Laura Robson’s US Open picks with Djokovic, Alcaraz and Swiatek in focus

Former British No 1 Laura Robson has picked her favourites for US Open and she has suggested there may be joint favourites for the women’s title. 

Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and 23-time Grand Slam king Novak Djokovic are the leading contenders to lift the men’s title in New York, with Robson telling Tennis365.com that a number of players could contend for the women’s crown.

Speaking to this website at a Play Your Way To Wimbledon event, Robson suggested Alcaraz and Djokovic are the players to beat at the final major of the year, but she picked out some additional names who could push them all the way.

“You don’t want to give Djokovic any added motivation, he doesn’t need it,” Robson told Tennis365.

“I think he will be trying to figure out how to adjust his game a little bit against Alcaraz. They are both going to have to change a few things now they have figured out the game styles a bit more.

“You see the difference between their matches at Wimbledon and Paris and I hope this is going to become a rivalry for the ages. Fingers crossed Djokovic plays for long enough to get that way.

“The younger guys like (Holger) Rune and Jannik Sinner… it feels like he is on the cusp of something and it is just going to encourage everyone to raise their games.”

Turning her attention to the women’s draw at the US Open, Robson backed Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka to mount a strong challenge for the title and also picked Coco Gauff as a contender to lift her first major title.

“I would probably put Sabalenka up there with Swiatek as the top two favourites,” she added.

“I definitely wouldn’t write out Coco (Gauff) the way that she has been playing. It has been fantastic to see how she has gained some confidence back.

“She has a new coach in Brad Gilbert and I’d love to see her do well at the US Open. It would be great for the crowd to have someone to get behind along with (Jessica) Pegula.

“As soon as you say one player is the favourite, there are three or four other players that come to mind and you think they could do it. I think it’s fun to watch.

“For the fans to have that same group of players in the quarters and semi-finals, it makes it easier to follow as a fan.

“Hopefully people get used to their names and you start to follow their schedule a bit more. I feel they are all going to be at the top of the game for a long time as they are all so young so that’s the best part – we are going to see them develop over the next decade.”

The talking will soon be over and the US Open will get underway next Monday, with new rivalries developing that will take the game forward into a new era.

Play Your Way to Wimbledon, powered by Vodafone, is the UK’s largest individual mass participation tennis competition and is delivered by Vodafone in partnership with the LTA and The All England Lawn Tennis Club, forming part of the brand’s ongoing commitment to support grassroots tennis in the UK, whilst encouraging more people to pick up a racket.

READ MORE: Former British No 1 on why she prefers Novak Djokovic to Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal