Former world number 4 Tim Henman spoke about the 2024 US Open and surprised many with his pick to win the Grand Slam because it was not Jannik Sinner or Novak Djokovic.
Before every tennis event, there is a general consensus on which players are the most likely to do well. By default, it's generally the top players because that's what being a top player essentially means. They win a lot and, hence, are often in contention for winning trophies.
Before this year's US Open, a couple of players looked head and shoulders above the rest. Chiefly, it was top seed Jannik Sinner, who won the Cincinnati Open, demonstrating a tremendous level.
His first competitor was Novak Djokovic, the defending champion, who beat Daniil Medvedev in the final last year. The Serbian also excelled at the Paris Olympics, showing a level we haven't seen this year from him.
Finally, it was Carlos Alcaraz, who has historically been very impressive at the US Open but struggled heavily in his only preparation match at the Cincinnati Open.
With Alcaraz losing to Botic van de Zandschulp, it's only down to the two initial favorites. Most tennis analysts would agree that one of them will likely walk away with the trophy.
Tim Henman, however, doesn’t see it that way. The former ATP player spoke with Sky Sports about the event, saying that Alexander Zverev looks like a player who could win.
"I like to go slightly off-piste at times and I think when you look at the top three of Sinner, Djokovic and Alcaraz, they are phenomenal players, they have won plenty of Grand Slams, so they have a good opportunity."
"But I just think Zverev is under the radar. I think Zverev’s level of play is underrated. When he is playing averagely, that keeps him in the Top 10."
Zverev is indeed a name that hasn't been mentioned much, and there are things that warrant his mention. For one, he played in a US Open final in 2020. It was a brutal match, and Zverev lost a 2-0 lead in sets, missing out on winning a Grand Slam trophy.
Since then, he's become an even better player, making the Roland Garros final this year. It was another major final loss for him, but performances like those showed to Henman that he was ready for it.
As he pointed out, the German had been knocking on that door for a while, and with the latest development at Flushing Meadows, he could certainly win.
"I just feel that he has been knocking on the door for so long, that door is going to open. I do believe I have taken a bit of a punt, but I’m comfortable with that."
Djokovic lacks matches after not having played before the event. Sinner is dealing with the doping saga fallout, while Zverev has none of those worries. He has to go out onto the court and perform, which he's been able to do so far.
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