US Open 2026: Contenders for the Men’s Singles Title

The last Grand Slam of the year is around the corner, and the excitement is growing within the tennis fraternity to see who takes the US Open crown home this time around. 

There are many top players that have withdrawn from the competition due to injury issues, the most unfortunate one being last year’s finalist and the World No. 1 Jannik Sinner missing the tournament due to a knee injury. The good news though will be seeing the defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, marking a return to professional tennis after four months away due to a complicated wrist injury. 

Here, we take a look at five players in the men’s draw who could win the Men’s Singles title this year – 

Alexander Zverev

Alexander Zverev fulfilled his lifelong dream of winning a Grand Slam this year when he won the French Open in Paris. In addition, he also reached his first Wimbledon final, but lost to Jannik Sinner in four sets. Since the Wimbledon Championships, he hasn’t performed well at the hard-court swing. He has been knocked out in the first round at the National Bank Open and lost to Tommy Paul in the Round of 16 at the ongoing Cincinnati Masters. 

However, the German has performed exceptionally well at the Grand Slams this year, reaching at least the semi-final stage in all three. He has a great game on the hard surface and with Jannik Sinner having pulled out and Carlos Alcaraz returning after a four-month hiatus, Zverev remains as the firm favourite to win his first US Open crown. 

Carlos Alcaraz

Amidst major concerns about his availability, the defending champion Carlos Alcaraz has confirmed that he will defend his title in New York. The seven-time Grand Slam champion is marking a return from a complex wrist injury and hasn’t played at an ATP tour level match for four months since the final of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. In Australia, The Spanish sensation became the youngest male player to reach a career Slam and won his seventh Slam in the process. 

Although Alcaraz could struggle in the earlier rounds for match fitness, he is still one of the best players on the Men’s tour and a five-set match-up favours him against any opponent. With Sinner pulling out of the tournament due to a knee injury, Alcaraz is definitely one of the favourites to win the tournament and go back-to-back in New York. 

Novak Djokovic

This is the most opportune moment for Novak Djokovic to win an unprecedented 25th slam title as Jannik Sinner is out, Alcaraz is returning from an injury and Zverev isn’t in the best of form, going into the US Open. 

The top three players are possibly his toughest opponents at the US Open and with the World No. 1 out and the other two not at their peak, Djokovic has a great chance to break the record for the most Grand Slam Singles titles. Although Djokovic hasn’t performed well in the hard-court swing, getting knocked out in the first round of the Cincinnati Masters, he is a different player when it comes to the grand slams. 

This year, Djokovic has reached a semi-final at Wimbledon and a final at the Australian Open, even defeating Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open semis. Hard court is one of his favourite surfaces and having won four US Open Singles titles, he knows how to navigate the tournament. Even in his twilight years, the Serbian legend remains a favourite to win a grand slam and with the stars aligning in his favour, this could be his best chance yet. 

Taylor Fritz

Taylor Fritz might not have had a great season this year but his game is tailor-made for the hard surface. He also has the advantage of playing in front of his home crowd. The fast-serving American has also reached the final here in 2024 but lost to Jannik Sinner in three sets. Although he got knocked out of the National Bank Open in the first round, he did well to reach the quarter-final at the Cincinnati Masters and is another player who can go the distance at the US Open. 

With many big players like Sinner, Holger Rune and Jack Draper missing from the tournament, the Men’s draw would be wide open and Fritz is one player who can take advantage. It’s been a long time since an American Men’s player won the US Open and this could be Fritz’s big chance. With Alcaraz returning from an injury setback and Djokovic and Zverev not in the best of form, this could just be the year that the lanky American takes advantage of the situation and wins his first Grand Slam title on home turf. 

Arthur Fils

Frenchman Arthur Fils has returned strongly from a seven-months layoff from professional tennis this year. The talented youngster won the Barcelona Open, reached the semi-finals at the Miami Open and Madrid Open and is due to play in the semi-final at the ongoing Cincinnati Masters. 

Fils has done really well this season, showing a lot of improvement and maturity. Since he hired the services of the legendary Goran Ivanisevic as his coach in February 2026, Fils has grown from strength to strength. Although he is ranked in the Top 30 right now, Fils has a career-best ranking of World No. 14 and could even break into the Top 10 if he continues to play well and go deep in big tournaments. 

With a lot of top players missing from the US Open and Fils being in great form, the Frenchman has an outside chance to go all the way and lift his first Grand Slam trophy.