This image is a derivative of IMG_4277 by Marianne Bevis ( CC BY-ND 2.0)

After an agonising wait of nearly seven months, Grand Slam tennis is finally returning to New York. 

Unfortunately for fans, both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will not be taking part, while a few other fan-favourites such as Stan Wawrinka and Gael Monfils have also pulled out. This opens up the field to a slew of contenders to potentially snatch their first ever Slam.

However, having gone unbeaten this year with 18 wins and three titles, Novak Djokovic is currently the odds-on favourite to win his 4th US Open, and 18th Slam overall.

There are a few others who have a chance to make a mark in the absence of Federer and Nadal along with many of tennis' other big names.

Let's check in on the three best chances should the brilliant Serb not be at his marauding best over the next fortnight.

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DOMINIC THIEM

The 26-year-old Austrian came extremely close to winning his first ever Grand Slam earlier this year, losing out to Novak Djokovic in the final of a closely-fought 5 set affair in Melbourne. 

Thiem has been knocking on the door of the 'Big Three' for a few years now, reaching the final of the French Open twice as well. 

He had his most successful season last year, claiming 5 titles, including the prestigious Indian Wells tournament while once again reaching the final of Roland Garros.

Thiem also boasts a tremendous record against the ‘Big Three’, going 7-3 against Nadal, Federer and Djokovic since the start of 2019.

He reached a career-high ranking of #3 in March this year, and will be seeded #2 at the US Open. 

His results at Flushing Meadows have not been great, most recently suffering a shock first-round loss to Thomas Fabbiano last year. His best result was in 2018, where he lost out in the quarter-finals in an intense, 5-set match to Nadal.

With his current form, and with so many big names dropping out, Thiem will look to make the most of his chances and perhaps get his hands on his first ever Grand Slam title. 

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DANIIL MEDVEDEV

The controversial Russian youngster had as good a year, if not a better one than Thiem in 2019. 

He gobbled up 4 titles, including 2 ATP Masters events in Cincinatti and Shanghai, while he was also runner-up at the Toronto Masters. He carried that incredible hard-court form into the US Open where he lost out to Nadal in a spectacular 5-set match. 

Medvedev didn't start 2020 particularly well, losing out in the Round of 16 in the Australian Open to Stan Wawrinka, before going on to lose in the first-round at Rotterdam. He was also ousted in the quarter-final in Marseille- an event Stefanos Tsitsipas went on to win. 

The 6’6” base-liner will look to power his way through the US Open and go one step further than he did last year, and perhaps become the second Russian, along with Marin Safin, to win at Flushing Meadows. 

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The current top 10 and to how many players they gifted their first top 10 win:
Novak Djokovic: 4
Rafael Nadal: 5
Dominic Thiem: 10
Roger Federer: 10
Daniil Medvedev: 0
Stefanos Tsitsipas: 2
Alexander Zverev: 6
Matteo Berrettini: 0
Gael Monfils: 3
David Goffin: 3

— Beta (@sPETEcore) August 25, 2020

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS

The 22-year-old Greek sensation had a great season in 2019 as well, winning three titles, including the crowning achievement of his career so far - The ATP World Tour Finals, where he defeated Thiem in the final. Earlier that year, he defeated Federer in the round of 16 at the Australian Open in a match that signalled how serious his big-stage credentials were. 

Despite the three titles however, Tsitsipas’ performances were quite inconsistent, getting knocked out in the first round of Wimbledon and the US Open last year. In fact, he's yet to get past the second round in all three of the US Opens he's contested.

With 13 wins and 5 losses this year (2 of which were at the ATP Cup), he'll look to become the first ever Greek player to win a Grand Slam. He has a 17-21 win-loss record against top-10 since he turned professional in 2016, and does boast a relatively excellent record against Novak Djokovic, beating the brilliant Serb twice from their five encounters.

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