Believe it or not, it is already late August which means that it is time for another U.S. Open tennis tournament to commence. Americans such as John Isner and Jack Sock will look to become the first U.S. representative to win the tournament since Andy Roddick in 2003. Despite it being highly unlikely, Isner and Sock’s chances are slightly higher than usual due to the vast number of injuries among the elite tennis players in the top ten rankings. Defending champion Stan Wawrinka has withdrawn from the tournament due to a knee injury. Joining Wawrinka is two-time U.S. Open champion Novak Djokovic, 2012 U.S. Open champion Andy Murray and 2014 U.S. Open finalist Kei Nishikori. It is very unlikely to have at least four players currently ranked in the top ten missing the same Grand Slam tournament. However, their absences increase the chances of everyone else due to their dominance in years past.
With these absences, the favorite is Roger Federer. Federer, this year, has already won the Australian Open and Wimbledon and has won 35 of his 38 matches. At age 36, this might arguably be the greatest season in ATP tennis history. Prior to this year, Federer had not won a Grand Slam event since 2012 and it looked like his legendary career was coming to an end after a knee injury in 2016. However, Federer had other ideas and shocked the world by defeating longtime rival Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open final before defeating Marin Cilic to capture his 8th Wimbledon title. If Federer manages to win the U.S. Open, it will be a feat that no one in the future will ever copy. I doubt we will ever see a 36 year old men’s tennis player win three Grand Slams in a single year ever again.
The player with the second-best odds to win the 2017 U.S. Open is none other than Rafael Nadal. Nadal, Federer’s long-time rival, has also had a Renaissance year and has looked healthier than he has in a long time. Prior to this year, Nadal had not won a Grand Slam event since 2014 and was dealing with a variety of injuries including a wrist injury that ended his 2016 campaign. However, the two-time U.S. Open champion has looked relatively sharp in recent weeks and was recently ranked number one in the world for the first time since 2014. If he stays healthy, he has a tremendous shot to win his third U.S. Open title.
US Open 2017 Dates & Times
- Monday, August 28: 11:00 A.M. – 11:00 P.M. EST
- Tuesday, August 29: 11:00 A.M. – 11:00 P.M. EST
- Wednesday, August 30: 11:00 A.M. – 11:00 P.M. EST
- Thursday, August 31: 11:00 A.M. – 11:00 P.M. EST
- Friday, September 1: 11:00 A.M. – 11:00 P.M. EST
- Saturday, September 2:11:00 A.M. – 11:00 P.M. EST
US Open 2017 TV Schedule
Everyday of the first week, ESPN and ESPN2 will be airing various matches of the tournament.
- Monday, August 28: 1:oo P.M. EST, ESPN | 7:00 P.M. EST, ESPN2
- Tuesday, August 29: 1:oo P.M. EST, ESPN | 7:00 P.M. EST, ESPN
- Wednesday, August 30: 1:oo P.M. EST, ESPN | 7:00 P.M. EST, ESPN2
- Thursday, August 31: 1:oo P.M. EST, ESPN2 | 7:00 P.M. EST, ESPN2
- Friday, September 1: 1:oo P.M. EST, ESPN | 7:00 P.M. EST, ESPN2
- Saturday, September 2: 11:oo A.M. EST, ESPN2 | 7:00 P.M. EST, ESPN2
U.S. Open 2017 Location
The U.S. Open is located, every year, at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center which is located in Queens, New York.
