The 2024 US Open kicks off next week! As the action gets underway at Flushing Meadows, there are quite a few intriguing storylines to follow throughout the tournament in the men’s bracket.
Let’s break them down.
Place your 2024 U.S. Open bets on DraftKings Sportsbook!
No Grand Slam for Novak?
If Novak Djokovic is unable to win the U.S. Open, it would be the first time since 2017 that he fails to win a Grand Slam in a calendar year. Djokovic is coming off a gold medal performance at the Paris Olympics, but it’s worth noting that he only needed to win two sets against Carlos Alcaraz to clinch that title. It’s yet to be seen if he can get the job done in a full tournament of best-of-five set matches. Father Time comes for us all, but is it finally coming for the Djoker?
Novak Djokovic has the third-best odds to win the 2024 US Open at +300.
Best shot for an American since Roddick?
After Frances Tiafoe’s seven-spot jump in the ATP rankings, there are now five Americans ranked inside the top 20. As of Tuesday, three of them sit inside the Top 14: Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul. With Djokovic still lacking a Grand Slam title in 2024 and Carlos Alcaraz seeing a slight dip in form lately, this could be the best shot for an American man to win a Grand Slam singles title since Andy Roddick did so in 2003 at this event.
DraftKings Sportsbook odds for an American to win the US Open:
- Taylor Fritz: +4000
- Frances Tiafoe: +5000
- Ben Shelton: +5000
- Tommy Paul: +6500
- Sebastian Korda: +6500
Can Alcaraz find his form to win a third straight Grand Slam?
After taking control of the tour in June and July, Carlos Alcaraz has come back down to earth over the last couple weeks. A silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics is nothing to be ashamed of, but Carlos didn’t bring his A-game against Djokovic when it mattered. The 21-year-old followed up that tournament with a stunning second-round loss to Gael Monfils at the Cincinnati Open. Early exits in tune-up tournaments aren’t exactly a new thing for Alcaraz, but he’ll need to flip the switch soon if he wants to win a third consecutive Grand Slam title. It will likely take another victory over Novak Djokovic at some point to earn the US Open trophy.
Carlos Alcaraz is the DraftKings Sportsbook favorite to win the 2024 US Open at +150.
Time to Sinner to make a statement
It’s been an up-and-down year for Jannik Sinner. From a points perspective, the Italian holds a comfortable lead over Djokovic and Alcaraz as the No. 1 player in the world. However almost all fans and pundits still view him as the third-best player on the planet. After starting out the 2024 campaign strong with an Australian Open title, the rest of his year has been defined by relatively disappointing Grand Slam exits and injuries.
The latest development in Sinner’s bizarre season came on Tuesday. It was revealed that he tested positive for the banned substance clostebol twice at Indian Wells in March. The 23-year-old was ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing after proving it was unintentional, but multiple prominent players have already expressed outrage at this verdict. Fresh off a Cincinnati Open title, it’s time for Sinner to put the negative noise behind him and show he deserves the No. 1 ranking by making a run to the final.
Jannik Sinner has the second-best odds to win the 2024 US Open at +200.
Those are some of the most intriguing storylines heading into the 2024 US Open. Stay tuned for my coverage of this Grand Slam starting next week!
