With Rafael Nadal sitting out the 2104 U.S. Open with a wrist injury, a lot of the attention has turned toward Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic as the favorite.
No, thank you, has been Djokovic's response.
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The No. 1 player in the world says the final Grand Slam of the year that starts Monday is wide open without his main rival.
"When Rafa is not around it changes everything," Djokovic said, according to The Guardian. "But on the other side, we have all the other best players in the world here.
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"Favorites? I leave it to the people. Really, I'm not thinking about it. Everyone is starting from scratch. It's very open. Nowadays the competition level is higher. You have players around 15 and 20 in the world, and the quality of the tennis they are playing is higher than five years ago, in my opinion. That makes it hard to win this tournament."
Nole has extra reason to sound cautious coming in to New York. He lost early in his two hard-court warmups, getting smoked 6-2, 6-2 by Jo-Wilfred Tsonga in the fourth round in Toronto on Aug. 4 and then suffered a tougher straight-sets loss to Tommy Robredo in the round of 16 in Cincinnati on Aug. 10.
After defeating Roger Federer in a five-set epic at Wimbledon, Djokovic rode off in the sunset, marrying longtime girlfriend Jelena Ristic. The two are expecting a child later this year. The No. 1 player seemed to be at the pinnacle of success in his career and personal life.
The honeymoon, as far as his career is concerned, was short-lived as he enters the U.S. Open with questions about his game. His half of the draw includes a potential quarterfinals matchup against Andy Murray.
Meanwhile, No. 3 Roger Federer has lifted his game, finishing runner-up in Toronto and winning the Cincinnati Masters event. Federer also is considered a favorite in Flushing Meadows.
The two veterans headline an open field, and Djokovic expects that the player that emerges at the U.S. Open will be one of the experienced competitors on the tour.
"The biggest reason is the game has become more physical. My coach Boris [Becker] won Wimbledon at 17. Today it is very difficult to do anything like that. It has changed significantly. It takes some years to get to the stage where you feel you are actually complete."
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