'One of the coolest': Foremost Indian Tennis player explains what makes US Open unique

The US Open 2023 has begun and yet again the repeated question that remains ever-unique is making rumblings. Who will capture the men's singles title? Will it be Novak Djokovic with his record 24th Grand Slam, or will Carlos Alcaraz continue to erase the dominance of the Serb? While the clarity will prevail in the next two weeks, till then thoughts from the experts are echoing.

3 things you need to know

• US Open 2023 has begun
• Carlos Alcaraz won the title in 2022
• Novak Djokovic comes as second seed in the tournament

Also Read | Carlos Alcaraz Reveals His Inner Singer After He Elevates Into US Open's 2nd Round | WATCH

Andy Murray still 'one of the best players'

To gain wisdom on the tournament, republicworld.com caught up with Purav Raja, an Indian international, who also works as an analyst with Sony. Aside from the popular Alcaraz vs. Djokovic debate, we asked Purav to express thoughts on how 3-time Grand Slam winner Andy Murray will fare in the tournament. To put things into perspective, Purav was optimistic about Murray's advancement but also noted that the player is not at the physical peak of his life. 

I hope so, when you say he's not getting the results, he lost a brutal 5-set match against Tsitsipas. So, him not being seeded doesn't really help. I know he's playing Moutet, to play Dimitrov. Let's not forget he's on two metal hips. He's constantly being on crutches and yet we are talking about him as one of the best players. 

To do it, he has done it 3 times before being at the peak of his fitness. So, do it it just depends on how his body holds up. How well his game holds up. He's trying to play a little bit different, he's training very hard, really depends on how his body keeps up.

Will Alcaraz break the hoodoo?

While the era has been dominated by Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer, the US Open stands as a tournament that hasn't witnessed a champion coming back to defend his title in the men's singles category. Raja addressed the fact and said that it is a facet that makes the US Open one of the coolest grand slams. When asked whether Alcaraz will break the spree, he said:

Not if Novak wins it right. There are a lot of things that have happened with the US Open. Obviously, after Roger won it 5 times, even after that we've not seen many too many, all the one-time champions have come there. So, it is one of those slams, that can bring about anything, that's why it is so exciting. When you are talking about Cilic when you are talking about Del Potro, you talk about these guys winning it one time to kind of affect that, then you are talking about Murray, Nadal, Djokovic, and Federer.

So, it's just unfortunate that it hasn't happened back-to-back, also talking about Novak not playing with Covid, and having that linesman incident. It has one of the strange times that it hasn't been defended but it is also one of the coolest grand slams because of that. Because you don't really know, it's the unpredictability. I think the monotony was a lot when you saw Djokovic, Murray, Nadal, and Federer play throughout. It's nice to know the sport, they spoilt us, and they gave us an era that we can't even dream of.

*Watch the US Open (Men's & Women's 1st Round Morning Session) – LIVE on Sony Sports Ten 2 & Sony Sports Ten 2 HD, Sony Sports Ten 5 & Sony Sports Ten 5 HD channels from 8:30 pm IST, 28th August 2023 onwards.