US Open Tennis 2018 Men's Final: TV Schedule, Start Time and Live Stream

A pair of heavy hitters will headline Sunday's U.S. Open final at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows, New York.

On one side, Juan Martin del Potro, the No. 3 seed, will take aim at his second career Grand Slam title after defeating world No. 1 Rafael Nadal 7-6 (3), 6-2 in a match cut short when the Spaniard retired because of a balky knee.

On the other, Novak Djokovic, the No. 6 seed, is eyeing his second Grand Slam title this year and 14th overall following a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win over No. 21 Kei Nishikori on Friday night.

Date: Sunday, Sept. 9 

Time: 4 p.m. ET  

TV: ESPN  

Live Stream: WatchESPN  

Preview

Djokovic hasn't dropped a set since the second round, and his lifetime series against del Potro suggests that trend could hold Sunday.

Djokovic is 14-4 all-time against the Argentine, including three straight wins. The last time del Potro came out on top against the Serbian was at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

As far as the U.S. Open is concerned, Djokovic is 2-0 against del Potro in New York City. The first meeting, all the way back in 2007, was a swift 6-1, 6-3, 6-4 win for Djokovic. Five years later, Djokovic produced another straight-sets victory in the quarterfinals.

However, del Potro isn't likely to dwell on the negatives.

Rather, he's going to look on the bright side after making a successful return from four wrist surgeries that, at one point, sent him tumbling below No. 500 in the world rankings. He discussed his challenges in a press conference Friday:

"The worst moment was in 2015 when I was close to [quitting] this sport because I couldn't find a way to fix my wrist problems. [I was] suffering a lot. I got depressed for couple of months also. I didn't get the chance to feel better with myself, to do this again. That was the bad moment for me.

"But I think that is completely in the past, and now I'm having a good present, looking forward for the future. I didn't expect to get this kind of emotions playing tennis again. Reaching finals, winning titles, having my highest ranking ever in this moment, everything is almost perfect."

Del Potro will aim for another Big Apple breakthrough against one of the most disciplined and dynamic players in the sport.