Kim Clijsters predicts who will win the US Open over Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, and Alexander Zverev
The US Open is very nearly upon us and the men’s field is arguably as wide-open as it ever has been.
Jannik Sinner threw a spanner into the works by withdrawing from the competition, while Carlos Alcaraz is only just returning from five months away.
Outside of the top two, Alexander Zverev will be hoping to continue his good form at Grand Slams this year, while Ben Shelton has the best chance to end the American drought at majors, dating back to 2003.
Kim Clijsters, however, has opted for a different pick as the men’s winner when asked to name who she thinks will win the US Open on her podcast Love All.
Asked if she had any predictions for who would win the men’s title at the US Open this year, Clijsters said: “I don’t, I mean especially you know with Sinner now being out like I feel like it’s so wide open.”
More US Open news
Big concerns over Carlos Alcaraz’s US Open singles hopes after he loses with Serena Williams
Patrick McEnroe warns the US Open not to make a big mistake with Alex Eala this year
However, when pressed, she did make a bold prediction, suggesting neither Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, or Novak Djokovic would win the Grand Slam.
“I think we talked about this last week that there’s a lot of players that are going to these big tournaments now that believe like, ‘Hey Alcaraz is back but maybe he’s not fully fully back yet and Sinner’s not in the draw, I have a chance’.
“So it’s just really hard to to predict and I don’t know like I you know you would think on one side like with with Arthur Fils playing so well in Cincinnati.
“But yeah then I think like oh is it maybe too soon for him to win you know the battle of the the long matches, but I do think he’s a player who loves the energy of New York.
“I think he can really rise above himself because of the the vibe that New York brings, especially in the night matches. So, I’m gonna go I’m gonna go with Arthur just to give an answer to your question.”
Fils won the Cincinnati Open prior to the US Open and he has enjoyed a very impressive season on the ATP Tour so far in 2026.
The Frenchman also won the Barcelona Open title and reached the semi finals of the Madrid Open and the Miami Open.
However, he is yet to play his best tennis at Grand Slams this year. He withdrew from both the Australian Open and Roland Garros and he was beaten in the second round of Wimbledon by Matteo Berrettini.
Fils has also never reached past the second round of the US Open, so he will have to go against his career form to live up to Clijsters’ prediction.
