The U.S. Open presents a potential opportunity for American men to capture a Grand Slam singles title for the first time in 23 years, with several top players in contention. The field has opened slightly with the absence of reigning champion Jannik Sinner due to injury.
Despite Sinner's withdrawal, the draw still features formidable opponents. Carlos Alcaraz is returning to competition after a four-month layoff due to a wrist injury, and Alexander Zverev is the tournament's top seed. Novak Djokovic, at 39, also remains a significant threat.
However, American contenders Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz, and Frances Tiafoe are considered serious title prospects. They are joined by other Americans ranked in the top 20, including Learner Tien, Brandon Nakashima, and Tommy Paul. These players, however, are focused on the challenges ahead rather than relying on the absence of others.
"No, not really. Still gotta beat seven guys, however you slice it," Tiafoe said. "For me, doesn’t really matter if those guys are in [or] those guys are not. Carlos is still playing, Djokovic’s still playing, a lot of good players. And to be honest, I’ve lost the last few Slams not to any of those guys. My mind says it’s not really worried about any of those guys; just trying to beat the guy in front of me."
American men have had a strong summer on hard courts, with Shelton winning in Montreal and Fritz taking the title in Washington. Tiafoe and Nakashima reached finals in Cincinnati and Montreal, respectively. The group of six seeded Americans are all aiming to become the first man to win the U.S. Open since Andy Roddick in 2003.
"I know how much quality there is in the draw," Shelton commented. "It’d be disrespectful to just think, ‘Oh, there’s no Sinner, it’s a massive opportunity,’ when you have guys who’ve won Slams this year in Zverev, obviously Novak is in the draw, guys who’ve won big titles and been in great form, whether it’s [Rafael] Nadal, Arthur Fils, all the American guys are pretty dangerous on this surface."
Shelton is noted for his current form, comparable to Zverev's. Fritz, who reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals this year and was a finalist at the 2024 U.S. Open, is also a strong contender. Fritz lost the 2024 U.S. Open final to Sinner.
Alcaraz, who faced Sinner in three finals last year, including at Flushing Meadows, is navigating his return from injury. "Once I started to practice a bit, I didn’t know when I’m gonna start," Alcaraz said. "I don’t know if I’m gonna be ready for Cincinnati, for U.S. Open, or I’m going to miss the whole American swing. [Those] thoughts were really difficult to deal with. But finally, here we are."
Fritz expressed that seeing Alcaraz compete despite a short runway is not surprising. "What else would he do? If he feels he’s healthy enough to play, why not play?" Fritz said. "If you feel healthy, might as well. What’s the worst that can happen? You lose. Not playing the tournament is the same thing as losing, in my opinion."
Tiafoe added, "He’s always a guy we’re going to look at. But a lot of guys believe they can not only get him but win the event. It’s going to be an exciting U.S. Open."