"The big question mark is Rafael Nadal's health" - Andy Roddick has trouble predicting men's 2022 US Open winner

On the men's side at the 2022 US Open, everything hinges on Rafael Nadal's fitness, according to Andy Roddick. That's also why the former American professional player cannot pick a favorite for the men's singles title.

After watching Nadal get sidelined for almost the entire second half of 2021 due to a chronic foot injury, the majority of the tennis world feared that the Spaniard's career was close to an end. However, he bounced back to record his best-ever start to a season and win two more Majors.

Winning his first 20 matches of the year, the World No. 3 surpassed his previous best of 11-0 in 2014. He also became the first man to reach 21 Grand Slam titles when he defeated Daniil Medvedev in one of the most thrilling finals at the Australian Open. In June, the former World No. 1 won a record-extending 14th French Open title.

In July, an abdominal muscle tear forced Nadal to withdraw from Wimbledon a day before his semifinal match against Nick Kyrgios. He returned to the tour after six weeks at the Cincinnati Open, but fell to eventual champion Borna Coric in his opening match. The four-time US Open winner has now arrived in New York in pursuit of a 23rd Grand Slam title.

During a recent interview with the New York Post, 2003 US Open winner Roddick was asked to predict the winner on the men's circuit at the forthcoming event. Although the American couldn't pick a clear winner with the draw yet to be released, he suggested defending champion Medvedev's name as the frontrunner. Roddick also reckoned that Nadal's health will play an important role in his campaign.

"Well, it’s tough to give a prediction on the finals when we don’t even have a draw," Roddick said. "I think Daniil Medvedev is about the safest money in the tournament right now, obviously on the heels of last year, and he’s proven that he likes the courts."

"The big question mark is Rafa's health. He’s only had one match since he pulled out of Wimbledon. The lead-up tournaments have had some surprising winners, a guy who was ranked 150 in the world (Borns Coric) just won Cincinnati. For the first time in a long time, I think there are more question marks than answers," Roddick added.

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Rafael Nadal is seeded second at 2022 US Open

Daniil Medvedev (L) and Rafael Nadal

After second-ranked Alexander Zverev's withdrawal from the upcoming US Open, Rafael Nadal is now the second seed behind World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev. This means that if the two players keep advancing through their respective draws, they could meet in the final once again.

In the 2019 US Open title clash, Nadal downed Medvedev in a five-set epic. The Spaniard leads 5-1 head-to-head against the Russian at the moment.

At Flushing Meadows this year, Rafael Nadal will be aiming for his 23rd Major, which will give him a lead of two titles over Novak Djokovic in the men's Grand Slam titles race. If the Spaniard goes all the way in New York, he will also go level with Roger Federer, Pete Sampras, and Jimmy Connors for five US Open titles.