At 20, is Alexander Zverev ready to become a Grand Slam champion? Perhaps so. The next two weeks at Flushing Meadows will tell for sure.

Despite not reaching a Grand Slam quarter-final, Zverev will start among the tournament’s favourites and is the highest seed in the bottom half of the draw following the withdrawal of No. 2 Andy Murray. Two ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles this season – Rome and Montreal – are proof that he has what it takes to win the big titles. A Grand Slam crown is the next step.

In New York, the fourth seed is attempting to become the second-youngest US Open champion in the Open Era behind 19-year-old Pete Sampras in 1990.

“I played great on the hard courts so far, won two tournaments, Montreal and Washington back to back, which are two huge events,” Zverev said Saturday. “I felt like I could compete and beat anyone during this period of time.

“I think [the Masters 1000 titles] really showed me that I can beat those [top-ranked] guys on a daily basis. I mean, I have won two Masters events this year, which is something new I think the tour hasn’t seen for quite a long time apart from the ‘Big 4’. You know, everything is starting to come together and hopefully can continue.”

Zverev opens his campaign against Barbados’ Darian King. He is seeded to meet Kevin Anderson in the third round, Jack Sock in the fourth round and John Isner in the quarter-finals.

Zverev began the year at No. 24 in the Emirates ATP Rankings but has surged to No. 6, enough to earn him the fourth seed with the injured Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka not entered into the draw. Asked if his progress had exceeded expectations, Zverev said: “You probably expect me to be super surprised. Obviously I wouldn’t have expected it, but I know what kind of work I have done in the off-season, what kind of work I have done throughout the season, and that me and my whole team are all working towards something like this, and something hopefully even bigger.

“Obviously I’m super happy the way things are going, but I’m not going to be satisfied with just being the No. 4 seed. Doesn’t really matter at the end of the tournament what seed you were. It only matters how far you went and what matches you have won.”

The US Open begins Monday.

It somehow has never happened, but Roger Federer – and every tennis fan in the world – would welcome the occasion. Federer and Rafael Nadal have played 37 times in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, including three times this year – Australian Open final, Indian Wells round of 16 and Miami final – all of which Federer won.

But the all-time greats have never faced off at the US Open, which starts Monday in New York. The match-up could happen this year, though. Federer, the third seed, has been drawn in the same half as No. 1 seed Nadal. The two could meet in the semi-finals.

“I’d love to play Rafa here in New York. Hopefully it will be a night session. Hopefully that would be a great atmosphere and one again where we play great like at the Australian Open,” Federer said. “I think that would be fun for everybody involved.”

The 36-year-old Swiss makes his return to Flushing Meadows this week after having to miss the season’s final Grand Slam last year because of injuries. He will be going his 20^th Grand Slam title and his sixth US Open crown. Both would be records.

Federer last won the US Open in 2008, the fifth year of his five-peat. The early years of that streak stick with him the most, though.

“Winning here for the first time was big; 2004 was a great year for me. World No. 1 for the first time and trying to win the US Open for the first time. So that was a big deal of course,” Federer said. “You look back at those first couple of years where I got on the run of the five here. I fell in love with New York, I always loved coming back here as a junior back in ’98 and every year after that. I think 2004 and ’05 were the big years for me.”

Incredibly, Federer has a chance to return to No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings this fortnight. If he wins the title or makes the final, he will become No. 1 and knock Nadal off the top spot. The Spaniard reclaimed No. 1 last week.

Federer also could ascend to No. 1 if he makes the semi-finals and Nadal does not reach the last four, or if he reaches the quarter-finals and Nadal is upset in the first round.

Federer debuted at No. 1 on 2 February 2004 but has not been there since 4 November 2012. Federer would break two records of Andre Agassi’s if he were to reach the top spot again.

He would become the oldest No. 1 since the Emirates ATP Rankings were established in 1973. The four years and 310 days between 4 November 2012 and 11 September 2017 would also be the longest gap between stints at No. 1.

Federer begins with #NextGenATP American Frances Tiafoe. The Swiss won their lone prior match-up, earlier this year in Miami, 7-6(2), 6-3.

“It’s an interesting first round. Clearly he has nothing to lose but everything to gain. It’s a tough one, plus like you said, he’s playing well. He’s aggressive baseliner like so many of the Americans. Thankfully I played him in Miami this year so I have a little bit of an idea of how he plays, and his patterns and what he prefers to do and what not,” Federer said.

“At the end I’m going to try to focus on my own game like I usually do, play within myself that first round and make sure I make it tough for Frances to get through me, and hopefully get off a good start in the match. Excited to play on centre court for the first time with the proper structure and roof now. I missed it last year. I’m very excited playing here again.”

The US Open, known before 1968 as the US National Championships, is the second-oldest of the four Grand Slams after Wimbledon, and the only one to have been played each year since its inception in 1881. This is the 137th staging of the event, as well as the 50th US Open and 199th Grand Slam tournament of the Open Era. The US Open has been held on the hard courts of Flushing since moving from Forest Hills in 1978. It was played on grass through 1974 and on clay from 1975 to 1977.

NO. 1 ON THE LINE IN EMIRATES ATP RANKINGS: New World No. 1 Rafael Nadal puts his ranking on the line at the US Open and No. 3 Roger Federer can return to the top of men’s tennis. Both can clinch No. 1 on 11 September by winning the US Open title.

Federer must reach the quarter-finals for a chance at replacing Nadal atop the Emirates ATP Rankings. Federer, 36, debuted at No. 1 on 2 February 2004 and has not been No. 1 since 4 November 2012.

He is hoping to break a pair of Andre Agassi’s records. The five-time US Open champion would be the oldest World No. 1 since rankings were established in 1973. The four years and 310 days between 4 November 2012 and 11 September 2017 would be the longest gap between stints at No. 1. Please see below for all scenarios.

Nadal No. 1 Scenarios
* Champion

* Finalist

* Semi-finalist + Federer does not reach final

* Quarter-finalist, 4th Round or 3rd Round + Federer does not reach SF

* 2nd Round + Federer does not reach SF

* 1st Round or Does Not Play + Federer does not reach QF

Federer No. 1 Scenarios
* Champion

* Finalist

* Semi-finalist + Nadal does not reach SF

* Quarter-finalist + Nadal does not reach 2R

ROGER’S RECORDS: Roger Federer is the all-time leader with 19 Grand Slam men’s singles titles and 302 weeks at No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. The Swiss can extend those records and set several new ones in New York City.

Federer seeks his sixth US Open title, which would break a three-way tie for most in the Open Era.

Federer seeks his eighth US Open final, which would create a three-way tie for most in the Open Era.

Federer seeks his sixth US Open title 13 years after winning his first, which would set an Open Era record for greatest number of years between first and most recent US Open titles.

Federer seeks a sixth US Open title nine years after winning his fifth, which would set an Open Era record for greatest number of years between US Open titles.

Federer, 36, bids to become the oldest US Open champion in the Open Era (and oldest US Open finalist since 1974).

ONLY THREE HAVE CRACKED BIG FOUR: The ‘Big Four’ of Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic has won 45 of the last 50 Grand Slam titles. Only former US Open champions Juan Martin del Potro, Marin Cilic and Stan Wawrinka have broken the Big Four’s dominance during that stretch, with Wawrinka winning three Grand Slams. Since 2005 Roland Garros, Nadal and Federer have both captured 15 Grand Slam titles (Djokovic-12, Murray-3).

THREE-QUARTER SLAM: Roger Federer enters the US Open for the fourth time as the reigning Australian Open and Wimbledon champion (also in 2004, 2006 and 2007). Federer went on to win the US Open title in all three of those years.

FEELS LIKE HOME TO HIM: Arthur Ashe Stadium turns 20 at the 2017 US Open, and no man has won or played more matches inside the biggest tennis arena in the world than Federer (66-8). Federer also owns the most evening-session wins among men since 1980 (31-1) and could pass Andre Agassi (28-5) for the most evening-session matches.

2006 ALL OVER AGAIN: Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have combined to win the Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon titles for the fifth time (also in 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2010). Federer or Nadal went on to win the US Open title in all but one of those years. Juan Martin del Potro defeated Nadal and Federer en route to the 2009 US Open title.

NEVER IN OPEN ERA: Roger Federer did it at the Australian Open in 2007 and Wimbledon in 2017. Rafael Nadal did it at Roland Garros in 2008, 2010 and 2017. But no man in the Open Era has ever won the US Open title without dropping a set. Neale Fraser is the last player overall to do so, sweeping 21 sets for the 1960 US National Championships title.

GRAPPLE IN THE APPLE: Legendary boxing promoter Don King billed it the ‘Grapple in the Apple’ in 2008, but Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have still never played at the US Open. On five occasions, they were only one match away.

HARD-COURT DROUGHT: Rafael Nadal will reach 144 weeks overall as World No. 1 during the US Open. He can ensure that he remains No. 1 by winning the title, but the Spaniard has not bitten a hard-court championship trophy in nearly four years. Nadal has played 34 hard-court events and eight hard-court finals since his last title on the surface at 2014 Doha.

PAST CHAMP RETURNING: 2014 champion Marin Cilic will attempt to become the first player in the Open Era to win the US Open title without playing any matches between Wimbledon and the US Open.

SASCHA SEEKS BREAKTHROUGH: Alexander Zverev has yet to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final. But after winning back-to-back titles earlier this month at the Citi Open in Washington, D.C., and the Coupe Rogers, an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Montreal, Zverev has emerged as the No. 4 seed at the US Open. Should the 20-year-old capture his third title of the summer and sixth of the season in New York, he would become the second-youngest US Open champion in the Open Era behind only a 19-year-old Pete Sampras in 1990.

DIMITROV DELIVERING: Grigor Dimitrov held in 52 of 53 service games en route to the biggest title of his career at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 in Cincinnati. Dimitrov, the No. 7 seed, has never reached the US Open quarter-finals.

The Cincinnati champion has won the US Open title once in the past nine years (Rafael Nadal in 2013). Dimitrov, Roger Federer, Alexander Zverev and Juan Martin del Potro are among those who could make it six straight years with a different US Open champion.

UNSEEDED STATS: There has not been an unseeded US Open semi-finalist since Mikhail Youzhny in 2006, finalist since Mark Philippoussis in 1998 and champion since Andre Agassi in 1994. The US Open went from 16 to 32 seeds in 2001.

THEY’RE UNSEEDED TOO: Gilles Muller (2008) and Nicolas Escude (1999) both reached the US Open quarter-finals for the best finish by a qualifier in the Open Era. Jimmy Connors did one better by reaching the 1991 semi-finals for the best finish by a wild card.

Lucky losers haven’t been as successful, with Flavio Cipolla (2008), Fernando Verdasco (2003) and Laurence Tieleman (1999) tied for the best finish by a player who lost in qualifying. They each reached the third round.

All-Time Grand Slam Men’s Singles Title Leaders

All-Time Grand Slam Win Leaders 

All-Time US Open Win Leaders

Players competing at 2017 US Open in bold

SPANISH SPOILERS: Left-handed Spaniards Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco are quickly approaching Roger Federer’s Open Era-record of 65 consecutive Grand Slam main draw appearances. Lopez, Federer’s former junior rival, could tie the Swiss at Roland Garros and pass him at Wimbledon. The 31st-seeded Lopez is making his 16th straight appearance at the US Open. The streaks of Novak Djokovic (51) and Stan Wawrinka (50) will end at the US Open.

HARD-COURT WIN LEADERS: Grigor Dimitrov earned his ATP-best 24th hard-court win of 2017 in the Cincinnati final.

NOTE: Roberto Bautista Agut is 21-6 with one title entering the Winston-Salem Open final.

US Open Finish of Hard-Court Win Leaders Entering US Open (since 2000)

Players competing at 2017 US Open in bold

Career Hard-Court Title Leaders (Open Era)

Active Players Hard-Court Title Leaders

Players competing at 2017 US Open in bold

GRAND SLAM TITLE BREAKTHROUGH: In the Open Era, 13 players have earned their first Grand Slam title by winning the US Open. This tournament has the second-highest number of first-time Grand Slam champions behind Roland Garros.

Players competing at 2017 US Open in bold

TITLE DEFENCES: With Stan Wawrinka out for the season, Roger Federer remains the last man to successfully defend the US Open title, having won five straight titles from 2004 through 2008. Wawrinka is the fourth defending champion to miss the US Open since 2003, joining Pete Sampras in 2003, Juan Martin del Potro in 2010 and Rafael Nadal in 2014.

Successful Grand Slam Title Defenses (Open Era)

Players competing at 2017 US Open in bold

TOP SEED FINISHES: The top seed has won the title 15 times in the 49 US Opens held during the Open Era. The US Open top seed has lost twice in the first round: John Newcombe in 1971 and Stefan Edberg in 1990.

Players competing at 2017 US Open in bold

*In 1973, there were two No. 1 seeds

LEFT-HANDED CHAMPIONS: Six left-handers have combined to win 14 US Open singles titles in the Open Era.

Jimmy Connors (5): 1974, 1976, 1978, 1982-83

John McEnroe (4): 1979-81, 1984

Rafael Nadal (2): 2010, 2013

Guillermo Vilas (1): 1977

Manuel Orantes (1): 1975

Rod Laver (1): 1969

COUNTRY BREAKDOWN: There are 43 countries represented in the men’s singles draw at the US Open (40 in 2016).

FIRST-TIMERS: There are 23 players making their US Open debut this year (up from 16 in 2016): JC Aragone, Geoffrey Blancaneaux, Marius Copil, Alex de Minaur, Christopher Eubanks, Norbert Gombos, Nicolas Kicker, Darian King, Evan King, Thai-Son Kwiatkowski, Patrick Kypson, Henri Laaksonen, Maximilian Marterer, Daniil Medvedev, Adrian Menendez-Maceiras, Vincent Millot, Thiago Monteiro, Cameron Norrie, Vaclav Safranek, Tennys Sandgren, Denis Shapovalov, Yuichi Sugita and Stefano Travaglia. In the Open Era, no man has ever won the US Open title in his tournament debut. The last player to win a title in his debut at a Grand Slam event was Rafael Nadal at 2005 Roland Garros.

FROM BOYS TO MEN: Ten former US Open junior champions and six runners-up are in the men’s singles draw. Stefan Edberg, Andy Roddick and Andy Murray are the only players to have won both the boys’ and men’s singles titles.

US OPEN CHAMPIONS LIST: Of the 54 Grand Slam champions in the Open Era, 27 have won the US Open title.

Players competing at 2017 US Open in bold

US Open Singles Finals (Open Era)

Players competing at 2017 US Open in bold

US Open Doubles Finals (Open Era)

Players competing at 2017 US Open in bold

+Not playing together at 2017 US Open

Second seed Andy Murray has withdrawn from the US Open because of a lingering hip injury. The 2012 titlist has not played since losing to Sam Querrey in the Wimbledon quarter-finals last month.

Murray said on Saturday that he’s been battling the injury since falling to Stan Wawrinka in the Roland Garros semi-finals in June.

“[I] did pretty much everything that I could to get myself ready here and took a number of weeks off after Wimbledon. I obviously spoke to a lot of hip specialists. [I] tried obviously resting, rehabbing, to try and get myself ready here,” Murray said. “[I] was actually practising okay the last few days, but it’s too sore for me to win the tournament and ultimately that’s what I was here to try and do. Unfortunately, I won’t be playing here this year.”

Murray fell to No. 2 in the Emirates ATP Rankings last week when Spaniard Rafael Nadal returned to the top spot. The Scot had been in the bottom half of the US Open draw, which is now led by fourth seed Alexander Zverev, fifth seed Marin Cilic and eighth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Lukas Lacko of Slovakia will now enter the main draw.

Grigor Dimitrov and Alexander Zverev, ATP World Tour Masters 1000 champions respectively in Cincinnati and Montreal, finished on top in the Summer Masters Golden Hot Shot poll.

Dimitrov’s dive volley against Yuichi Sugita in the quarter-finals of the Western & Southern Open was selected by fans as the clear winner of the poll, finishing with 52 per cent of votes cast over a five-day period. Meanwhile, Zverev’s match point save in a 49-shot rally against Richard Gasquet in the Coupe Rogers second round received 18 per cent of votes.  

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