The US Open is one the four major tournaments in tennis, known as Grand Slams. As a result, it makes it one of the pinnacles of the sport. The competition has been running since 1881 and with it comes a prize pool of over $50 million, making it the most valuable of the four Slams and one of the most lucrative sporting events on the planet.
The tournament lasts for two weeks and is played in the Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre in New York, United States. The US Open is normally the final Grand Slam of the year, coming after the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon though 2020’s tournament was the second of three Grand Slams that season.
- In This Article:
- Tips
- Format
- Courts
- Conditions
- Prize Money
- Statistics
- History
Next Played: Monday, 30th August 2021
This event is scheduled to next start on 30th August 2021.
Last Played: August 2020
- Winner: Dominic Thiem / Naomi Osaka
- Runner Up: Alexander Zverev / Victoria Azarenka
US Open Tennis Betting Tips
Men's Singles
Even before the worldwide shutdown of sport earlier this year, tennis players and fans were given a stark reminder that their sport does not exist in a bubble. January’s Australia Open began to a backdrop of wildfires spreading across the country and the hope was that the action in Melbourne Park could provide some respite. Little did we know that the backdrop to the US Open would be even more dramatic.
No doubt, the men’s singles draw for the 2020 US Open is missing a number of key players including defending champion Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. World number one Novak Djokovic is in attendance though alongside a mixture of up and coming talent targeting that major breakthrough and experienced pros enthused by another crack at a Grand Slam.
Novak Djokovic - 5/6
By the time Novak Djokovic retires it is highly likely that he will hold the record for the most Grand Slams in the history of men’s tennis. The Serbian is just three shy of Roger Federer’s record of 20 and is the bookies’ favourite to add to his tally of three US Opens and 17 Grand Slams. As the quality of his tennis as the recent ATP New York tournament showed again, Djokovic remains the best player in the world and one of the greatest of all time.
Despite all the accolades and all the tournaments that have come his way over the years, there is still a sense that redemption is the ultimate prize for Djokovic over the coming fortnight in New York. He received widespread condemnation for the lack of care and attention paid to health and safety concerns during the Adri Tour which he hosted alongside his brother in the summer.
He then made more negative headlines for an initial lack of contrition when people linked to that tournament including other players and his wife became ill and then for suggesting that he would be opposed to a worldwide vaccination program.
Djokovic has always been a bit of a Marmite figure. Not so much for his displays on the court but for the way he handles himself away from tennis. Victory at the US Open isn’t going to change too many people’s opinion of him but love him or loathe him, nobody can get away from the fact that he is the best player in the draw by a country mile. Expect more phenomenal tennis from the man from Belgrade and yet another Grand Slam title to add to his trophy cabinet. He is even money here and that seems incredible value to us given his lack of serious, experienced rivals.
Daniil Medvedev - 6/1
Tennis fans have been trying to predict which of the so called ‘next gen’ of players will first make the breakthrough at the highest level for years now. It seems like punters and pundits have been saying “this is the year” forever now, and yet there has been no toppling of the old guard.
Dominic Thiem pushed Djokovic all the way in the final of the Australian Open, Stefanos Tsitsipas won the Tour Championship at the end of last season and Alexander Zverev has won three Masters titles. Grand Slams continue to elude the younger players though but when it comes to the US Open, the up and comer most likely to challenge Djokovic’s dominance in our opinion is Daniil Medvedev.
What Medvedev lacks in pure entertainment value compared to some of his peers he more than makes up for in terms of just how tough he is to beat. Despite being 6ft 6in and possessing a powerful serve capable of winning cheap points, it’s not Medvedev’s power that most stands out when you watch him. It is his tremendous defence and the way he is able to grind his opponents down.
Medvedev utilised his brilliance from the back of the court to progress right through to the end of last year’s US Open. He took Rafael Nadal to a deciding fifth set in a pulsating final but just came up against short against the Spaniard’s brilliance and vast experience.
As painful as that defeat was, it’s the sort of performance that Medvedev can use for confidence and as fuel for the fire. He is a better player 12 months on and has a weaker field to beat so Medvedev is rightly getting a lot of support in the betting at attractive enough odds of 6/1.
Milos Raonic - 25/1
British tennis fans were delighted to see Andy Murray take the scalps of Frances Tiafoe and Alexander Zverev at ATP New York ahead of the US Open. The former world number one was unable to replicate those performance levels against Milos Raonic later in the tournament though, calling his display “rubbish”. Murray was not at it in their rain affected match but a big part of the reason for that was the quality of Raonic’s play.
The big serving Canadian has had plenty of success on the ATP Tour since turning pro in 2008. Indeed, all of his career wins have come on hard courts so it is a little surprising that his best finish at the US Open is the round of 16. He should be able to improve on that at the very least this time around and could well be the joker in the pack at the massive price of 25/1.
Women's Singles
The top level of women’s tennis has been one of the most exciting and unpredictable divisions in all of sport in recent years. Angelique Kerba is the last woman to win two Grand Slams in the same calendar year back in 2016 whilst the last 10 Slams have been won by eight different players. The men’s game has been dominated for so long by just a few players so for those who like their tennis a little more unpredictable, this is just perfect.
The amazing strength in depth in women’s tennis meant that the 2020 US Open was always going to be a wide open affair and is still full of class despite so many big names deciding not to compete in New York. It is a shame that the likes of defending champion Bianca Andreescu and world number two Simona Halep have withdrawn but the show must, and will, go on.
Of course, every player in the US Open will find the atmosphere at Flushing Meadows very strange. Some, however, will enjoy the chance to play without the pressure of the sometimes raucous New York fans who really make their feelings known. Which players are primed to take advantage and where should your bets be going?
Naomi Osaka - 15/4
These are strange times for sport for many different reasons, as Naomi Osaka will testify. The Japanese superstar had to make a big call a few weeks ago to compete in the US Open and then made another very big call just last week. Osaka decided to pull out of the Western & Southern Open tournament ahead of her semi final in solidarity with similar political protests taking place across American sport.
Although she then changed her mind and decided to play after organisers abandoned a whole day’s play, that Osaka is comfortable taking such a stand in the first place says a great deal about her strength of character and maturity at just 23. She has had to grow up much faster than many people of her age and signs of that maturity can be seen just as well on the court as off it.
Osaka has always been blessed with tremendous power which she utilised when becoming a phenomenal junior player, dominating opponents with her brutal groundstrokes and wonderful serve. That blend of power and technique was not enough to reach the very top of tennis though.
Her ascent really started once she began harnessing that power and cutting out the costly errors. The two-time Grand Slam winner played some excellent tennis on the fast courts at Flushing Meadows last week and is the one the others all have to beat at the US Open with the favourite available at 15/4.
Petra Kvitova - 14/1
The US Open is known for having some of the rowdiest fans in tennis. Playing behind closed doors will perhaps be more keenly felt at Flushing Meadows than anywhere else so it is important for players to have already got a feel for the lack of atmosphere. Petra Kvitova has done exactly that, winning an all-Czech event which was one of the first to take place after the worldwide shutdown of tennis.
Although Kvitova was happy with the standard of her tennis that week, she admitted that it was tough to get motivated for the event until the latter stages. That is vital knowledge ahead of her tilt at the US Open, even if the added pressure of a Grand Slam should give her the nervousness that she needs to harness to be at her best.
Kvitova’s run in the Western & Southern Open was short lived so she didn’t get as much competitive tennis on the fast courts at Flushing Meadows in that warm-up event as she would have liked. That could be a blessing in disguise though as she is able to work with her coaching team and ensure that her body is fresh for the start of the US Open. With many of the world’s elite missing, this is a great chance for Kvitova to add to her tally of Grand Slams at 14/1.
Johanna Konta - 30/1
It wouldn’t be a Grand Slam without British tennis fans getting overly excited about the chances of one of their own. Backing Johanna Konta to win the US Open at 30/1 may not be the outside shot that it seems on first viewing though.
Konta has failed to reach the highs of her best run of form in the summer of 2017 which saw her scale the heights of fourth in the world. She is leaving no stone unturned in her attempts to get the absolute most out of her abilities as she reaches her athletic peak as a 29-year-old.
Part of that process has seen another change in her coaching setup with Thomas Hogstedt coming in. The Swede did some great work with Maria Sharapova who played the game in a very similar style to Konta and the early signs from their partnership have been encouraging. Konta played some very good tennis at the Western and Southern Open (she could yet meet Osaka in the final, with results undecided at the time of writing) and if she can maintain that sort of form or even improve she’ll have a decent outside chance in the 2020 US Open.
US Open Tennis Recent Winners
| Year | Men's Winner | Men's Runner-Up | Women's Winner | Women's Runner-Up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Dominic Thiem | Alexander Zverev | Naomi Osaka | Victoria Azarenka |
| 2019 | Rafael Nadal | Daniil Medvedev | Bianca Andreescu | Serena Williams |
| 2018 | Novak Djokovic | Juan Martin del Potro | Naomi Osaka | Serena Williams |
| 2017 | Rafael Nadal | Kevin Anderson | Sloane Stephens | Madison Keys |
| 2016 | Stan Wawrinka | Novak Djokovic | Angelique Kerber | Karolina Pliskova |
| 2015 | Novak Djokovic | Roger Federer | Flavia Pennetta | Roberta Vinci |
| 2014 | Marin Cilic | Kei Nishikori | Serena Williams | Caroline Wozniacki |
| 2013 | Rafael Nadal | Novak Djokovic | Serena Williams | Victoria Azarenka |
| 2012 | Andy Murray | Novak Djokovic | Serena Williams | Victoria Azarenka |
| 2011 | Novak Djokovic | Rafael Nadal | Samantha Stosur | Serena Williams |
US Open Format & Draw
The men’s and the women’s game is the biggest attraction at the US Open, with each hosting 128 players in total. Each round is plated as a knockout format, with the winner progressing to the next stage.
Of the 128 players in each draw, there are 32 seeds that are ranked based on WTA and ATP points, respectively. If a player within these seeds is unable to play for whatever reason, then the next highest ranked player will take their place. For example, in 2017, 2nd seed Andy Murray withdrew prior to the tournament starting, which meant that 33 seed Philipp Kohlschreiber took is spot as the final seed.
Top 8 Men’s Seeds: 2018 – 2020
| Seeding | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Novak Djokovic | Novak Djokovic | Rafael Nadal |
| 2 | Dominic Thiem | Rafael Nadal | Roger Federer |
| 3 | Daniil Medvedev | Roger Federer | Juan Martin Del Potro |
| 4 | Stefanos Tsitsipas | Dominic Thiem | Alexander Zverev |
| 5 | Alexander Zverev | Daniil Medvedev | Kevin Anderson |
| 6 | Matteo Berrettini | Alexander Zverev | Novak Djokovic |
| 7 | David Goffin | Kei Nishikori | Marin Cilic |
| 8 | Roberto Bautista Agut | Stefanos Tsitsipas | Grigor Dimitrov |
Top 8 Women’s Seeds: 2018 – 2020
| Seeding | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Karolina Pliskova | Naomi Osaka | Simona Halep |
| 2 | Sofia Kenin | Ashleigh Barty | Caroline Wozniacki |
| 3 | Serena Williams | Karolina Pliskova | Sloane Stephens |
| 4 | Naomi Osaka | Simona Halep | Angelique Kerber |
| 5 | Aryna Sabalenka | Elina Svitolina | Petra Kvitova |
| 6 | Petra Kvitova | Petra Kvitova | Caroline Garcia |
| 7 | Madison Keys | Kiki Bertens | Elina Svitolina |
| 8 | Petra Martic | Serena Williams | Karolina Pliskova |
Along with the seeds, there are also 16 qualifying spots that can be obtained by winning any of the qualifying tournaments that are hosted throughout the year. Players who often have a very low world ranking see this as an opportunity to gain entry. Along with these qualifiers are what are known as “lucky losers” who are players that have lost in the final of the events. These are chosen by the committee of the US Open prior to the start of the tournament.
On top of the men’s and the women’s games, there are also a host of categories as well. These include, men’s and women’s doubles, mixed doubles, boys and girls singles, boys and girls doubles, men’s champion invitational, women’s champion invitational, wheelchair men’s and women’s, wheelchair quad singles, wheelchair men’s and women’s doubles and wheelchair quad singles.
Courts & Surfaces
The courts that are played on throughout the US Open are that of hard courts. But, the hard courts at the tournament are made up from Pro Deco Turf, which is a certain type of court. Basically, the court plays on the slower side to most hard courts, but it’s designed this way in order to be able to function at consistent pace throughout the event considering the extreme heat that can be apparent. The court produces a little less friction, meaning the bounce is a little lower than you usually might find.
The courts are painted blue in colour, with a green outline, mainly to make it easier on the eye for viewers on TV and within the arena.
The Billie Jean King Tennis Centre is pretty substantial, especially considering it’s location within New York. The area includes 22 courts in total, with 4 of those considered as show courts, meaning that they have substantial seating areas for fans. The show courts are named the Arthur Ashe, Louis Armstrong, Grandstand and Court 17.
The Arthur Ashe is the biggest of the four courts, with a seating capacity of 22,547, making it one of the biggest tennis courts in the world. It first opened in 1997 and seen significant expansion and improvement since then, most notably a roof being added.
The Louis Armstrong court is next largest with a capacity of 10,200, although this was reduced from its original amount 18,000 due to the opening of the Arthur Ashe. The Grandstand seats 6,000 and Court 17, the newest of the 4 courts, holds 3,000 and is sunk into the ground, gaining the nickname, “the pit”.
Conditions
The heat at the US Open is often the thing that the players have to work hardest again. It’s not uncommon for temperatures on court to reach upwards of 40C. But, the tournament is also susceptible to rain, with each tournament from 2007 through to 2012 seeing postponements, meaning that the finals were then played on a Monday due to lost time.
Whilst many players are used to the heat and often train in hot climates, the toll it takes on the body, especially in later rounds often means that it can be a huge factor and often affects performances.
Prize Money
In total there is just over $50 million on offer for the US Open. The prize money available means that it’s the richest tournament of the year, and by a fair distance. Although exchange rates do come into factor when deciding this, but even then, it’s still a healthy amount over the other 3 Grand Slams.
Prize money is split evenly between the men’s and women’s games. The prize money for each round continues to rise the further you get, with the winners picking up cheques for $3 million in the latest tournament, also the most of any of the four majors. Please be aware that in 2020 there will be no qualifiers or mixed doubles at the US Open
US Open Prize Money by Event (2020)
| Singles | Doubles | Mixed Doubles | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | $3,000,000 | $400,000 | N/A |
| Finalist | $1,500,000 | $240,000 | N/A |
| Semi Finalist | $800,000 | $130,000 | N/A |
| Quarter Finalist | $425,000 | $91,000 | N/A |
| Round of 16 | $250,000 | $50,000 | N/A |
| Round of 32 | $163,000 | $30,000 | N/A |
| Round of 64 | $100,000 | N/A | N/A |
| Round of 128 | $61,000 | N/A | N/A |
| Qualifying (Third Round) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Qualifying (Second Round) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Qualifying (First Round) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Total | $39,024,000 | $4,288,000 | N/A |
Statistics
In the last few years, the men’s game has seen a real mix of players step up to win the US Open. Rafael Nadal, Stan Wawrinka, Novak Djokovic and Marin Cilic are the last four winners. But, what you often find, before this streak, is that one or two players have dominated.
Roger Federer has been the driving force in the modern-day history, winning 5 times in a row from 2004 to 2008. Other notable winners have been that of Pete Sampras, Andy Murray, Ivan Lendl, Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe.
In the Open era, there are 3 players that are tied for most men’s titles. They are Jimmy Connors, Pete Sampras and Roger Federer, each winning 5 titles each.
But, whilst the US have previously had strong showings at the US Open, there hasn’t been an American male winner of the event since Andy Roddick in 2003. This is probably one of the reasons why numbers are down in terms of visitors from the early 2000 period.
The Women’s game follows a similar pattern to the men’s game to be honest. Serena Williams has been the best the game has seen for many a year and has won 6 times in total, with three of those victories coming in 2012 to 2014. But, 4 out of the last 6 winners were seeded outside of the top ten and considered to be relative outsiders coming into the tournament. Flavia Pennetta in 2015 was seeded 25, Sloane Stephens was unseeded in 2017, Naomi Osaka was seeded 20 in 2018 and Bianca Andreescu the 15th seed in 2019.
The exceptions to this in recent years were Naomi Osaka in 2020 and Angelique Kerber in 2016 who were both second seeds. The last number 1 seeded winner was Serena Williams in 2014.
It’s Chris Evert and Serena Williams that are tied at the top of the most single titles ever, with 6 each. Evert dominated through the seventies and early eighties, whilst Williams’ form came in the late nineties, through to the mid two thousand and tens.
History
The first US Open was actually held on grass courts at the Newport Casino in Rhode Island. The tournament was pretty much an instant hit and each year they were finding they were oversubscribed with players for the next event.
It was for this reason why, in 1911, a host of players, led by that of Karl Behr, proposed the move into New York City, where they would be able to accommodate more players and more fans. The first few years the tournament was men only, and it wasn’t until 1887 when the women finally got their own version of the US Open set up, located out of Philadelphia Cricket Club.
By 1915 traction was building to make the move into New York City and with it they managed to get 100 signatures of players who all agreed that the move made sense. But, there was still a good number of people opposing the move, including 8 former singles champions. However, a vote was called in 1915, with a decision of 128 votes in favour of the move and 119 against.
The tournament was played out at Germantown Cricket Club, before moving to Forrest Hills following expansion to 14,000 seat concrete stadium.
The Open era started in 1968, when all 5 tournaments were merged into what we now recognise as the US Open. The tournament was open to professionals for the first time, with 96 men and 63 women competing.
By 1975 the tournament was switched from grass to clay, mainly because of the cost to maintain the grass in the extreme New York climate. But, the move from Forrest Hills to Flushing Meadows, its current home, saw another surface change from the clay to the hard courts that we see today.
Billie Jean King
Billie Jean King is probably the most iconic women in the history of female tennis. Not only did she win 12 major singles titles, with 4 US Opens, plus 16 doubles majors and 11 mixed doubles titles, but she was also the driving force behind the equality when it came to distribution of prize money.
In fact, whilst the titles were amazing and she will go down as one of the all-time greats on the court, her push for equal pay in tennis and gender equality is arguably her greatest victory. She was able to start her campaign at the peak of her career in 1971 and by 1973 the US Open was the first of the four majors to offer equal pay for both men and women tennis players.
Her efforts both on and off the courts deemed appropriate for the USTA to name the New York stadium after her in a fitting tribute.
Arthur Ashe
Arthur Ashe was a pretty remarkable tennis player in his own right, winning the US Open, French Open and Wimbledon. In fact, he still remains to this day the only black player to do so, which is a pretty staggering feat. He was also the first black player to be selected for the United States Davis Cup team for which he won on four occasions.
Ashe sadly passed away in 1993, aged just 49 from AIDS related pneumonia. But, his legacy still lives on at the US Open, with the main stadium being named after him in his honour for work he did both within tennis and outside of the game after his retirement, mainly in educating people about AIDS and HIV.