The 2023 US Open is already underway, which means it is past my time for me to write my 10 things to look for. Let's dive in!
#1. Can Iga Świątek defend her title? Iga Świątek is the defending champion on the women's side. She's ranked number one in the world and should be favored to win it all again this year. There's a different kind of pressure that comes from being the defending champion and with hard court not being her top surface, it'll be interesting to see how she handles it. Before winning it all last year, the furthest she had gone at the US Open is the 4th round, so this year will tell us a lot about where she is on the hard courts.
#2. Can Carlos Alcaraz defend his title? Carlos Alcaraz is the defending champion on the men's side and is coming off winning his first Wimbledon title, so he's on quite a roll. Alcaraz no doubt will be the favorite on the men's side. He's playing fantastic tennis right now and after defeating Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final has established himself as the top player in the world. It's gonna be fun to see how he performs.
#3. Can Coco Gauff make a run? Coco Gauff comes in as the number six player in the world. As an American, she will get tremendous fan support with many hoping she can go the distance. The 2022 US Open was her best showing as she reached the quarterfinals, so she should be coming in with some confidence. When talking about players who could make a run on the women's side, Gauff has to be one of the first names that comes to mind. The key for her will be to not let the pressure of being an American get to her. That can sometimes be a challenge for players who are competing in their home country's grand slam.
#4. Can Novak Djokovic recapture the magic? Novak Djokovic is one of the major contenders on the men's side, but he hasn't won the US Open since 2018. Even more odd is he's only won the event three times. For whatever reason, the US Open has never been his best event and so in that vein, it's hard to pick him to win it all this year. That said, one can never count him out. He's too good.
#5. Can Elena Rybakina make it to the second week? Elena Rybakina comes in as the number four player in the world and yet the furthest she's gone at the US Open is the 3rd round in 2021. She won Wimbledon in 2022 and reached the Australian Open final in 2023. On paper, she's a strong contender and yet she's never been able to put it together in New York. Maybe this year will be different.
#6. Can Daniil Medvedev win it all again? Daniil Medvedev won the US Open in 2021 and is ranked number three in the world. Yet due to the war in Ukraine and Russian athletes getting banned and all, it feels like we haven't seen him in a while. But now he's back and able to compete. He should be hungry and eager to not just make a deep run, but win the whole thing. He's definitely a name to watch.
#7. Can Aryna Sabalenka win her second grand slam? Aryna Sabalenka comes in as the number two player in the world, winning the Australian Open earlier this year. Sabalenka is a major contender and should look to at least make the semifinals, where she has fallen in the last two US Opens. It feels like this could be the year she finally breaks through in New York, but as we've seen, success at the Aussie Open doesn't always translate to the US Open.
#8. Is this the year for Frances Tiafoe? Frances Tiafoe comes in as the number ten ranked player in the world on the men's side and has already shown he can make a deep run at the US Open after his run to the semifinals last year. It felt like a Cinderella run last year, but in truth, Tiafoe should be viewed as one who could be lifting up the trophy at the end. If he is, what a story that would be.
#9. How will Caroline Wozniacki do in her return? After walking away from the game after the 2020 Australian Open, Caroline Wozniacki is back and eager to prove she still belongs at this level. The 2018 Australian Open champion has shown she can win a grand slam on the hard courts and shouldn't be counted out to at least make the 4th round this year. How she does is definitely a major storyline on the women's side. Especially if she is able to win at least a couple of matches.
#10. Can Stefanos Tsitsipas have a breakthrough US Open? Stefanos Tsitsipas is ranked number seven in the world and yet he has never gotten past the 3rd round at the US Open. He's reached the final the Australian Open in 2023 and at the French Open in 2021, so he's got the pieces to put it together. He just needs to figure out how to do so with more consistency. It would be fun to see him make a run this year.
Prediction: On the men's side, I gotta roll with Carlos Alcaraz. He's just on such a tear right now. It's really hard to pick anyone other than him to win it. As for the women's side, I hate to be boring and pick the other defending champion, but my money is on Iga Świątek. She's the best player in the world on the women's side and deserves to be favored.
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