ATPGuy.com : August 2022

Sunday, August 28, 2022

10 things to look for at the 2022 US Open

The 2022 US Open begins on Monday, August 29th, which means it is time for me to write my 10 things to look for. Click here for the men's singles draw. Click here for the women's singles draw.

#1. Will Daniil Medvedev be refreshed? With Novak Djokovic out due to not being vaccinated against COVID-19, Daniil Medvedev is the top seed on the men's side. Due to Wimbledon not allowing Russian athletes to compete this year, Medvedev did not play in Wimbledon, giving him a little time off and chance to rest. It'll be interesting to see if he'll feel a bit more refreshed and if that will propel him to a second straight US Open title.

#2. How long can Serena and Venus Williams ride the wave? Serena Williams will be playing in her final US Open and while Venus Williams hasn't announced her plans, this will be their last grand slam together. Both players are not seeded, but we've seen them make deep runs before without being seeded. It'll be interesting to see how far they can go and how much they can ride the wave of fan support. There will be an extra buzz whenever they're playing. That's for sure.

#3. Can Nick Kyrgios make a deep run? Nick Kyrgios is coming off a run to the Wimbledon final, which is the first grand slam final he's ever reached. The furthest Kyrgios has gone at the US Open is the 3rd round, but maybe this year will be different. I think odds are good he gets to the 4th round and sets a career best at the Open, but beyond that, I think it's honestly tough to say.

#4. Can Iga Świątek mąkę a deep run? Iga Świątek comes in as the number one seed on the women's side and the top player in the world. While the grass of Wimbledon hasn't been her friend, she has found some success on the hard courts, reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open earlier this year. When talking about contenders to win the US Open, one has to give Świątek pretty good odds. She reached the 4th round last year, so that's reason to think she'll at least make it that far if not go deeper.

#5. Can Rafael Nadal defend his 2019 title? Rafael Nadal won the 2019 US Open and did not compete in 2020 or 2021. So in a way, he's kind of defending his crown even though it's from a couple years back. Nadal won the Australian Open earlier this year and his last three US Opens including his 2019 title have been two titles and a run to the semifinals (2018). Nadal should be feeling confident. Especially with Djokovic not in the tournament.

#6. Can Naomi Osaka keep her US Open pattern going? Naomi Osaka won the US Open in 2018 and 2020. She won the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021. If that pattern holds, she'll win the US Open again this year in 2022. Osaka has her work cut out for her if she is to do that. She's not seeded and she's been in and out of grand slams due to her mental health. If she were to win the US Open this year, this would be her most impressive grand slam title for sure.

#7. Will Novak Djokovic's absence loom large? Novak Djokovic's decision to not get vaccinated means he won't compete in this year's US Open, costing him a chance to tie Rafael Nadal's all-time mark of 22 grand slam titles. I think regardless of what happens, his absence is going to loom large. If Nadal wins, that will have huge implications on the all-time grand slam titles race and if Nadal doesn't win, then it'll look like Djokovic had a golden opportunity to tie him and blew it. Djokovic is at peace with his decision and that's the main thing. It's his life. But man, it is crazy that COVID-19 has had this kind of impact on which player will win the most grand slams!

#8. Will the American women make noise? The US Open has often seen Americans do well and as of late, a lot more on the women's side. Outside of the Williams sisters, there's a lot of American women in the field who could make noise: Danielle Collins, CoCo Gauff, Amanda Anisimova, Sofia Kenin, Sloane Stephens, Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys, and others. Of that group, Pegula (8) and Gauff (12) are seeded the highest, so they have the highest odds of making a deep run but anyone on that list is capable of going deep. It'll be fun to see who of that group will do the best.

#9. Can Stefanos Tsitsipas have a strong US Open? Stefanos Tsitsipas comes in as the number four seed and yet he's never gone past the 3rd round at the US Open. He's reached the semifinals of the Australian Open three times, but the US Open has been harder for him. Perhaps this is the year he'll make a deep run.

#10. Can Emma Raducanu defend her US Open title? I started with the defending men's champion and I'm closing with the defending women's champion. Emma Raducanu shocked the tennis world last year when she won the US Open and this year she's looking to defend her title. She's the 11th seed and has a pretty good draw, but has to now deal with the pressures that come with being a defending champion. It's likely she'll either flame out early and succumb to the pressure in the first couple of rounds or she'll make a deep run to the at least the quarterfinals. How she does this year will be really interesting to see.

Predictions: I'm going to say Rafael Nadal wins the men's singles title, defeating Daniil Medvedev in the final. I think Nadal is hungry to extend his all-time lead and sees an opportunity with Djokovic out. On the women's side, I'm going to say Maria Sakkari wins the singles title, defeating Iga Świątek in the final. She's the number three seed and has been knocking on the door, reaching the semifinals last year. This could be the year she breaks through to win her first grand slam.

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10 things to take away from 2022 Wimbledon

(Credit: AELTC/Thomas Lovelock)

Before I write my preview of the upcoming US Open, I wanted to quickly write my 10 things to take away from the two weeks that were at Wimbledon earlier this summer. Without further delay, let's get into it!

#1. Novak Djokovic is one Wimbledon title away from tying Roger Federer's record: Novak Djokovic now has seven Wimbledon titles, one shy of Roger Federer's record of eight. Djokovic defeated Nick Kyrgios 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 in the final. In addition to it being his seventh Wimbledon, it was Djokovic's 21st grand slam title making him one shy of Rafael Nadal's all-time mark of 22.

While he is known most for being a hard court player, where he has won most of his grand slams, Djokovic has become close to equally dominating on the grass. It's truly remarkable what he's doing right now.

#2. Elena Rybakina is a grand slam champion: Elena Rybakina won her first grand slam title, defeating Ons Jabeur 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 in the final. This is one that came out of nowhere as the furthest Rybakina had gone in a grand slam before was to the quarterfinals at the 2021 French Open. I don't know if we'll see her win a grand slam again, but regardless, she'll forever be a Wimbledon champion. Hats off to her.

#3. Nick Kyrgios was in peak form: Nick Kyrgios did the most Nick Kyrgios thing ever: He reached his first career grand slam final amid facing charges for assaulting his ex-girlfriend in Australia. Even when he has the best tournament of his career, he still is embroiled in controversy! The court case shouldn't overshadow the amazing two weeks he had in London. Reaching a grand slam final is a big deal and maybe this will be a sign of things to come for the Aussie.

#4. Ons Jabeur made history: While she came up a bit short in the end, Ons Jabeur still made history by becoming the first Arab woman to reach a grand slam final. Per her Wikipedia page, she is also the highest ranked Arab and African player in ATP & WTA history. At 28 years of age, it's no guarantee she'll ever win a grand slam. But even if she doesn't, what she's accomplished is remarkable. She'll forever hold a special and unique place in tennis history.

#5. Grass just isn't for Rafael Nadal: Rafael Nadal's days of winning grand slams is not over, but I think it's pretty safe to say he's done winning Wimbledon titles. He's won two in his career (2008 & 2010) and he can say he's won each grand slam at least two times, so he doesn't need to prove himself at Wimbledon anymore. He's done it. But, for whatever reason, he just keeps coming up short. This year, he lost in the semis via walkover against Nick Kyrgios. No matter what the reason is, since that 2010 title I should say, he keeps falling short.

Now, if there's one reason to have some hope that he might win Wimbledon again, it's the fact that he has been knocking on the door, reaching the semifinals in the last three Wimbledons he has played in. So perhaps he'll prove me wrong, but until/unless he does, my skepticism will be warranted.

#6. Serena Williams is at the end of the road: The US Open will be Serena Williams' final grand slam after she lost in the first round at Wimbledon. She's had a phenomenal career and is without a doubt the greatest female player of all-time. But at some point, father time catches up with even the very best and it has caught up with her now.

#7. Cameron Norrie made Great Britain proud: Cameron Norrie fell to Novak Djokovic in the semifinals in four sets, but while he came up short, he still made Great Britain proud. He's a British citizen, born to British parents in South Africa. So I guess you could say he made both countries proud. At 27 years of age, it'll be interesting to see if Norrie enters a new stage of his career and starts to make deeper runs at grand slams with some frequency or if this was just a flash in the pan.

#8. CoCo Gauff needs to take this up a notch at Wimbledon: CoCo Gauff first burst onto the scene four years ago when she reached the 4th round of Wimbledon at just 14 years of age. Four years later, she has not gone any further at Wimbledon, losing in the 3rd round this year. Ironically, clay has become her best surface as she reached the quarterfinals at Roland Garros last year and the final this year. But for whatever reason, she hasn't been able to go deeper at Wimbledon than she did when she was 14. Grass is a surface she needs to figure out.

#9. Casper Ruud needs to figure out Wimbledon: Despite being a top ten player, Casper Ruud has never gotten past the second round at Wimbledon. If CoCo Gauff has things to figure out, this guy has to do some real soul searching on the grass. A run to the final at Roland Garros this year was fantastic, but clay and grass are very different surfaces. He flamed out in the second round this year, but that was his best career result. Baby steps, I guess.

#10. Iga Świątek needs to figure out Wimbledon as well: One more player who needs to figure out Wimbledon is world number one Iga Świątek. She's got the two Roland Garros titles, so she's doing just fine for herself, but right now she's looking more like a clay specialist than a legit all-around player. Showing you can compete on both the dirt and the grass is one of the first tests to show you can excel on multiple surfaces.