US Open Tennis 2015: Odds and Predictions for Year's Final Major
The U.S. Open is never short on storylines as the year's final major with raucous New York crowds and the world's best tennis players, but the 2015 edition takes on more importance because of one dominant force.
Serena Williams' attempt for a Grand Slam makes this year's U.S. Open even more intriguing than usual. Nobody has accomplished the incredible feat since Steffi Graf in 1988, and the American Williams will have the home crowd on her side.
As for the men, Novak Djokovic has the opportunity to add another major to his remarkable season, but Roger Federer is fresh off a title at the Western & Southern Open and has plenty of momentum.
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With so much at stake, here is a look at the complete championship odds for the U.S. Open, per Odds Shark, as of Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET:
| Men's | |
| Novak Djokovic | +120 |
| Andy Murray | +300 |
| Roger Federer | +700 |
| Stan Wawrinka | +1200 |
| Rafael Nadal | +1400 |
| Kei Nishikori | +1400 |
| Marin Cilic | +2500 |
| Grigor Dimitrov | +2500 |
| Juan Martin Del Potro | +5000 |
| Tomas Berdych | +3300 |
| Milos Raonic | +4000 |
| Jo-Wilfried Tsonga | +6600 |
| Nick Kyrgios | +10000 |
| Gael Monfils | +10000 |
| Ernests Gulbis | +10000 |
| Alexandr Dolgopolov | +10000 |
| David Ferrer | +12500 |
| David Goffin | +15000 |
| John Isner | +15000 |
| Bernard Tomic | +15000 |
| Dominic Thiem | +15000 |
| Jerzy Janowicz | +15000 |
| Richard Gasquet | +15000 |
| Kevin Anderson | +15000 |
| Gilles Simon | +20000 |
| Women's | |
| Serena Williams | Even |
| Victoria Azarenka | +600 |
| Maria Sharapova | +900 |
| Simona Halep | +1200 |
| Petra Kvitova | +2000 |
| Garbine Muguruza | +2000 |
| Belinda Bencic | +2000 |
| Carolina Wozniacki | +2500 |
| Madison Keys | +3300 |
| Agnieszka Radwanska | +3300 |
| Eugenie Bouchard | +4000 |
| Angelique Kerber | +4000 |
| Lucie Safarova | +4000 |
| Ana Ivanovic | +4000 |
| Sloane Stephens | +4500 |
| Ekaterina Makarova | +5000 |
| Karolina Pliskova | +5000 |
| Venus Williams | +5000 |
| Sabine Lisicki | +8000 |
| Samantha Stosur | +10000 |
| Andrea Petkovic | +10000 |
| Dominika Cibulkova | +10000 |
| Flavia Pennetta | +10000 |
| Carla Suarez Navarro | +10000 |
| Jelena Jankovic | +10000 |
| Carolina Garcia | +12500 |
| Laura Robson | +15000 |
| Sara Errani | +15000 |
Predicted Winners: Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic
It is impossible to bet against Williams at this point.
A victory would give her the calendar Grand Slam for the first time in her illustrious career and mark her fifth straight Grand Slam title and fourth straight U.S. Open championship. The 21-time major champion already completed a "Serena Slam" with her win over Garbine Muguruza at Wimbledon, as she currently holds all four Grand Slam titles, which underscores her dominance on the biggest stages.
Williams also counts six U.S. Open championships on her resume and is fresh off a straight-set victory over Simona Halep in the Western & Southern Open finals in Cincinnati.
Halep is the second-ranked player on the women's tour and theoretically a threat to Williams, but the American just dispatched her with a trophy on the line and has that win to fall back on for confidence purposes. Maria Sharapova is another theoretical threat, but Williams holds an overwhelming 18-2 career record against the Russian challenger, per WTATennis.com.
There is no reason to think Sharapova, who hasn't beaten Williams since 2004 and lost to her in the 2015 Australian Open final, will suddenly change the narrative and beat Williams at the U.S. Open.
The scary thing for the rest of the field is how dominant Williams looked in the finals in Cincinnati with a self-professed lack of confidence. She tallied 15 aces, won 83 percent of her first-service points, saved nine of 11 break points and controlled the majority of the match against Halep.
Still, she admitted she wasn't completely on her game, per Peter Bodo of ESPN.com: "I was especially happy because I haven't been feeling confident this week. It's good to know I can still win these matches."
Just imagine if Williams is playing with confidence during the U.S. Open.
The bottom line is the American boasts power, impressive resiliency when she falls behind and an overwhelming grasp on the rest of the women's field. Nobody can challenge Williams when she plays even close to her best, and she has done that numerous times on the U.S. Open stage.
As for the men, the Djokovic championship prediction is not as clear-cut.
Djokovic has shined on some of the biggest stages this year with an Australian Open title over Andy Murray and a Wimbledon championship over Federer. Djokovic also reached the French Open finals but lost to Stan Wawrinka.
Still, it is impossible to ignore what Federer did in Cincinnati. Not only did he beat Djokovic in the finals, but he was not broken in a single match throughout the tournament. If he can find a way to dominate his service games like that in the U.S. Open, he will be nearly impossible to beat.
Aggressiveness also served Federer well in Cincinnati, as Bodo noted:
"It truly was a sight to behold Federer running forward to take second serves with a flicked return that was barely more than a half-volley—then continuing to the net. This was a sight for sore eyes in an era that has been in the death grip of baseliners—a company that includes the estimable Mr. Federer, who spent a good portion of his best years explaining that you just couldn't play attacking, serve-and-volley tennis anymore.
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A word of warning for those putting too much stock in Djokovic's loss to Federer at the Western & Southern Open: It is the only Masters 1000 event he has not won in his career. What's more, Federer counts seven titles there on his resume and frequently plays some of his best tennis at the event.
That often translates to success at the U.S. Open, as ESPN Stats & Info pointed out:
However, 2015 has largely belonged to Djokovic. His athleticism, returning abilities, and tendency to come through during the biggest points and moments have led to a 56-5 record, six tournament titles and two majors. He also beat Federer at Wimbledon and has reached at least the semifinals in 20 of the last 21 Grand Slam events (with eight titles).
Federer thrived in Cincinnati, but Djokovic has been an unstoppable machine at recent Grand Slams. That stretch will continue at the U.S. Open when he joins Williams as a champion.
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