New York | Alcaraz is favourite for title

It’s weird, Andy Murray will be holidaying in Spain with his family as the US Open main draw begins in New York on Monday (August 26). Murray kick-started his glittering career by winning the boys’ title at the last Grand Slam of the year 20 years ago. The Brit loves New York, met the love his life there, and, by defeating Novak Djokovic in the decider in 2012, claimed his first senior major title there. But, of course, one of the game’s greats completed a teary goodbye to the professional circuit at Wimbledon and the Olympics in recent months.

You have to say that Carlos Alcaraz is most probably the favourite because he’s won already four grand slam tournaments, two in a row. A silver medal at the Olympics is not that bad. He won at Roland-Garros, of course, won the US Open a few years back. So he has proven a point. Mats Wilander

Accepting his physical ailments would no longer allow him play at the level needed to crunch a few of the top players at the likes of the Big Apple’s event.

He is the second of the so-called Big Four behind Roger Federer, to retire and, with Rafa Nadal absent, only reigning champion Djokovic remains of the quartet which has dominated tennis for two decades.

Djokovic, 37, who has rested from competition since securing his first Olympic gold recently, aims for his 25th Slam title which be the most achieved by a man or woman in the open era.

But multi-major champion Mats Wilander is tipping 21-year-old Carlos Alcaraz, beaten in the Paris Games final by Djokovic, to win his third Grand Slam in a row following triumphs at the French Open and Wimbledon after lifting his first at the 2022 US Open.

And emulate what the Swede himself achieved by securing his fourth major in his 21st year.

Alcaraz, who faces qualifier Australian Li Tu in the opening round and could meet British No.1 Jack Draper in the third, had a meltdown in his first tournament since his Games disappointment.

He smashed his racket while losing to Gael Monfils and declaring at the US Open warm-up in Cincinnati, it was the “worst” he’d ever played.

But Wilander reckons the Spaniard will bounce back and start favourite.

(Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)

He said: “You have to say that Carlos Alcaraz is most probably the favourite because he’s won already four grand slam tournaments, two in a row. A silver medal at the Olympics is not that bad. He won at Roland-Garros, of course, won the US Open a few years back. So he has proven a point.

“And I can only speak from my own experience, because I won my fourth major, strangely enough, in my 21st year. Carlos Alcaraz has the same situation. There was a bit of a relief. I proved to myself that I’m able to win on different surfaces.”

And Wilander feels his outburst in Cincinnati might help the world No.3.

He said: “Well, I think that he is most probably slightly burnt out because of the schedule and because of many matches that he’s played and because he’s already defending his Wimbledon title (this summer).

“The Cincinnati surface in the tournament is a very difficult place to play tennis. It’s very windy, the courts are very quick. He’s obviously very tired, and didn’t win the Olympics.

“I hate to see somebody break a racket, because I think that’s the last thing you should do as a tennis player, because they are not free for 99.999 per cent of the population. Tennis rackets are not free. Don’t break them.

“But at the same time, he separated himself a little bit from being this absolute 100 per cent perfect athlete at all times, off the court, on the court, on social media, doing charity work.”

Talking on Eurosport, he added: “He’s now sort of stepped away from that a little bit. Hold on a second, ‘I’m not completely perfect’, and I think it’s a good thing for him in a way, and I think it takes some pressure off of him.”

Novak Djokovic hasn’t played any warm-up event

(Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

But Wilander, though believes it is going to be a “very open” tournament with the likes of Djokovic and world No.1 Jannik Sinner in the mix.

He said: “Jannik Sinner, who just came from Cincinnati, won the Australian Open, it’s very open.

“I think there are most probably 20 to 30 players on the men’s side that actually honestly believe in their heart that they could beat any of those big three with Sinner, Alcaraz and Djokovic. So not only is it in the later rounds that they have to be careful, but very, very much so in the early rounds.”

Wilander believes Djokovic, who has drawn Moldovan qualifier Radu Albot, has shown he still has the hunger to succeed after proving himself the “best of all time” in adding Olympic title to all his Slam triumphs.

He said: “Obviously, it makes everyone that’s involved in the sport extremely happy. We can now clearly say, whether woman or a man, that the person that has won 24 majors and the Olympic gold and Davis Cup and has won the most tournaments in terms of ATP 1000 – and he’s got the best head to head against his rivalries, the big three – that he is easily the BOAT, the best player of all time.

“I was extremely excited. I was extremely surprised that he was able to do that with the pressure, compared to trying to win Wimbledon. This is his last Olympics, and he manages to do it on maybe his least favourite surface in what many people would call his least favourite court, Philippe Chatrier.

“But he is not done, and I already said it at Wimbledon, that I think he’s going to win one, two or even three more majors.

“And this will give him that energy to keep going and keep fighting because he loves the challenge that the younger players are posing to him, and he’s starting to turn the fans around in a very, very interesting and healthy way where people, me included, want to see him pushed by these two young guys, Sinner and Alcaraz.

“Novak hasn’t even played a tournament on hard court before the US Open. That hasn’t happened in, I don’t know how long, especially when it’s his decision to not to.

“I actually suspect and expect him to play as well as he ever has because I think getting to the Wimbledon final (losing to Alcaraz) is a bit of a confidence boost.

“Now, he knows that his knee (operated on just before Wimbledon) is fine. So I think that you’re going to see a Novak that’s going to be extremely focused early in the tournament. And the one thing that really helps when you don’t play a tournament on that same surface before a major is the focus of that player in the first few rounds. It is better than if they come in having won a tournament in, let’s say, Cincinnati or the Canadian Open.

“So I think Novak, he knows that he is good enough, but he also knows that he has to be careful even though it’s on his favourite surface.

Interviewed on Eurosport, he added: “Literally everyone is a hard-court specialist. So I think he can play himself into great shape heading into the second week. But he has to be careful. He really has to be careful. A lot of players, they’re loving the chance of getting to play Novak Djokovic early in a Grand slam tournament, still at 37 years old.”

: Jannik Sinner cannot be discounted as he remains world No.1

(Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

Sinner faces home player Mackenzie McDonald in his opening match, aiming to better his run to the fourth-round last year after making the quarters in 2022.

The Italian will be hoping to improve on his fourth-round exit in 2023, with his best performance at Flushing Meadows coming in 2022 when he reached the quarter finals.

Draper takes on Zhang Zhizhen, who won a silver medal for China in the mixed doubles at the Olympics, in his first match.

Fellow Brit Dan Evans, who partnered Murray in the Paris men’s doubles, meets world No. 23 Karen Khachanov.

And Jan Choinski, 28, made it a third player flying the Union flag in the main draw. He will make his debut in it against Spain’s Roberto Corballes Baena after coming through the qualifying competition.

Other Brits Billy Harris, Sonay Kartal and Lily Miyazaki lost in the final round of qualifying.

British No.2 Cameron Norrie is missing as he recovers from a forearm injury.

*Author/award-winning journalist Mike Donovan has written on tennis for more than 30 years, working for national newspapers and the official Wimbledon website as well as Tennis Threads with whom he authored a soft-backed publication on Andy Murray. He has also written a series of authorised Tottenham Hotspur-related books and has an updated version of Spurs Greatest Games coming out on Pitch this year. He is also working on a book based on his personal experience called Fever Paunch: 60 Years Attempting To Play Football