Djokovic's bid for Slam record among US Open storylines to watch

It's strange to see Novak Djokovic entering the US Open without a Grand Slam this season.

The 37-year-old has just one major-less campaign from 2011-23. He's won the American Slam four times and reached the finals on six other occasions.

Djokovic's bid for his first major of the year - and more history - is among the storylines to watch when the action begins Monday.

Djokovic pursues record 25th Slam

It hasn't been the finest season by Djokovic's standards, but that's not to say the 2024 campaign has been a failure. Earlier this year, the Serbian icon surpassed Roger Federer as the oldest man atop the ATP rankings. He later completed the career Golden Slam with a straight-sets win over Carlos Alcaraz at the Paris Olympics.

Djokovic's triumph in France should provide a huge confidence boost after his Spanish rival thoroughly outplayed him in July's Wimbledon final. The 24-time major champion hasn't played since then to likely give his surgically repaired knee as much time as possible to recover.

Even if he isn't 100% healthy, Djokovic remains a legitimate threat and has plenty to play for. He'd surpass Margaret Court for the most Grand Slam singles titles ever with another championship in New York and join Pete Sampras, Jimmy Connors, and Federer as the only men in the Open era with five US Open crowns. The opportunity is certainly there with Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner on the opposite half of the draw.

Sinner, Sabalenka eye hard-court major sweep

Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka want to end the major calendar year the same way they started it. The reigning Aussie Open champs enter the final Grand Slam fresh off their respective title runs in Cincinnati and are hoping history repeats itself. Djokovic and Coco Gauff won the Midwest tournament a year ago before conquering the field in Flushing Meadows.

There's no question Sinner has the game to take home his second major trophy of 2024. All but two of his 15 ATP titles have come on hard courts, including four of his tour-leading five tournament victories this year. The biggest questions surrounding Sinner are his physical and mental state. The top-ranked Italian's lingering hip injury flared up during his two previous tournament stops. He's also drawn the ire of his peers after recently avoiding suspension for a pair of positive doping tests last March.

Sabalenka's performance in Cincinnati reaffirmed her contender status. The World No. 2 didn't drop a set en route to her sixth career WTA 1000 crown, defeating rival Iga Swiatek and an in-form Jessica Pegula in the final two rounds. Sabalenka has been on the precipice of adding the US Open to her list of accolades and is guaranteed to avoid Swiatek until the championship match.

Expanded video review

The calls for full-time video review got louder after Jack Draper's match-winning volley against Felix Auger-Aliassime at the Cincinnati Open appeared to hit the ground on the Brit's side of the court before going over the net. However, chair umpire Greg Allensworth didn't see it that way and refused to reverse the call when confronted by Auger-Aliassime after the point.

The decision prompted several players and coaches to sound off on social media.

Last year, the US Open became the first Grand Slam to implement video review. The availability of replay allowed players to challenge specific judgment calls made by the chair umpire, including double bounces like the one that controversially ended Auger-Aliassime's tournament.

Once a challenge is made, multiple camera angles are sent to the chair umpire's tablet. A final decision is then made after reviewing that footage. Players are permitted three challenges per set and are granted an additional one in the event of a tiebreak. Arthur Ashe Stadium, Louis Armstrong Stadium, and Grandstand will have access to a review system that's expanded from five to eight courts.

"We assessed the process and the infrastructure needs, and we felt that going to eight courts this year was the right move," US Open tournament referee Jake Garner told Sports Business Journal's Rob Schaefer. "It covers about 75% of our singles matches."

American home cooking

It's been a minute since the depth in American tennis was this strong. For the first time since 1996, at least five U.S. men and women are ranked in the top 20.

Men

Women

The Grand Slam drought for American men has been well-documented. It's been 21 years since Andy Roddick lifted his lone major trophy at the US Open. While few have seriously threatened to end the streak, it's not inconceivable that a U.S. man is the last one standing in New York.

Fritz has made three of the past four Grand Slam quarterfinals, including a run to the final eight in last year's event. Shelton was a 2023 semifinalist, and his power game is tailor-made to the hard courts at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The Florida product made the Citi Open semifinals earlier this month and was a quarterfinalist in Cincinnati.

Korda is one of the hottest players on the men's circuit. He began August with a title in Washington and followed that up with a second career Masters 1000 semis in Montreal. Tiafoe recently finished runner-up to Sinner at the Cincinnati Open and has enjoyed his best major success on home soil.

On the women's side, Gauff leads the group of American hopefuls. The 20-year-old dropped two of her three matches during the summer hard-court swing, but she always seems to raise her level on the big stage. Gauff has reached the Round of 16 or better in seven of her previous eight Grand Slam appearances, including last year's US Open championship run.

Pegula has turned her season around since the Olympics, capturing a second straight National Bank Open title and making the finals in Cincinnati. Navarro's produced a breakout campaign highlighted by her upset of Gauff at Wimbledon and a maiden WTA 1000 semis in Toronto. Keys' booming serve always makes her dangerous in New York. Had it not been for a late collapse versus Sabalenka, the American would've advanced to her second career US Open final last year.

Two other U.S. women outside the top 20 could also do some damage. Former French Open semifinalist and teen prodigy Amanda Anisimova has experienced a resurgence this summer after stepping away from the sport in May 2023 for a mental health break. Meanwhile, Taylor Townsend has risen to a career-high No. 46 in the rankings following a pair of top-20 wins over the last few weeks.

Olympic fatigue

Many of the world's top players represented their nation this summer at the Paris Games. How much will they have left in the tank for the US Open?

The Olympics were undoubtedly taxing on the players, especially those who competed in multiple disciplines. Gauff played in all three competitions, while Alcaraz had deep runs in singles and doubles.

There's also the challenge of quickly adjusting to all the different court surfaces. In Alcaraz's case, he went from grass to clay and then hard in one month. The Spaniard uncharacteristically lost his cool during his lone US Open tuneup, describing his brief time at the Cincinnati Open as the "worst match" he's ever played.

Alcaraz isn't the only Olympian feeling the wear and tear, which may open the door for a surprise winner on the men's or women's side.

"To look at all the players that played at the Olympics, they're struggling to sort of make that transition back onto the hard courts. They're fatigued," seven-time major winner and ESPN color commentator John McEnroe told reporters on a recent conference call. "There's a lot of emotion at Wimbledon, the French (Open).

"To go from the clay at French, to go to Wimbledon, to go back to the clay, then to the hard courts, that adds up, especially for the players that are feeling pressure."