US Open Tennis 2014: Schedule, TV Info, Predictions for Men's Final in New York

Monday isn't necessarily a changing of the guard, but it could be a sign of the changing times in men's tennis. As Sports Illustrated's Jon Wertheim pointed out, at least one of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal has appeared in every Grand Slam final for nearly a decade:

Djokovic isn't going anywhere anytime soon, but Nadal has major question marks over his health, while Federer is on the wrong side of 30. How much longer are they going to remain at the pinnacle of the sport like they have in past years?

Losing that star power is bound to make this year's final slightly less of a happening, but if Marin Cilic and Kei Nishikori put on a great match, then who's really going to care?

Labeling Cilic and Nishikori as the next generation of stars wouldn't be entirely accurate—Cilic is two years younger than Djokovic, and Nishikori is three years younger.

History tells you that Nishikori should win this match. He's won five of seven meetings against Cilic, including two in 2014.

If this tournament has proven anything, though, it's that nothing is sacred.

When: Monday, Sept. 8, at 5 p.m. ET

Where: Arthur Ashe Stadium, Flushing, New York

Watch: CBS

Live Stream: U.S. Open Live

Prediction

Elsa/Getty Images

Having pegged Djokovic and Federer for the final—in addition to a number of incorrect predictions—yours truly has had a rougher time with the U.S. Open than Marinko Matosevic in the first round.

Who in the world knows what's going to happen on Monday? With the rate that this tournament is going, you wouldn't be surprised to hear Rafael Nadal's theme music to hit WWE-style. He'd then waffle Cilic with a steel chair and take his place in the final.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a more improbable major final matchup in recent memory. Did anybody have either of Nishikori or Cilic going this far, let alone both?

When looking at how their careers have unfolded, though, it shouldn't come as a major surprise that they've come this far. Nishikori and Cilic have had the talent to challenge the likes of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic with the occasional final here and there, much like a Stan Wawrinka or David Ferrer. For a variety of reasons, though, that hasn't happened.

Cilic couldn't even play in last year's U.S. Open because he was serving a drug suspension. He said that not knowing how things would unfold after the suspension was tough, but the suspension allowed him to hone his game, per BBC Sport's Piers Newbery:

"

I was back in Croatia and I was training. It was a difficult period. I didn't know when I was going to start back. But it was also a good period for me. I matured a bit more and I was working day after day. I wasn't relaxing and doing nothing. So I think that helped me to improve physically. Also, it helped me to have enough time to put some new parts in my game, which are helping me to play this well now.

"

For Nishikori, an inability to stay healthy is the main culprit. Any time he's begun to string some results together and build momentum, he's picked up some minor knock that stunted his progress.

"He and Xavier Malisse and Marcelo Rios are the best shotmakers I’ve ever worked with," said legendary tennis coach Nick Bollettieri, per Christopher Clarey of The New York Times. "If Kei Nishikori could stay healthy, he could be and would be right up with the big boys."

Nishikori's status for the U.S. Open remained up in the air until the last minute, as he was recovering from foot surgery.

Now, he's beat the Nos. 5, 3 and 1 seeds in succession en route to the final.

As if beating Djokovic by itself wasn't enough of a reason for optimism for Nishikori, the way in which he defeated the No. 1 player in the world is a major boost to his chances in the final.

Having played back-to-back five-setters against Milos Raonic and Wawrinka, respectively, the last thing Nishikori needed to do—aside from losing, of course—was become engaged in an epic with Djokovic. He had to leave something for the final.

Cilic's road was almost as difficult as Nishikori's, with No. 6 Tomas Berdych in the quarterfinal and Federer in the semis.

His serve has been one of the most lethal weapons in the tournament. Against Federer, he hit 13 aces and won 87 percent of his first serves. Against Berdych, those numbers were 19 and 84, respectively. When Cilic's serve is on, he's nearly unbeatable.

In Sports Illustrated's panel of tennis experts, all four writers picked Cilic to win. Wertheim thinks the Croat's power will be too much:

"

Cilic. I suspect this will be one of these occasions where the ability to handle the moment will loom larger than the X's and O's. Both players are first-time major finalists coming off their biggest victories. Who can sustain Saturday's form and govern the nerves better? Both should be physically ready. The defense and speed of Nishikori versus the power and depth of Cilic could lead to an interesting match. Maybe this is the recency effect, but I have a hard time seeing a loss for Cilic, not after that display of power and accuracy in the second semifinal.

"

This match will be extremely close, but Cilic will be too much for Nishikori. His serve is simply too overwhelming at the moment. As long as that's on, Cilic will prevail.

Prediction: Cilic in five sets