Six on-the-rise players Federer, Nadal and Djokovic won’t want to face in U.S. Open

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As expected, the Big Three of men’s tennis —  Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer — secured the top three seeds in the 2019 U.S. Open. They have won a combined 54 Grand Slam titles. The last time one of them didn’t win a Grand Slam was the 2016 U.S. Open when Stan Wawrinka upset Djokovic.

Could these tennis juggernauts’ three-year reign over the sport come to an end this year at Flushing Meadows? USA TODAY Sports examines which on-the-rise players have what it takes to upset one of the Big Three and potentially hoist the trophy. 

Dominic Thiem. Ranked No. 4 behind the Big Three, the 25-year-old has faced Djokovic, Federer and Nadal on the big stage and has beaten them all in smaller tournaments. The Austrian won at Indian Wells in March and has reached the past two French Open finals, bowing out to Nadal both times. 

Nick Kyrgios. The racket-slamming rebel has shades of John McEnroe with his on-court eruptions at chair umpires (he threw a chair onto the court in May) and while the Australian’s bad boy ways don’t fit in at the more eloquent Wimbledon, his personality and flair fit right in at the more eccentric Open.

Ranked No. 28 at Flushing Meadows and known for his serve and aggressiveness, Kyrgios has been a mainstay in the top half of the ATP rankings for a while but he’s only reached Grand Slam quarterfinals twice in his career — 2014 Wimbledon and 2015 Australian Open. The 24-year-old is best known for being a thorn in Nadal’s side by serving underhanded against him, hitting him with a ball and trash-talking. He’s also beaten Djokovic and Federer in smaller tournaments. 

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Alexander Zverev. The German 22-year-old has gotten praise from the Big Three as an up-and-comer, with Nadal calling him a “clear possible No. 1” of the future in 2018 and Djokovic adding last year, “hopefully he can surpass me.” Zverev upset Federer on grass at the 2016 Halle Open for his first ATP title. Despite reaching No. 3 in the world in 2017 and making his first Grand Slam quarterfinal at Wimbledon in ’18, he isn’t exactly grooving at majors in 2019. Still, he’s ranked No. 6 at Flushing Meadows and positioned on Nadal’s side of the bracket. 

Roberto Bautista Agut. Ranked No. 10 and seeded on Nadal’s side of the bracket, the Spaniard is known for his defensive style as a counter-puncher and has more experience at 31 than some of the other contenders. He’s never beaten Federer or Nadal, but he’s beaten Djokovic three times. He’s hot this year, having reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and semifinals of Wimbledon where he was the only player in the draw not to lose a set leading into the quarterfinals. 

Daniil Medvedev. This surging 23-year-old has used the summer circuit to climb the ATP rankings. He won this month’s Cincinnati Masters, beating Djokovic in the semifinals. Before that he took down top-10 players Thiem and Karen Khachanov at the Rogers Cup. That helped give the Russian the U.S. Open fifth seed and puts him on Djokovic and Federer’s side of the bracket. Medvedev is known for his serve, averaging 128 mph on his second serves. 

Andrey Rublev. Another Russian, this unranked 21-year-old might be Roger Federer’s latest rival, having obliterated the 38-year-old at the Cincinnati Masters 6-3, 6-4. Known for his strong forehand, but riddled by injuries in his young career, a now-healthy Rublev seems poised for a breakout in New York. He’ll have his hands full with eighth-ranked Stefanos Tsitsipas in the first round.

Follow Scott Gleeson on Twitter @ScottMGleeson

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