The 2014 US Open tennis tournament is set to take place starting August 25 in New York. One of the most prestigious tournaments in the world, it’s also the last Grand Slam tournament of the 2014 season. The men’s and women’s tournaments should both be extremely exciting this year because almost every player has the chance to walk away with the title.
Men’s Tournament
The clear favorite heading into the Men’s US Open tournament has to be Novak Djokovic. He is coming off of a major tournament victory less than two months ago at Wimbledon, and he has also been the best men’s tennis player in the world for the last few years. Djokovic plays his best tennis when he is determined, and he should have no lack of motivation after losing to Rafael Nadal in the finals at the 2013 US Open. Players to watch that have a serious shot at knocking off Djokovic and taking home the title this year include Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka.
While it is rare to see a surprising winner at the US Open in the men’s division, Grigor Dimitrov has the best chance to outlast the top players in the world. Grigor Dimitrov has already made late runs at Wimbledon and the Australian Open this year. Dimitrov may have been bounced out of the French Open in the first round, but he has never been able to succeed on clay courts. Juan Martin Del Potro would have been another underdog contender to consider, but he was forced to withdraw from the Open with a wrist injury.
Women’s Tournament
Due to the high level of parity in women’s tennis right now, just about anything could happen at the US Open this year. There have been three different winners at the Grand Slam tournaments, and nobody has been able to make the final match more than once at those three tournaments.
Serena Williams enters the US Open as the top ranked player and the betting favorite, but it is hard to seriously consider her a contender based on her play this year. Simona Halep has been the most consistent player this year, so she should have the best chance to hoist the trophy. Maria Sharapova and Petra Kvitova are also major contenders for the title after winning Grand Slam tournaments earlier this year. Li Na would also be a favorite after her victory at the Australian Open, but she was forced to withdraw due to a knee injury.
Unlike the men’s tournament, the underdogs have a great shot at winning the Women’s US Open. There is a long list of quality underdogs in the tournament, but Eugenie Bouchard has the best chance of winning the US Open. She entered this season far down the rankings list, but has jumped up to the 7th spot after reaching the semifinals at every Grand Slam tournament this year. Bouchard may only be 20 years old, but it would be hard to find someone playing better tennis than her entering the US Open.
Best Ways to Watch
The US Open is always one of the best events in sports, but it should be even better this year. The lack of a truly dominant player in either division should provide great matches throughout the tournament. For TV coverage, CBS is the major network to watch, while DirecTV has one of the best options with their US Open Mix channel (details) as they offer simultaneous coverage of multiple courts; ESPN will also be airing all the matches this year and has online streaming options, which are great if you’re in the office during a key match.
We’ve already witnessed an amazing tennis season this year, but it will get exponentially better once the US Open starts on August 25!
