said.

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Sign Of The Times: Tsitsipas Challenging For US Open Title

World No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas has been having fun this year imitating Seth, the ‘DudeWithSign’ influencer with 7.7m Instagram followers. The Greek has lifted cardboard signs with simple messages for his own Instagram followers, including a cheeky one that revealed Nick Kyrgios’ phone number. On the eve of the US Open, Tsitsipas connected with Seth inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, later detailing the meeting in Friday’s pre-tournament press conference at Flushing Meadows.

“Seth is a really humble and nice guy. We had good times with him yesterday,” Tsitsipas said. “I’m glad I met him. My initial goal when I started this is to someday get to meet him and get to do a collab with him. I’m glad it happened here. He’s someone that I kind of look up to a lot. Something simple as what he does, in a way it is much more complex than it looks like. The way he spreads messages, the way he entertains people is unique on its own.”

 

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A post shared by Stefanos Tsitsipas (@stefanostsitsipas98)

Tsitsipas posted on Instagram an image of himself holding a sign saying ‘Get A Haircut’ next to Seth, whose sign read ‘Win A Grand Slam’. That may have prompted the media Friday to ask about his own haircare routine during the pandemic.

“I don’t remember cutting my hair during lockdown, so you can imagine the situation there,” he said. “I don’t remember anyone cutting my hair. I wouldn’t trust anyone with cutting my hair.”

The third seed will open his US Open campaign with a first-time meeting with 2012 champion Andy Murray. The former World No. 1 is playing his second major of the year after missing the Australian Open and Roland Garros due to injury.

“He’s someone that has been putting a lot of work to get back and has been playing very good tennis to be standing where he’s at right now. I think I’m going to go for it, try my chances against him,” Tsitsipas said. “He’s someone that won’t give up. I’ll have to bring some good tennis from my side.”

The 2019 Nitto ATP Finals champion, who leads the Tour with 48 match wins this season, is well aware of the history that Novak Djokovic will be attempting to create in the coming fortnight. If the World No.1 were to win in New York, he would complete the Grand Slam and pass Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal with a record-breaking 21 major titles.

“Respect for him. He’s an example of someone who commits himself a lot to the game and tries to get the best possible out of it. I really wish for me to maybe one day be at that level of consistency and be able to dominate Grand Slams at such level,” Tsitsipas said. “It is something that comes with time. I think he has learned throughout the years how to preserve his best strengths and kind of expose them at the right moment, at the right time.”

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Otte Leads 3 German Qualifiers Into US Open Main Draw

World No. 144 Oscar Otte completed his remarkable journey through the US Open qualifying rounds Friday to lead three German players into the main draw of the final major of the season. After surviving third-set tie-break wins in the first two rounds against Renzo Olivo and Constant Lestienne, Otte outlasted Spain’s Bernabe Zapata Miralles 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.

Joining Otte in the main draw are countrymen Peter Gojowczyk and Maximilian Marterer.

World No. 141 Gojowczyk defeated qualifying second seed, Argentine Francisco Cerundolo, 6-4, 6-3. Gojowczyk will make his fifth appearance in the main draw. He has not been beyond the first round since 2014.

World No. 209 Marterer toiled for two hours, 46 minutes for a 7-6(4), 6-7(7), 6-4 win over beat Frenchman Maxime Janvier, who reached the fourth round of Roland Garros in 2018. He will now look to reach the US Open second round for the first time in his third main-draw appearance.

#NextGenATP Dane Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune, 18, denied another German passage to the main draw when he claimed a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win over Mats Moraing. At a career-high 145 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, Rune is making his first appearance at a Grand Slam event.

American Christopher Eubanks, 25, will make his third US Open main draw appearance after toughing out a 2-6, 7-5, 7-6(6) win over Argentine Sebastian Baez.

Fellow American Zane Khan found himself on the wrong side of another third-set tie-break decision, falling 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(4) to Russian veteran Evgeny Donskoy, who will make his ninth consecutive appearance in the main draw.

Ivo Karlovic, who at 42 is pondering whether this year’s US Open will be his last, will make his 17th appearance in the main draw after a 6-3, 7-6(5) win over Japan’s Yuichi Sugita. The Croat fired 25 aces for a three-round tally of 66.

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Zverev Aiming To Carry Momentum Into US Open

Alexander Zverev is feeling confident ahead of the US Open as he arrives in New York on an 11-match winning streak.

The fourth seed captured the Tokyo Olympics gold medal in the beginning of August, before winning his fifth ATP Masters 1000 crown at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati last week. The German is hoping to carry his form into the final major of the year.

“It has been a pretty incredible month for me,” Zverev said in his pre-tournament press conference. “Obviously winning the gold medal is something that you don’t even dream about as a tennis player because it’s just so surreal in a way.

“It’s incredible. I mean, the feeling that gave me, and also the Cincinnati week has been pretty good. I feel well. I hope I continue this wave here in New York and we’ll see how it goes.”

Zverev enjoyed a run to the championship match at the US Open last year and came within two points of capturing his first major trophy, falling to Austrian Dominic Thiem in the fifth-set tie-break. The 17-time tour-level titlist believes that experience will give him further motivation at Flushing Meadows this year.

“I think in a way it fuelled gas into the fire a little bit because I was two points away from winning it,” Zverev said. “I practised on centre court now a few times. There are still memories there. I still remember it, and I still have that in the back of my mind.

“I’m very motivated. I’m very much looking forward to getting back on that court and starting to compete because I was not far away last year. I feel like I’m playing great tennis this year”

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic will be targeting a record-breaking 21st major in the next fortnight at the US Open as he aims to become just the second male player in the Open Era alongside Rod Laver to complete the Grand Slam. His two closest rivals, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, are not competing in New York due to injuries.

Despite their absence, Zverev, who faces American Sam Querrey in the first round, thinks he along with other top five stars such as Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas can provide the fans with entertaining matches at Flushing Meadows.

“I think the Cincinnati tournament, other tournaments this year, showed the competition and the rivalry that we have with the younger guys,” Zverev added. “I think the Top five guys with Medvedev, Tsitsipas, myself, Rublev and Berrettini, we’re having great battles, we’re having very entertaining matches.

“I think a lot of tennis fans are also looking forward to those matchups. I think in the future this will be no different. I think in major finals and major semi-finals, those matchups will [happen] more often and [be] more common. I think it’s also exciting to watch that.”

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US Open 2021: Naomi Osaka says she did a 'lot of things wrong' in French Open media row

Japan’s Naomi Osaka says she has learned from the media controversy at this year’s French Open after accepting she did “a lot of things wrong”.

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Arevalo/Middelkoop Capture Winston-Salem Trophy

Marcelo Arevalo and Matwe Middelkoop battled back to defeat Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek 6-7(5), 7-5, 10-6 Friday at the Winston-Salem Open to clinch their first title as a team this season.

Arevelo of El Salvador and Middelkoop of the Netherlands were competing in their maiden final of the year as a team, having reached semi-finals in Marbella in April and Rome in May. The unseeded pair won 84 per cent (46/55) of their first-serve points and saved both breaks point they faced to secure their victory in one hour and 53 minutes.

“It is amazing, I am still processing the match,” Middelkoop said. “It is my 10th title, second title for Arevalo and first as a team. We struggled throughout the whole week, but managed to win the tournament, so it shows how we can bounce back. The future looks very bright.”

Arevelo and Middelkoop, who made their team debut in 2020 at the Rolex Paris Masters, saved three match points in their first-round match and one match point in their quarter-final victory en route to the trophy.

”We trusted each other since the first match,” Arevalo added. “We faced a lot of tough moments, match points down in the opening matches. We complement each other in the important moments. Sometimes Middelkoop is playing better, sometimes I am playing better. We are a tough team.”

It is the second final Middelkoop has competed in this year, after enjoying a run to the championship match in Kitzbühel with Roman Jebavy in July. Arevalo reached the semi-finals in Cincinnati last week with Italy’s Fabio Fognini.

Dodig and Krajicek were teaming for the first time this week. The Croatian-American tandem did not drop a set en route to the championship match, upsetting top seeds Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo in the semi-finals.

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Djokovic Seeks 'Guiding Star' To Grand Slam History

Novak Djokovic can make history over the coming fortnight at the US Open, where a title would give him a record-breaking 21 majors and the Grand Slam, having already won the Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon this year. The World No. 1 is not allowing the pressure of the opportunity to get to him, though. Instead, the 34-year-old is embracing it.

“Obviously I know how big of an opportunity is in front of me here in New York, where historically I’ve played really well over the years. It’s probably the most entertaining tennis court that we have. [The] crowd will be back [in the] stadium,” Djokovic said. “I can’t wait. Honestly I’m very motivated to play my best tennis. But I have to hit one ball at a time, try to be in the moment, have a guiding star in a way, a dream to win a Slam here, which would obviously complete the calendar Slam.

“I’m hugely inspired and motivated by that, no doubt. But at the same time, I know how to balance things out mentally, with lots of expectations around. My participation here, without Rafa and Roger participating, I feel it. I know there are a lot of people who are going to be watching my matches and expecting me to do well and fight for a Slam.”

Djokovic added that even without 20-time major winners Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer competing at Flushing Meadows, there will be plenty of tough challengers. Daniil Medvedev triumphed in Toronto, Alexander Zverev won the Tokyo Olympics and Cincinnati, and Stefanos Tsitsipas is second in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin.

“You still have tremendous quality tennis players that are right now on hot streaks, like Zverev, Medvedev [and] Tsitsipas. Those are the three top contenders I see for the title.
But a Grand Slam is a Grand Slam. It’s a two-week-long event, best-of-five [sets]. Everyone wants to do well at the Grand Slams. Anything can really happen,” Djokovic said. “Of course the top seeds are the top favourites to go far and go deep in the tournament, but I’ve been in this situation numerous times in my life.

“There is a slight difference in terms of what’s at stake and the feeling towards that, but I don’t give it too big of a significance on a daily basis because I’m trying to be in the present moment.”

Djokovic has not competed since the Tokyo Olympics. But the Serbian said that his preparation for the season’s final major has gone well.

“I feel good on the court. I took [a] little bit of additional time off after [the] Olympics. [I] have not played Cincinnati, which was previously planned, because I just felt exhausted in every sense after that long summer, which was very successful,” Djokovic said. “[At the] Olympics [I] unfortunately didn’t end up with a medal. It was a great experience of sharing the Village and the dining room with 10-plus-thousand athletes. It’s a very unique experience that you remember forever.

“You take a lot of positives out of it, putting aside the tennis performance, just in general. I think you can learn a lot, you speak life, you speak sports. I really value that experience a lot.”

Djokovic has great memories in New York, where he has lifted the US Open trophy three times and made the final on another five occasions. The Serbian owns a 75-12 record on the Flushing Meadows hard courts.

Spiderman or Gumby? ?@DjokerNole is no stranger to nicknames… But which one is his favorite?#USOpen pic.twitter.com/HBuV9yau4v

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 27, 2021

The top seed will play a qualifier in his opening match, and the highest-ranked player in his quarter of the draw is Italian Matteo Berrettini, whom he defeated in the Wimbledon final. More than anything, Djokovic is excited to get started as he attempts to become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to complete the Grand Slam.

“I’m very inspired to play my best tennis here. I don’t want to say it’s now or never for me because I think I’m going to have more opportunities in my life to win Slams. I don’t know if I’m going to be having more opportunities to win Calendar Slams,” Djokovic said. “That’s why it’s a very unique opportunity. At the same time, I don’t need to put any additional pressure to what I already have, which is pretty big from my own self and from of course people around me.

“But I thrive under pressure, as well. I’ve done that many times in my career. Pressure is a privilege, it truly is. This is what you work for day-in, day-out, all your life, to put yourself in a unique position to win Grand Slams and to make history. At the end of the day, I’m a big tennis fan, [a] fan of history. I admire this sport. I love it. I have this chance, and I’m going to try to use it.”

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