September 1st 2024.
It's not every day that a British tennis player gets the chance to make it big in New York, but Jack Draper is one player who could do just that. While Emma Raducanu's unexpected win in 2021 may have been a bigger shock, could this be another special year for British tennis with Draper making a name for himself at the US Open?
Draper's journey to the final has been nothing short of impressive. With the stunning defeats of players like Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, the only remaining player in the competition who has previously triumphed at the last grand slam of the season is Daniil Medvedev. And it's worth noting that 2024 will be remembered as the first time since 2002 that one of the legendary trio of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Djokovic has not won a major tournament in Melbourne, Paris, Wimbledon, or New York.
With Federer retired and Nadal dealing with injuries, it seems like the golden era of the "Big Three" is slowly coming to an end. However, it would still be unwise to dismiss Djokovic's chances of winning his 25th grand slam title at the Australian Open in January. Even though his recent Olympic win in Paris took a toll on him both physically and emotionally, Djokovic still remains a hot favorite to win his 11th Australian Open title since 2008, with odds at 7/4 from Ladbrokes and Coral, despite his disappointing performance against Alexei Popyrin in New York.
But now, with the door wide open for a new US Open champion, all eyes are on the Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday. While British No.1 Draper has a fantastic opportunity to take advantage of, he still has some tough opponents to overcome, including world No.1 Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, and Medvedev. And let's not forget about the support that American player Taylor Fritz will receive from the passionate Flushing Meadows fans, as he aims to become the first American since Andy Roddick in 2003 to win the title.
Despite beating Botic van de Zandschulp, the man who knocked out Alcaraz, Draper is still considered an outsider to win the championship, with odds at 22/1 from Betfred and BoyleSports. However, as we've seen in this unpredictable tournament, anything can happen.
As for Djokovic, while he may be down after his shocking exit from the US Open, he's certainly not out. Earlier this year, he won his first ATP title in Stuttgart and has already matched his best run in a grand slam by reaching the fourth round in New York, just like he did 12 months ago.
Moving on to the women's singles, all eyes are on Jessica Pegula as she continues her quest to win her first grand slam title. She is favored at 6/5 from Betway to beat Diana Schnaider in straight sets, after her impressive performances in the tournament so far.
In other news, Everton's 3-2 defeat at home to Bournemouth, even after being up 2-0 with just a few minutes left, was a huge shock and has caused some bookmakers to give odds of 13/8 for the team to be relegated. And while the US Open may not have gone the way British No.1 Katie Boulter had hoped, she showed great resilience and determination, even after suffering a "horrendous" defeat.
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