US Open 2018: The four main contenders for the title at Flushing Meadows

Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic celebrating his win in Cincinnati

The Serb will go into the US Open, fresh from his exertions in Cincinnati where he made history and became the first man to win all nine Masters series titles. The 31-year-old's form improved vastly during the clay-court season and started to look like the Novak Djokovic of old, moving freely around the court and serving with accuracy and precision.

The Serb has been refreshingly open about his physical and mental struggles over the past year-and-a-half. The 31-year-old cited a loss of motivation and the recurring elbow injury as the main reasons behind his downfall but is now looking like the all-conquering warrior that dominated tennis for nearly four years.

New York has been a place of great success for Novak but also a place where he has been made to feel slightly unwelcome and uncomfortable. Back in 2008, Nole progressed to the semi-finals, after defeating home favourite Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals. The post-interview, however, did not have the usual warm and celebratory atmosphere, with Andy Roddick and many of the American crowd believing that Djokovic faked injuries to try and throw off the opponent.

Seven years later, the Serb had to deal with a similarly hostile in the final against Roger Federer. The crowd was very much pro-Federer to start off with but became even more antagonistic, especially when many started booing Djokovic and cheering after every first serve he missed. The former world No.1 remained unperturbed and sealed a four-set victory to earn his second US Open title.