US Open Tennis 2018: TV Schedule and Predictions for Event's Biggest Stars

The first round of the 2018 edition of tennis' U.S. Open will kick off on Monday, August 27.

Per Arthur Kapetanakis of the event's official website, all 14 active winners of the tournament are set to take part, including top stars like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams and Venus Williams.

The women's final will be played on Saturday, September 8, with the men's final taking place a day later. American viewers can watch the full event via ESPN and the Tennis Channel, while in the UK, Amazon will carry the event via their Prime service, per the Guardian's Mark Sweney and Samuel Gibbs.

The full schedule of play will be available via the tournament's official website. Here are some predictions for the top stars in the draw.

Men Singles: Health and Form on Djokovic's Side

Nadal will be the defending champion in Flushing Meadows, where no one has won more Open Era titles than Federer―five, the same as Pete Sampras and Jimmy Connors―and both Stan Wawrinka and Marin Cilic have triumphed as underdogs in recent years.

Djokovic last won the tournament in 2015, with health issues and form plaguing the Serb in the last two years. He won Wimbledon earlier this year, however, and his form appeared to progress nicely during the Cincinnati Masters.

The Djoker also seemed relaxed during the tournament, something that usually bodes well for him:

Federer has paced himself well this year, but he hasn't won the U.S. Open since 2018. Andy Murray won in 2012, but he has only just returned to high-level tennis after injury issues of his own.

Flushing Meadows tends to serve up some surprises every year, but Djokovic seems like a reasonable bet heading into the tournament.

Women's Singles: Struggling Kerber Opens the Door for Williams

Angelique Kerber has enjoyed arguably the best year of her career, with wins at the French Open and Wimbledon and an immense rise up the standings after some hard times.

But the German has struggled since then, with back-to-back early exits in Montreal and Cincinnati. Going into the U.S. Open, she hardly seems a safe bet.

The same can be said for Serena Willliams, who made it to the final at Wimbledon but has kept relatively quiet since.

Many will remember the rough defeat she suffered against Johanna Konta during the Silicon Valley Classic, although a recent interview with Time Magazine revealed there was more to that match (h/t sportswriter Stuart Fraser):

There are a handful of strong candidates for the title this year, including Madison Keys, Simona Halep and Caroline Wozniacki, but Williams has clearly worked with an eye on the Grand Slams this year, and many expect her to peak during the U.S. Open.

Another deep run seems likely, if she can shake off some of the doubt in the opening rounds—similar to her run at Wimbledon.