2020 US Open: Can Djokovic Fend Off 'Next Gen' Challenge And Win 4th Title In Federer-Nadal's Absence?

US Open 2020: The grand slam starts tomorrow and in the absence of iconic players Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal take a look at the top contenders for US Open.

An ensemble of tennis stars will be drawn into intense battle on the hard courts within the Flushing Meadows-Corona Park at Queen, New York over the next fortnight as they bid to reign supreme as the champions in the 2020 edition of the US Open with the Grand Slam getting underway from tomorrow (August 31).

 Amidst the coronavirus threat, the 140th edition of the US Open will be played behind closed doors for the very first time from 31st August to 13th September at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City

 With the prestigious Wimbledon (The Championships) getting cancelled and the French Open which usually precedes the US Open getting rescheduled to later this year (21 Sep to 11 Oct) amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, tennis fans are at the edge of their seats to watch some of their favourite global tennis stars unleash those power-packed serves, cutting edge vollies and hard-hitting groundstrokes on the lightning-quick DecoTurf court at the Arthur Ashe stadium and other show courts in the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center complex.

While the fans will definitely rue the absence of the modern-day greats and their tennis idols in Federer and Nadal, the 2020 US Open is still very much a glittering and competitive affair with quite a few former champions in Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, and Marin Cilic and the much revered 'Next Gen' making the men's singles field in the tournament's 140th edition. In the absence of 'Fedex' and 'Rafa', the big question remains is whether the 'Gen Next' can eventually break the hegemony of the 'Big 3' or will Novak Djokovic once again prove that he is a cut above the rest of the young brigade when it comes to the biggest stage of them all- the Grand Slams.

 So let us look at who are the top contenders to win the men's singles title at the US Open

 The men's singles draw is headlined by World No One and top seed Novak Djokovic who is bidding to win an 18th Grand Slam title and close in on Rafael Nadal (19) and Roger Federer (20) in the all-time men's singles Grand Slam list.

 'Djoko' will be the hot favourite to win the slam in the absence of his stiff competitors and arch-rivals - Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. While Federer pulled out from the remainder of the season for rehabbing a knee injury, Nadal pulled out of the US Open citing concerns over persistent coronavirus threat.

 3-time US Open Champion Novak Djokovic Goes Into The Tournament As Hot Favourite To Win The Title

The Serbian tennis ace has had a good build-up to the US Open winning the Western & Southern Open and racking up his record 35th Master Series title. 'Djoko' boasts of an impressive track record at the US Open winning the grand slam thrice in 2011, 2015, and 2018...The Serb will have to fend off some tough challenges form Belgian David Goffin, American John Isner, and Denis Shapalov before getting into the penultimate rounds.

Alexander Zverev and  Stefanos Tsitsipas Pose The Biggest Challenge from the ' Gen Next ' Group The second quarter of the top half of the draw has two of the most promising stars from the much famed 'Gen Next' in No. 4 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and No.5 seed Alexander Zverev. Both the German and Greek stars have tricky draw up their sleeves and need to put their 'A' games to progress to the next rounds.

 While Zverev starts off his campaign against 2017 finalist Kevin Anderson, he might run into Argentine Diego Schwartzman who has proven to be a tough nut to crack at Grand Slams.

No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas, who has been pretty up and down at the Grand slams will kick start his campaign against Spaniard Albert Ramos-Viñolas. The Greek might have to lock horns against Bornia Coric and Dusan Lajovic, both of whom are the other big stars in the second quarter of the top half.

 2019 Finalist Danil Medvedev is the strongest contender to reach the semis from the third quarter of the draw

Djokovic's stiffest challenge might come in form of No. 3 seed Russian Medvedev who is the star attraction in the third quarter of the draw in the bottom half. Medvedev made it to his maiden grand slam finals at the 2019 US Open and ended up as the losing finalist to eventual champion Rafael Nadal in a marathon five-set final in the last edition.

Medvedev has all the weapons in the arsenal to challenge the big guns to their hilt and go the distance ...The fleet-footed agile Russian is pretty quick on his feet, has lethal groundstrokes which make him a potent threat to the fast-paced courts at Flushing Meadows. Medvedev rose to prominence in the North American and European leg of the hardcourt season last year where he racked up two Master Series titles besides making it to the finals at the 2019 US Open and Canadian Open. Medvedev has Grigor Dimitrov and Matteo  Berrettini as the notable challengers in his draw.

No.2 seed Dominic Thiem Looks To Break The Grand Slam Jinx, Extract Revenge From Djokovic In the bottom half of the draw, No.2 seed Austrian Dominic Theim would be the one to watch out for. The consistent baseliner has made rapid progress on the faster courts and is now considered a grand slam contender on surfaces other than his favourite red clay at Roland Garros where he has lost two French Open finals to Rafael Nadal. The Austrian would be high on confidence after making his maiden finals at the 2020 Australian Open earlier this year and would look to get one step further to win his first-ever Grand Slam.

 However, Theim will have to get past 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic who is a dangerous customer on the pacy courts at Flushing Meadows. The draw also has wild card entry and 2012 US Open champion Andy Murray who has enjoyed decent success at the grand slam.

Big Serving Milos Raonic Will Serve As Potent Threat To Big Guns 

 Last but not the least, one player who always poses a real threat to the title contenders at the US Open is the big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic. Placed in the fourth quarter of the draw, Raonic with his thunderous serves and booming groundstrokes has always done well in the US hardcourt circuit and his record in the US Open is noteworthy.

 Raonic gets into the US Open after ending up as the losing finalist to Novak Djokovic in the recently concluded Western and Southern Open Masters Series tournament.  A consistent performer at the US Open with a couple of fourth-round appearances, Raonic would believe that he can get deep into the tournament and give himself a shot at the title.