US Open Tennis 2018: Odds and Predictions for Year's Final Major

The 2018 U.S. Open Tennis Championships are right around the corner, with the final major of the year set to start on Monday.

Wimbledon men's champion Novak Djokovic and women's runner-up Serena Williams have been handed the top odds for this year's tournament, but the field in both brackets is stacked.

Here's a look at the latest odds, via Oddschecker.com:

Men's

Novak Djokovic, 5-2

Rafael Nadal, 4-1

Roger Federer, 11-2

Alexander Zverev, 10-1

Juan Martin del Potro, 14-1

Women's

Serena Williams, 6-1

Simona Halep, 7-1

Angelique Kerber, 15-2

Sloane Stephens, 11-1

Garbine Muguruza, 16-1

Djokovic enters the tournament in red-hot form after winning the Cincinnati Masters, becoming the first man to win all of the nine Masters 1000 tournaments in the process.

The Serb is finally back to his old self after a difficult run, which saw him start at Wimbledon as the 12th seed.

Known as "Djoker" for his demeanor, he seems to once again be enjoying tennis, playing with a smile and clowning with fans. He's also as active as ever on social media:

All of this is good news for Djokovic fans. The 31-year-old has always been at his best when he's in this carefree mood, rather than worrying about his play.

Roger Federer hasn't tasted success at Flushing Meadows since 2008, and at the age of 37, end-of-season fatigue has to be a factor.

Rafael Nadal is the champion, though, and the U.S. Open has seen several surprise winners in the last few years, so the men's draw is wide open.

John Minchillo/Associated Press

The women's draw is seemingly no different, as both of the Wimbledon finalists have struggled of late. Angelique Kerber fell short in Montreal and Cincinnati, while Williams has had similar struggles, with a loss to Petra Kvitova ending her run in Cincinnati.

Halep has been among the most consistent players on the tour, but she has still only won a single Grand Slam and has only made it out of the quarter-finals once at Flushing Meadows.

One outside option to keep an eye on is Kiki Bertens, who is playing some of her best tennis, per the New York Times' Ben Rothenberg:

With the likes of Garbine Muguruza, Kvitova and Elina Svitolina also in action, the women's draw is stacked from top to bottom, and health and fatigue could be key factors in determining the winner.

Prediction: Djokovic and Halep win.