US Open Tennis TV Schedule 2018: Tournament Viewing Info and Early Predictions

The 2018 U.S. Open begins on Monday, with the world's best tennis players all aiming for glory in the final Grand Slam of the year at Flushing Meadows in New York.

Champions Rafael Nadal and Sloane Stephens will be defending their titles. They will face plenty of competition in a tough draw packed full of star names.

Multiple Grand Slam winners Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray will all be out to snatch the title away from Nadal. Talented youngsters Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem and Stefanos Tsitsipas are also in the mix along with past winners Juan Martin del Potro and Marin Cilic.

The women's draw looks wide-open and full of intrigue. Top seed Simona Halep finally broke her Grand Slam duck in 2018 by claiming the French Open. Former world No. 1 Serena Williams is searching for her first Grand Slam win since returning to the tour after maternity leave in May.

Meanwhile, Angelique Kerber comes into the tournament after beating Williams to win Wimbledon 2018, while Caroline Wozniacki took victory at the Australian Open in Melbourne in January. 

U.S. Open Viewing Info

The tournament starts on Monday and runs until September 9. Amazon Prime has won exclusive streaming rights to the tournament in the UK. 

ESPN3, ESPN+ and the Tennis Channel will provide coverage in the U.S. The action can also be streamed via WatchESPN. A complete schedule can be found on the tournament's official website.

Early Predictions

Nadal, Federer and Djokovic will all expect to go far at Flushing Meadows, and it looks likely that one of the trio will add to his collection of Grand Slam trophies in New York.

Djokovic looks the best placed for victory after managing to recapture form, fitness and his desire in 2018.

He beat Nadal on his way to winning Wimbledon and comes into the tournament after seeing off Federer in the final of the 2018 Cincinnati Masters.

The 31-year-old made history with the win, as ATP World Tour showed:

Journalist Jose Morgado said Djokovic was not even at his best in Cincinnati:

Federer's most recent U.S. Open triumph came all the way back in 2008. The Swiss star believes Nadal and Djokovic are favourites, as the tournament's Twitter account relayed:

Nadal won his 11th French Open in June but saw his Wimbledon hopes ended by Djokovic in an epic five-setter. The Serb prevailed 10-8 in the fifth set after more than five hours of play.

Djokovic's form means he heads into the tournament as the favourite, with OddsShark showing bookmakers have him at 5-2. The Serb has not won the U.S. Open since 2015, but he can be almost unstoppable on hard courts and will be tough to beat if he finds his best form.

The women's draw is harder to predict and much may depend on how far Williams progresses. She came close to winning Wimbledon in July, less than a year after giving birth to daughter Alexis Olympia, but she has struggled for consistency since her return.

Williams is seeded 17th for the tournament, nine places above her world ranking, and victory in New York would take her to 24 Grand Slam titles, level with Margaret Court's record. 

Halep is the world No.1 and has enjoyed a fine season, as WTA Insider showed:

Both Halep and Williams have been handed tough draws, as freelance writer Ben Rothenberg highlighted:

Kerber is another player who should go far in New York. The Wimbledon champion knows what it takes to win the U.S. Open. She beat Williams in the final in 2016.

The German has enjoyed a consistent season in Grand Slams and has reserved her best form for the big events. She reached the last four in Melbourne and the quarter-finals of the French Open.

Defending champion Stephens will also hope to have a say, but the strength in depth in the women's draw should make for another fascinating tournament.