US Open 2024: Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are among the men to watch

NEW YORK (AP) — Here are some of the men to watch at the U.S. Open, which starts in New York on Monday (money-line odds via BetMGM Sportsbook ):

Jannik Sinner

Ranking: 1

Career-Best Ranking: 1

Country: Italy

Age: 23

2024 Record: 48-5

2024 Titles: 5

Career Titles: 15

Grand Slam Titles: 1 — Australian Open (2024)

Last 5 U.S. Opens: 2023-Lost in the 4th Round, 2022-QF, 2021-4th, 2020-1st, 2019-1st

Aces: Sinner tested positive twice for a banned anabolic steroid in March but wasn’t suspended because a panel determined he didn’t use the drug intentionally and instead was exposed to it by his physiotherapist. ... Won the Cincinnati Open tuneup in August. ... Rose to No. 1 in June. ... Won his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January. ... The U.S. Open is the only major where he’s never been to the semifinals.

He Said It: “I will now put this challenging and deeply unfortunate period behind me.”

Odds Are: +200

Novak Djokovic

Ranking: 2

Career-Best Ranking: 1

Country: Serbia

Age: 37

2024 Record: 29-7

2024 Titles: 1

Career Titles: 99

Grand Slam Titles: 24 — U.S. Open (4: 2011, 2015, 2018, 2023), Australian Open (10: 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023), French Open (3: 2016, 2021, 2023), Wimbledon (7: 2011, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022)

Last 5 U.S. Opens: 2023-Won Championship, 2022-Did Not Play, 2021-Runner-Up, 2020-4th, 2019-4th

Aces: Hasn’t played since finally earning the one significant achievement that was missing from his resume: an Olympic gold medal. He beat Carlos Alcaraz in the final at the Paris Games on Aug. 4. ... Had surgery on his right knee in early June after tearing his meniscus during a match at the French Open. Played at Wimbledon less than a month later and reached the final. ... A 25th Grand Slam title would give Djokovic sole possession of the record for most majors in tennis history.

2024 Paris Olympics:

• What to know about the closing ceremony: A skydiving Tom Cruise and performances from Billie Eilish, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Paris Olympics mainstay Snoop Dogg highlighted the French capital’s au revoir to the Olympics.
• Indelible images: AP photographers pick their favorite images from the Paris Olympics.
• Who won the 2024 Olympics?: See which countries tied for the most gold medals in Paris, and who exceeded expectations.
• When are the next Summer Games? The Olympics will always have Paris. But next up for the Summer Games: Los Angeles 2028. See how the City of Angels is preparing to follow the City of Light.

He Said It: “When I take everything into consideration, this probably is the biggest sporting success I ever had in my career.”

Odds Are: +200

Carlos Alcaraz

Ranking: 3

Career-Best Ranking: 1

Country: Spain

Age: 21

2024 Record: 38-8

2024 Titles: 3

Career Titles: 15

Grand Slam Titles: 4 — U.S. Open (2022), Wimbledon (2023, 2024), French Open (2024)

Last 5 U.S. Opens: 2023-SF, 2022-W, 2021-QF, 2020-DNP, 2019-DNP

Aces: Won the past two Grand Slam tournaments — the French Open in June and Wimbledon in July — and reached the final at the Olympics before losing to Novak Djokovic and settling for a silver medal. ... Is 4-0 in Grand Slam finals so far. ... Youngest man in tennis history with at least one Grand Slam title on three surfaces.

He Said It: “Get closer to the legends — that’s my objective.”

Odds Are: +160

Daniil Medvedev

Ranking: 5

Career-Best Ranking: 1

Country: Russia

Age: 28

2024 Record: 35-13

2024 Titles: Zero

Career Titles: 20

Grand Slam Titles: 1 — U.S. Open (2021)

Last 5 U.S. Opens: 2023-RU, 2022-4th, 2021-W, 2020-SF, 2019-RU

Aces: Heads to New York on a three-match losing streak. ... This season, reached the final at the Australian Open before losing to eventual champion Jannik Sinner and reached the semifinals at Wimbledon before losing to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz. ... Has been to at least the semifinals at four of the past five U.S. Opens. ... Is just 1-5 in Grand Slam finals.

He Said It: “Hopefully I can win some more Grand Slams. I believe in myself. I believe in my tennis.”

Odds Are: +1000

Ben Shelton

Ranking: 13

Career-Best Ranking: 13

Country: United States

Age: 21

2024 Record: 30-19

2024 Titles: 1

Career Titles: 2

Grand Slam Titles: None — Best: Semifinals, U.S. Open (2023)

Last 5 U.S. Opens: 2023-SF, 2022-1st, 2021-DNP, 2020-DNP, 2019-DNP

Aces: The 2024 U.S. Open will be only his ninth Grand Slam tournament, but he already has a run to the quarterfinals at last year’s Australian Open and to the semifinals in New York. ... He was the youngest American man in the U.S. Open semifinals since Michael Chang was 20 in 1992. ... Won an NCAA singles title for the University of Florida in 2022. ... Lefty with a big serve that reached 149 mph at Flushing Meadows a year ago.

He Said It: “I’m definitely going to try to bring some things to the table that are different and hopefully disruptive.”

Odds Are: +2800

Dominic Thiem

Ranking: 209

Career-Best Ranking: 3

Country: Austria

Age: 30

2024 Record: 2-7

2024 Titles: Zero

Career Titles: 17

Grand Slam Titles: 1 — U.S. Open (2020)

Last 5 U.S. Opens: 2023-2nd, 2022-1st, 2021-DNP, 2020-W, 2019-1st

Aces: Received a wild-card invitation for his last appearance at the U.S. Open; he’s announced that this is his final season before retirement after a series of wrist issues. ... Won his lone Grand Slam title at the 2020 U.S. Open by beating Alexander Zverev in the final in five sets after dropping the opening two sets in a nearly empty stadium; spectators were not allowed on site because of the COVID-19 pandemic. ... Was the runner-up at a Slam three times.

He Said It: “I’ve really enjoyed every single year of it.”

Odds Are: Not listed

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Howard Fendrich has been the AP’s tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: https://apnews.com/author/howard-fendrich

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis