As always, making predictions—especially about the future—is a proceed-at-your-own-risk endeavor. But how do you not forecast a Carlos Alcaraz–Novk Djokovic final at the U.S. Open? One or the other has won each of the last five majors. They are ranked No.1 and No. 2, respectively, and have nearly double the points haul of the players ranked No. 3 and No. 4. Their Wimbledon final was a classic best-of-five classic. Five weeks later, their Cincinnati final was a best-of-three classic.
As for who will win the tournament … well, it’s easy to make a compelling case for both. The Tennis Fates never gave the U.S. Open a Roger Federer– Rafael Nadal match (whereas the other three majors, not many Federer–Nadal finals.) The least we could get is a Djokovic–Alcaraz final in New York.
