US Open Tennis 2018: Latest Odds and Predictions for Top Contenders

The 2018 U.S. Open field is headlined by some of the greatest athletes to ever grace the Grand Slam tennis stage. 

Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are the top favorites to win the title on the men's side, and despite a surge of young players on the scene, they've accounted for the last seven major championships. 

Serena Williams is once again the favorite to win the women's tournament, but she hasn't hoisted the first-place trophy at the U.S. Open since 2014. 

While new Grand Slam champions have been hard to come by in the men's draw, seven women have captured the last seven majors, with Angelique Kerber being the latest to do so at Wimbledon. 

Below is a look at the latest odds for the U.S. Open and how well the top title contenders are expected to perform. 

U.S. Open Odds (via OddsShark) 

Men's Draw 

Novak Djokovic (+250; Bet $100 to win $250) 

Rafael Nadal (+350) 

Roger Federer (+400) 

Alexander Zverev (+800)

Andy Murray (+1,200) 

Juan Martin del Potro (+1,200) 

Marin Cilic (+1,800) 

Nick Kyrgios (+2,000) 

Grigor Dimitrov (+2,000) 

Women's Draw

Serena Williams (+500) 

Simona Halep (+700) 

Angelique Kerber (+700)

Sloane Stephens (+1,000) 

Garbine Muguruza (+1,200) 

Caroline Wozniacki (+1,200) 

Elina Svitolina (+1,200) 

Karolina Pliskova (+1,400) 

Petra Kvitova (+1,400) 

Madison Keys (+1,400) 

Predictions for Top Contenders

Novak Djokovic

Djokovic comes into the U.S. Open with titles in two of his last three tournaments. 

The 13-time Grand Slam champion took advantage of an upset for Federer and a semi-final victory over Nadal at Wimbledon to claim his fourth championship on grass over Kevin Anderson. 

Djokovic reeled off a pair of victories in Toronto before dominating the field in Cincinnati in his final tune-up for the season's last major. 

TPN/Getty Images

The 31-year-old delivered a statement in the final of the Western & Southern Open, as he defeated Federer in straight sets. 

Djokovic also bested Marin Cilic and Grigor Dimitrov in three sets in the semifinals and round of 16, respectively, to announce his presence entering the U.S. Open. 

In order to just reach the U.S. Open final, the sixth-seeded Djokovic may have to get past Federer in the quarterfinals, while Cilic or Alexander Zverev could wait in the semifinals if chalk holds in the bracket. 

Djokovic and Federer have a tougher road to the final than Nadal, but both are capable of making it look easy, and that's exactly what the in-form Serb will do over the next two weeks. 

Yet another big-name final will occur between Djokovic and Nadal, with the 31-year-old winning consecutive majors for the first time since 2016.

Prediction: Champion

Serena Williams

The women's draw at major tournaments has been wide open in comparison to the men's side over the last two years. 

Part of that is because of Williams' maternity leave, but it also stems from the wide range of upsets that have occurred. 

Williams wasn't perfect in her home major in 2015 and 2016, as she fell in the semifinals to Roberta Vinci and Karolina Pliskova, respectively (she didn't feature in 2017). 

John Minchillo/Associated Press

While it might be going too far to say Williams needs to prove herself at the U.S. Open after her recent failures at the tournament, she comes into the final major of 2018 with plenty of motivation to once again display her dominance. 

As the 17th seed, the 23-time major winner faces a difficult task just getting out of her part of the draw, as No. 1 seed Simona Halep and sister and No. 16 seed Venus Williams were lumped in with her. 

A potential third-round clash between the Williams sisters followed up by a possible Halep-Serena showdown in the round of 16 could be the must-see matches of their respective rounds. 

Any combination of Sloane Stephens, Caroline Wozniacki and Kerber could await the six-time U.S. Open champion after the round of 16, which makes her road to the title one of the most difficult in her career. 

Williams is 1-2 in two tournaments since her appearance in the final at Wimbledon, which may lead some to raise concerns about her title hopes, but she remains the favorite because of her illustrious career. 

Prediction: Champion

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90

Statistics obtained from ATPWorldTour.com and WTATennis.com