As the Olympics coverage is over, fans will inevitably focus on other sports. One of them will be Men’s Tennis. The US Open is the final Grand Slam of the 2021 season and expects it to be another tournament that pits Novak Djokovic versus the field.
The top eleven men are listed below in our Men’s Tennis Futures.
| 2021 Men's Tennis Futures -- US Open |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Novak Djokovic | -125 | -110 | EVEN |
| Daniil Medevdev | +500 | +600 | +500 |
| Rafael Nadal | +650 | +600 | +500 |
| Dominic Thiem | +700 | +600 | +500 |
| Roger Federer | +1000 | +800 | +600 |
| Alexander Zverev | +1000 | +1200 | +1000 |
| Stefanos Tsitsipas | +1000 | +1200 | +1000 |
| Matteo Berrettini | +1800 | +2800 | +6000 |
| Andrey Rublev | +2000 | +3300 | +2000 |
| Jannik Sinner | +2000 | +3300 | OTB |
| Milos Raonic | +3000 | +3300 | +3000 |
The number of players that could win this final Grand Slam of 2021 is more than usual. That is where the problem comes in as far as handicapping this tournament. Again, the options are a bit more than the typical men’s Grand Slam. Novak Djokovic showed himself to be quite vulnerable in the Olympics. Some will argue it was the shoulder, the playing conditions, etc. However, the 20-time Grand Slam winner did not even medal.
Now, that being said, the pandemic threw a major wrench into everything last year. The US Open last year gave us an unexpected result with Dominic Thiem breaking through in a Grand Slam at last. Could someone like Roger Federer shock the tennis world by winning the final slam of 2021? Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves as Federer is still not 100% from the recovery of his knee.
Again, some argue the Olympics almost became a throwaway tournament because of the excessive heat. Many players just could not handle the conditions but on the men’s side, the emergence of Alexander Zverev was interesting. There will be plenty of intrigue on the German entering into the US Open.
Again, all it takes is an upset or two to change things.
This is where the debate for Men’s Tennis Futures begins. Naturally, no one quite knows what will happen during this fourth Grand Slam. The hard-court season does not expect to change much, if anything, in that regard.
It is easy to see why Djokovic could be considered a favorite. There is no other male player right now who has won three Grand Slams in a row in a long time. Djokovic indeed bowed out without a medal in the Olympic Tournament. However, it was a brutal tournament that felt more like survival at times than a display of actual tennis ability.
However, there has been some concern about the mental aspect of his game. Mental health is a very real issue for Djokovic and we saw that temper in the Olympics on full display. That might have gotten most other players fined. Throwing the racket at the Olympic Rings was definitely not Djokovic’s finest hour.
Again, the only problem this year may just be COVID as it increases in numbers throughout the tri-state area. With mandates going back in place, there is a chance that crowds may be modified or even not allowed. That will be something to keep an eye on and could change the odds. Djokovic did seem to have trouble maintaining focus as the tournament went on. He feeds off a crowd well.
Djokovic should be ready for the US Open. This is a risk to pick the favorite when the favorite is around even at this level, it is worth a shot. With the best of five sets format, the Serbian has the advantage on the field.
Hence, our Men’s Tennis futures pick below is one where the odds may just shorten right before the end of the month. That’s right. The tournament goes from August 30th – September 12th.
The questions about Rafael Nadal’s hardcourt game outweigh the answers. No one seems to know what shape he is even in. At this point, it seems Nadal is motivated to give it his best shot here. just wants her chance to end her career her way. The problem is this is Serena Williams. She wants to win and badly. If he could go on a deep run, this would tilt the Men’s Tennis Futures at least a little more.
Nadal is starting to look better in some of his tuneups and is back to third in the rankings. That hopefully gets him on the road to ready for the US Open.
According to Grand Slam History, the fact that Nadal is not ranked one or two here still looks odd. That is the reality. It is more than the fact that several men may have surpassed Nadal in talent on the surface. Nadal, however, has the veteran ability to pull out matches he should not.
For Men’s Tennis Futures, our best bet is not to pick Rafael Nadal. Winning this tournament seems too tall an order but do expect him to get deep into the tournament.
2021 has taught us to just keep looking at the men’s field as a body of work and not one or two players. Despite this, the young guns in Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas catch our eye and their odds are around +1000 to +1200. Dominic Thiem could make a run but likely does not get past one of these two players.
Some will even eye Daniil Medvedev but the Russian may not have the stamina to handle the heat and humidity at the US Open.
Take Novak Djokovic to win the Men’s US Open before his odds possibly shorten.
See below the top sportsbooks, like Bovada, where you can wager online and choose the best one for you:
