All three women made the finals at majors, went to number one but never cracked a Grand Slam title. “Sometimes when you play a lot of tennis, like Novak has, you can pick up niggles, and sometimes your body does need a break as much as anything”.
Advertisement
Djokovic, 29, has struggled since winning the French Open in June.
Given his consistency over a number of years, that fatigue would not be unlikely. But Del Potro, 27, is an exceptional talent, and looks to at last have put those injuries behind him, defeating Stan Wawrinka at Wimbledon and Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal at the Rio Olympics.
Kerber would already be there had she not lost to Karolina Pliskova in the final at Cincinnati last week but she has a realistic chance in NY.
Andy Murray will face Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic in the first round of the forthcoming US Open in NY.
A number of powerful players in this quarter could make matters interesting, however.
Meanwhile, Marin Cilic beat Murray in the final of the the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati to claim his first Masters Series title. The Croat has been having a good run of form of late, returning to the top 10 after initially hitting his stride in 2014. And almost the whole of the south campus is brand-new this year, with a new Grandstand open for play and rebuilt field courts with additional seating, additional shade and additional amenities.
If Djokovic has trouble playing his normal backhand, then Nadal has trouble with his forehand. En route to that, however, he could face stern opposition from 9 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and an in-form Jack Sock, who won the mixed doubles gold for the United States of America at Rio earlier this month.
Cilic, the surprise 2014 champion and 2009 victor Del Potro, the runner-up at the Olympics, should also not be discounted.
After he won a maiden French Open to complete the career Grand Slam, all talk was of the Serb going on to defend his Wimbledon and US Open titles and clinch a calendar Grand Slam.That’s a feat so rare that only two men have ever achieved it with Rod Laver the most recent in 1969. An already packed schedule was further crammed by the Olympic Games.
There, the Spaniard, victor of 13 Grand Slam titles, returned to form.
Nadal had an even better showing in the men’s doubles, and won gold with Marc Lopez.
His emotional display throughout the event demonstrated what it meant to him to finally come back to the top after being sidelined by health problems for a few years.
Third-seeded Spaniard Garbine Muguruza also has a shot at the top. The 35-year-old aggravated a knee injury in that loss.
Five-time US Open victor Roger Federer will miss this event for the first time since 1999, setting his sights on a healthy return in 2017.
Laughter ensued. It’s still Serena Williams, the No. 1 player in the world.
There is another prize on offer for the Wimbledon and Olympic champion: finishing the year at No 1 ahead of Djokovic.
19-year-old sensation Alexander Zverev is another wunderkind on the radar of tennis enthusiasts, and like Thiem, is also considered a contender for World No. 1.
But that hasn’t dented his confidence that he can claim a second US Open, four years after his breakthrough in NY saw him become the first British man in 76 years to win a Grand Slam title.
What’s common between them is their ability to fend off the younger set.
Advertisement
With Roger Federer absent from Flushing Meadows while he recovers from a back problem and Nadal still suffering from a wrist injury of his own, the year’s final major tournament suddenly appears there for Murray’s taking. If you want to reach that, for me, March-April time is a more realistic chance than doing it this year. Time and her ferocious playing style have taken a toll.
