STARNBERG, September 9, 2021 (by Zarko Naric)
We’re at the semifinal stage of the 2021 US Open, where only four players are left in the competition for the title – Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, and Felix Auger-Aliassime. The big question is who of these guys will get ahold of the trophy?
Bookmakers such as Unibet and Betway, two of the most popular legal bookmakers in Canada according to legalbettingcanada.com, see Novak Djokovic as the main favorite to win the tournament with odds of 1.72. This would translate in an implied probability of winning of 58%.
No surprise there, as Djokovic is the current No. 1 in the ATP Rankings. However, there’s another reason why he’s such a strong favorite. He has a chance to become the tennis GOAT if he wins it.
Djokovic going for the Grand Slam
Novak Djokovic has a chance to shush his critics once and for all. If he completes the Grand Slam in 2021, he will have the right to claim the GOAT status.
For him to achieve that, he just needs to win his next two matches. If he does it, he will get ahold of the 2021 US Open trophy, his fourth and final major title this year.
By “winning the Grand Slam of 2021”, Djokovic will become only the third player to achieve such a feat in men’s singles. The last time it happened was in 1969 when Rod Laver pulled it off.
What About the Other Three US Open Competitors?
Djokovic’s next opponent at the US Open is Alexander Zverev. The two meet on Friday afternoon local time in what’s going to be their 11th match in history.
The Serbian player won eight of those, with six straight wins in the period from 2019 to summer 2021. So, what happened this summer? In their latest duel, Zverev beat Djokovic 2-1 at the Tokyo Olympics. He then went on to win the gold medal.
Obviously, Djokovic wants revenge. If he gets it, he will advance to the final of the US Open. That’s where he will play against the winner of the Medvedev vs Auger-Aliassime semifinal match.
It’s very likely that Daniil Medvedev will be the one who gets to the final. In fact, oddsmakers see him as the second favorite for the title, with the odds of 3.25.
Speaking of the odds, the third favorite is Zverev at 5.50, while Auger-Aliassime is seen as the biggest underdog. The odds on the Canadian player are as long as 26.00.
