The hard-court summer has reached close to boiling point, with the US Open now just days away.<\/p>\n
A total of 128 men will be in main-draw action when the event begins this Sunday, though a few will likely have more realistic hopes of lifting the title.<\/p>\n
Here, we rank our five leading contenders to lift the men\u2019s singles title at the US Open<\/a>.<\/p>\n 5) Alexander Zverev<\/p>\n Projected seeding: No 3<\/p>\n Much has been made of Zverev\u2019s struggle to win a major title, though he remains one of the most consistent high-level players on the ATP \u2013 and someone who must be considered a contender.<\/p>\n The German was close to winning the title in 2020 and has reached at least the quarter-final of the US Open in his last four appearances at the event, with a further semi-final to his name in 2021.<\/p>\n Zverev\u2019s opening-round exit at Wimbledon<\/a> was a step back in Grand Slam form after a run of consistent players, and he was struggling physically in Cincinnati<\/a>.<\/p>\n However, with a large lack of consistency behind him, the world No 3 could well be a factor come the business end of the event.<\/p>\n 4) Taylor Fritz<\/p>\n Projected seeding: No 4<\/p>\n Placed ahead of Zverev in our standings due to his impressive head-to-head record against the German in recent months, Fritz will fly the home flag in the men\u2019s singles draw this summer.<\/p>\n Tennis News<\/p>\n Exclusive: Who could form a \u2018new Big Three\u2019 with Carlos Alcaraz & Jannik Sinner? Rick Macci names \u2018the chosen one\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n Martina Navratilova and co give US Open predictions as Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic snubbed<\/a><\/p>\n The American ended a 15-year wait for a US Grand Slam men\u2019s singles finalist at the US Open last summer<\/a>, and returned to the latter stages of a major with a Wimbledon semi-final showing in July.<\/p>\n His hard-court summer was solid enough, if unspectacular, though he is a master of the best-of-five set format, and his run in New York twelve months ago should give him huge confidence.<\/p>\n Can Fritz end the 22-year wait for an American male Grand Slam singles champion? It will be tough, but he\u2019s in the conversation.<\/p>\n 3) Novak Djokovic<\/p>\n Projected seeding: No 7<\/p>\n Only two men have reached the semi-final of all three Grand Slam tournaments in 2025. One of them is Djokovic<\/a>.<\/p>\n There have been repeated questions about Djokovic\u2019s physical fitness and motivation this year but, when it comes to the Grand Slams, the 38-year-old still knows how to navigate the early stages of the event.<\/p>\n No man in history can rival the Serbian\u2019s 24 Grand Slam singles titles and, while it has been two years since his last major triumph, he still appears to be a cut above all but two ATP stars right now.<\/p>\n Djokovic was stunned in the third round by Alexei Popyrin twelve months ago, though an exit that early seems unlikely this coming fortnight.<\/p>\n 2) Carlos Alcaraz<\/p>\n Projected seeding: No 2<\/p>\n Two Wimbledon titles, two French Open titles\u2026and two US Open titles?<\/p>\n New York was the scene of Alcaraz\u2019s<\/a> stunning first Grand Slam triumph back in 2022, with the Spaniard since going on to cement his status as one of the dominant players of his era.<\/p>\n Alcaraz approaches the US Open in scintillating form, reaching at least the final of his last seven tour-level events, and is perhaps playing the best tennis of his career.<\/p>\n The Spaniard will be determined to right the wrong of his shock round-two exit in 2024, and there is perhaps only one player you would conclusively back to stop him\u2026<\/p>\n 1) Jannik Sinner<\/p>\n Projected seeding: No 1<\/p>\n Though illness halted Sinner<\/a> in the Cincinnati Open final this week<\/a>, the Italian\u2019s status as the top hard-court player in the game is more than secure right now.<\/p>\n The world No 1 has won the last three hard-court Grand Slams, including a maiden US Open triumph in 2024, and his victory over Alcaraz at Wimbledon may have swung momentum in their rivalry slightly back in his favour.<\/p>\n Cincinnati was the only hard-court warm-up he played ahead of his title defence, but, as his return from his three-month ban earlier this year demonstrated, he doesn\u2019t need many matches to find his groove.<\/p>\n A finalist at all three Grand Slam tournaments so far in 2025, it is hard to bet against Sinner reaching the US Open final \u2013 and then winning the whole thing.<\/p>\n