Ready for the fourth and final slam of the year in New York City? The 2024 US Open promises to be an awesome event, as it is every year. But like all tennis tournaments, only one player will walk away with the trophy in their hands. My job today is to identify exactly who that might be for the men’s singles event.
Of course, that means I will be running through a set of US Open 2024 men’s singles predictions that you can consider ahead of the event. In the interests of giving you a set of suitable options, I won’t be sharing just a single individual either. Instead, much like I’ve done for the US Open 2024 women’s singles predictions, I will be covering both favourites and underdogs.
This way, you’ll have a few key contenders with relatively short odds and a range of possible underdogs with ‘long odds’ that could produce serious returns if they came through. Naturally, none of us have a crystal ball to see who will capture the 2024 US Open title. But we can still look at the facts, figures, and formbook to build a shortlist of suitable candidates to back.
With this in mind, since the tournament is starting on August 26th, let’s not waste any more time and get right into the predictions.
2024 US Open men’s singles predictions – the most likely winners
If you would have asked me who the winner of the 2024 US Open would be a month or two ago, only a couple of names would have been shared. But ever since Wimbledon, men’s tennis seems to have endured a bit of a power shift again. Several big names have found their form while a few contenders have dropped off to some degree.
That said, I’ve thought long and hard about who has the best shot at claiming the title from the ‘favoured’ individuals, and I’ve come up with the following three picks:
Novak Djokovic – could easily become the King of New York once again
Novak Djokovic was one of those guys who I wouldn’t have put in the mix if I had shared my predictions a month or two ago. This is one of his worst performing seasons in recent years, as he’s yet to win a Grand Slam in 2024. Then again, I’m sure he would have signed that deal if you’d promised him a Gold Medal before the season started.
At the same time, Djokovic won the tournament in 2023, so he is the defending champion. And while the Wimbledon final suggested a changing of the guard moment, Djokovic corrected us all in Paris by winning gold. His win over Alcaraz put him right back in the mix, and personally, I think he will sneak the title this year.
Jannik Sinner – world number one and Cincinnati Open winner
Jannik Sinner really has made an immense breakthrough in the 2024 season. The current world number one secured his maiden Grand Slam title in Australia back in January. And since then, he has been one of the most consistent players on tour – hence his ranking. Sinner only reached the 4th round of the US Open in 2023 too, so I’m sure he’s hungry to go much further.
Additionally, Sinner was always going to be shortlisted for my US Open 2024 men’s singles predictions following his title in Cincinnati. Given that those quick conditions and courts are very similar to what you get in New York, he showed us all how dangerous he can be at Flushing Meadows.
Carlos Alcaraz – has won two of the three slams this season
Alcaraz has enjoyed his best season on record in 2024. Of course, he defended his Wimbledon title in style by smoking Novak Djokovic in straight sets. And prior to that, he won Roland Garros for the very first time, which led to the double just a few months ago. Amazingly, I don’t feel he was playing his best tennis either.
To add to that, the US Open was where it all started for Carlitos. This was where he won his very first slam in 2022, and he could certainly do so again in 2024. The only question mark I have with Alcaraz is how much of an impact the Gold Medal loss to Djokovic may have had. After all, he lost early in Cincinnati and snapped one of his rackets to pieces – something we don’t usually see from him.
However, Alcaraz is already a true champion, and like all champions, he will no doubt find a way back to his best when it matters.
Long shots who could win the 2024 US Open – key underdogs
Okay, that’s enough of the 2024 US Open men’s singles predictions as far as favourites are concerned. While the first three guys I’ve mentioned all have relatively short odds, the following three guys have super long odds. This means even a small wager could bring home something special if they were to win the tournament.
That said, since these guys are underdogs, the chances of them winning the 2024 US Open are naturally much lower than Djokovic, Sinner, or Alcaraz. With that clarified, let me run through the three underdogs I’ve picked as possible winners in New York.
Andrey Rublev – runner-up in Canada and found his groove again in recent weeks
Rublev is one of the most dangerous players on hard courts when he hits top gear. He has one of the biggest forehands on tour and certainly has the game to go deep in these sorts of events. Furthermore, while his 2024 season has been below par by his standards, he has pulled things together at the right time by reaching the finals in Canada. This will naturally give him a major confidence boost ahead of the 2024 US Open.
To add to that, Rublev has been very consistent at the US Open. In fact, he’s reached the quarter-finals four times, so if he can get over that hump, he could well be a surprise winner.
Frances Tiafoe – finalist in Cincinnati and previous semi-finalist in New York
Come on, I had to give a mention to one of the Americans! In fact, Tiafoe is one of two Americans I’ve listed in my US Open 2024 men’s singles predictions. As for why I’ve listed Tiafoe as a potential winner, there are a couple of reasons.
Firstly, Tiafoe reached his very first Masters 1000 final in Cincinnati this season. This is a huge deal, and it shows he has found form at the perfect moment. Secondly, the US Open is the Grand Slam where he has made the deepest run out of the four biggest events in tennis. He made the semi-finals in 2022 before losing a classic to Alcaraz.
So, for me, Tiafoe is one to watch this year!
Ben Shelton – semi-finalist in 2023 and has a huge game
For my second American pick, I’ve gone with Ben Shelton. Much like Frances Tiafoe, this is the tournament where he has gone the furthest in his career. Shelton made the semi-finals last year before losing to Novak Djokovic, but he certainly seemed to relish performing in front of his home fans. And let’s be honest, with that serve, he is capable of taking down just about anyone on tour!
Amazingly, for both Shelton and Tiafoe, the odds are above 50.00 – at the time of writing. Therefore, you can run the math concerning the potential returns if one of these guys stepped up and claimed their maiden Grand Slam victory in New York.
Tips to follow if backing these US Open 2024 men’s singles predictions
At this point, you have six individuals to consider backing for the 2024 US Open title. But to wrap this up, I’d like to share a couple of extra tips regarding how to approach your outright bets – if you decide to bet on these guys.
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
We all get swayed by super short odds at times. Therefore, if you check out the odds for Djokovic, Sinner, or Alcaraz, they all have a very short price, suggesting they have a huge shot of winning the tournament. Sure, they are the favourites, but you don’t have to commit to one of these guys.
You could back one of the favourites while placing a wager on one of the underdogs to balance things out. Of course, there is no limit concerning how many outright markets you can cover, and it’s rarely a bad idea to keep an open mind and cover several individuals.
Pull the trigger early
My second and final piece of advice following the US Open 2024 men’s singles predictions relates to when you should place your wagers. Given that the tournament is a knockout event, the number of players who could win is halved with each passing round. This shortens the odds for all players left in the draw.
Therefore, the sooner you make a decision and actually cover one of the players, the better the odds you will lock in! And if you can follow this tip along with the first one, you could snag a solid win or two from the US Open (hopefully).
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