US Open Tennis 2016: Odds and Predictions for Year’s Final Major

The U.S. Open begins next week, and when players take the court in New York, they will be fighting for superiority in the final major of the calendar year.

The majors have belonged to the triumvirate of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray for the majority of the last several seasons. While Djokovic and Murray are again at the top of the favorite lists—Federer is out as he recovers from knee surgery—one gets the feeling that a surprise challenger could emerge this time around.

Djokovic lost at Wimbledon last month, and he also struggled in this year’s Olympic tournament. When Djokovic is on his game, as he was last year, it doesn’t seem like anybody in the world can beat him. He is not playing with that kind of consistency this year.

Murray won both Wimbledon and the Olympic crown, but he does not have the same kind of swagger or game that Djokovic has, and his matches often seem to hit a critical point before he is able to turn it around in his favor.

Djokovic is a 10-11 favorite to win the event, while Murray is the 2-1 second choice, according to Oddschecker.

In addition to the top two, those with the best chance of competing for the title in the U.S. Open include Olympic silver-medal winner Juan Martin del Potro, Milos Raoncic and Rafael Nadal.

Del Potro took out Djokovic and Nadal in the Olympic tournament before pushing Murray hard in the championship round.

Del Potro is back …

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