‘As open as I’ve ever seen it’: Which ‘cranky’ star will be crowned US Open champion in New York?

By Matias Grez, CNN

(CNN) — The final grand slam of the tennis season is upon us – and the US Open might be the most enthralling of the year.

After an altered schedule due to the Olympics, which meant many of the world’s top stars made the switch back to clay following the grass court season, players arrive in New York after one of the most grueling seasons in history.

Women’s world No. 1 Iga Świątek has already spoken about how “demanding” the tour has been this year, while 18-time grand slam champion Chris Evert told CNN that it was “a really challenging year for everybody.”

“I think that’s why you’ve seen some meltdowns on the court, the emotions are flying high,” she told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour.

“They’re a little cranky these top players because they’ve had a full year, they’ve played more tournaments than ever, plus they played the Olympics, which was just awesome [and] very emotional. It took a lot out of them.

“It’s the end of the year and I think it’s open on both sides. It’s about as open as I’ve ever seen it and everyone’s a little tired and it’s really going to be the one that finds that energy and finds that motivation at the last part of this year to pull out their best tennis these next two weeks.”

Both Evert and tennis legend Martina Navratilova told Amanpour they find it difficult to see a winner in the women’s draw outside of the top four: Świątek, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff or Elena Rybakina.

Świątek, the 2022 US Open champion, has become known for her dominance on clay but suffered a surprise semifinal loss at the Olympics.

She bounced back to win the bronze medal in Paris and reached the semifinal at the Cincinnati Open, her first tournament since the Games, though she was handily beaten by an impressive Sabalenka.

The Belarusian, a two-time singles Australian Open winner, is understandably considered the favorite heading into the US Open after opting to skip the Olympics.

Sabalenka recently said she feels “fresh” and has progressively improved her form in recent weeks, culminating in a dominant victory at the Cincinnati Open last week without dropping a set.

Meanwhile, home favorite Coco Gauff has been struggling for form in the second half of the season as she aims to defend her US Open title.

Gauff, the world No. 3, was eliminated in the third round of the Olympics, before losing in the second round of the Canadian Open and then was shocked in the first round of the Cincinnati Open last week, where she was the defending champion.

Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, hasn’t been past the third round at the US Open and announced she had split from her coach Stefano Vukov on Friday, just days before the start of the tournament.

The world No. 4 has three titles in 2024, but her last came back in April and she has recently dealt with a bout of bronchitis that kept her out of the Olympics and the Canadian Open. Rybakina returned to the court at the Cincinnati Open but squandered two match points in a three-set loss to Leylah Fernandez in her first match back.

“Everybody’s tired and we’ll see who wants it the most,” Navratilova told CNN. “I think Sabalenka may be the freshest one because she didn’t play the Olympics. Everybody else is going to be either tired emotionally or they have some niggling injuries.

“So we’ll see who can stay healthy and who wants it more, but it’s going to be wide open on both sides.”

Three favorites in the men’s draw

On the men’s side, it’s difficult to see a winner beyond Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner.

A tearful Alcaraz suffered a heartbreaking defeat to Djokovic in the gold medal match at the Olympics after dismantling the Serbian in straight sets in the Wimbledon final.

It’s been another incredible year for the young superstar, who has added two more grand slams and a Masters 1000 title to his resumé in 2024. However, Alcaraz suffered a first-round defeat to Gael Monfils at the Cincinnati Open and smashed his racket in an uncharacteristic outburst which he later apologized for.

Djokovic was equally as emotional at the Olympics, but for a different reason. The 37-year-old picked up the gold medal in Paris, the last major honor that had eluded him for his entire career, calling it his “biggest achievement.”

The defending champion in New York, four-time US Open winner Djokovic hasn’t played since the Olympic final so he will likely be feeling fresh, if not entirely match sharp as he goes in search of a record-extending 25th grand slam singles title.

Sinner, the world No. 1, comes into the US Open in fine form after winning his third career Masters 1000 title at the recent Cininnati Open, though he appeared to be struggling with a hip injury at times.

However, the 2024 Australian Open winner has been dealing with off-court issues and reportedly stopped working with his physiotherapist and trainer in the days leading up to the US Open after he avoided a ban for twice testing positive for a banned substance.

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