US Open 2024 Surprises and Wildcards
After an incredible eight months of tennis the years final grand slam is upon us. The favourites are obvious, Novak’s ready to compete for a 25th grand slam, while Alcaraz has already championed Wimbledon and Roland Garros in 2024. Therefore, in this article we’ll take a closer look at some of the potentially unexpected players with high odds, that you may see progressing through the draw at Flushing Meadows.
Alexei Popyrin is one of the form players coming into the US Open. After winning his maiden masters 1000 title in Montreal, he is now sitting at a career high ranking of 23 in the world. Popyrin plays a bold game, he has a thundering first serve and follows it up with a powerful modern forehand.
The Aussie genuinely blasted his opponents off the court in Montreal including the likes of Rublev, Shelton, Korda and Hurkacz. When Popyrin combines confidence with consistency, he is incredibly dangerous. Alexei will potentially face Novak in the third round and should go into that match with nothing to lose, when a player of his game style starts swinging freely without pressure, it’s game on.
Flavio Cobolli is another exciting Italian prospect. This next gen star has cemented his ranking well inside the world’s top 40 with consistently strong results all season. He is a recent finalist at the Citi Open in Washington and plays an exciting all court game. Keep an eye out for Flavios’ court craft and athleticism. He will be a force on the New York hardcourts and don’t be surprised if he makes things difficult for Daniil Medvedev in the third round.
Big Foe (image above) is a great example of a player who thrives on a big court. If Arthur Ashe stadium is packed and Frances gets fired up, he is capable of some incredible tennis and could upset just about anyone. The American is a complete player with powerful yet whippy ground strokes, he has the ability to produce great angles from all areas of the court. Frances comes into this tournament with some great form after making the final of Cincinnati. He has a favourable draw and should be confident going into his home slam, he’s definitely a player to look out for.
Thanasi Kokkinakis hasn’t had the most incredible year, however when I saw his name next to Stefanos Tsitsipas I immediately thought upset alert! Thanasi’s a big-time time player, he loves rowdy crowds and playing in grand slams. The Aussie also has a habit of knocking out seeded players in the first few rounds of majors, most recently Auger-Alliasime at Wimbledon.
Stefanos has struggled on the hardcourts over the past few weeks, so I think Kokkinakis will go into this one full of confidence. The Australian plays tennis on his own terms, he has a huge serve and groundstrokes to match, prepare for a major upset here.
So, who’s your pick for the 2024 US Open, will Novak and Carlos continue to dominate or is there a new challenger on the horizon? Comment below!
