2018 has been a classic year in men’s Tennis with the three modern day legends Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer claiming the previous Grand Slams leading up to the US Open.

And it is little surprise that those three are the favourites to take the title in New York.

Nadal is the defending champion at Flushing Meadows – a title he has won three times to date, and he is hopeful of adding that to his French title from from earlier this year.

Nadal comes into the US Open having withdrawn from the Cincinnati Open after winning Rogers Cup in Toronto, but the Spaniard insists he was just using the extra time to recover.

“It was preparation. (During Cincinnati) I was resting from competing, not resting from working,” Nadal said.

“Of course, it is important what happens before a grand slam. If you are playing well before, it is easier to play well in a grand slam. At the same time, it’s true that a few players are able to increase the level of concentration, the level of tennis, level of intensity in some places. If you have to do it, this is one of the places.”

Novak Djokovic, rated as second favourite behind world number one Nadal, celebrated his first major win for two years when taking the Wimbledon title and he is hoping to show he is back to his best with what would be his third victory at the US Open.

Djokovic comes into the tournament in fine form having won Cincinnati ahead of Federer – which meant he became the first man ever to win all nine Masters titles.

Federer has five US titles to his name but has not won in New York for a decade, and he is hoping he can end that run.

“Hopefully I have a chance after 10 years to do something special,” said the Swiss.

The US Open also sees the return to Grand Slam tennis for Andy Murray, and he is back in New York where he won his first ever major title.

“I still wish I was able to play at Wimbledon and not have to pull out on the eve of the tournament, but it is nice to be playing my first Slam in 14 months here in New York,” he said.

We also spoke with Alistair Gill of Unibet to get their views on the men’s side of the US Open

Novak Djokovic is priced up as the favourite at 12/5. The Serb is seemingly over his injury troubles, having won Wimbledon and then the Cincinnati Masters to complete the haul of all 9 Masters title – the first player to do so. Defending champion Rafael Nadal is the second favourite at 13/4, having won the Toronto Masters earlier this month, followed by Roger Federer at 4/1, as the Swiss was beaten by Djokovic in the Cincinnati final.

Andy Murray at 10/1 can be overlooked as the Scot is still trying to rediscover his best form and surely this US Open is too soon for him, though Marin Cilic at 16/1 could represent a bit of value as he seems to enjoy the conditions in New York, with his only Grand Slam victory coming from here back in 2014. Milos Raonic was close to beating Djokovic in Cincinnati but nerves got the better of him on the day. The big-serving Canadian, available at 20/1, could well ace his way through the rounds.

The women’s draw once again looks wide open but Serena Williams and defending champion Sloane Stephens look well placed to give the home crowd another success.

Stephens took the title last year to claim her first ever Slam, and she is hopeful of a repeat in New York.

“I’m just trying to get better and better, trying to improve my ranking, win more tournaments, win more titles,” she said. “Just trying to make the most of it and win as many matches as possible to improve my ranking. Obviously there’s only two places to go from No 3.”

The favourite is Williams, who comes into the tournament as 17th seed, but she is hoping to claim a seventh title on home soil – although she looks to have a tough draw with sister Venus and world number one Simona Halep potential opponents.

We also spoke with Alistair Gill of Unibet to get their views on the women’s  side of the US Open

The women’s draw is once again a wide open, with Serena Williams installed as 9/2 favourite, followed by world no.1 Simona Halep at 13/2, though her record in New York is nothing to speak of with a best showing of semi-final in 2015.

Angelique Kerber is priced at 7/1 with the German hitting some form in 2018. Defending champion Sloane Stephens can be backed at 8/1, as the American tends to play well on home soil. Maria Sharapova is priced at 11/1 and the popular Petra Kvitova is available at 12/1, but the Czech has played an awful lot of tennis lately and fatigue could be an issue for her.

With an open field like this, it may pay to back some long-odds outsiders that have hit form recently in the north American hard counts. Dutchwoman Kiki Bertens can be considered at 20/1, as she beat Halep to win the Cincinnati title last week – the biggest title in her career to date. Belgian Elise Mertens at 60/1 could also be a dark horse, having reached the quarter-finals in Montreal and Cincinnati. The Belgian has steadily risen through the ranks in 2018 and is currently ranked no.15 (and no.8 in the “race to Singapore” ranking), claiming some scalps such as Stephens in Cincinnati.