US Open 2020: Mahesh Bhupathi tips Djokovic to claim title in absence of Nadal and Federer

Ex-Indian tennis player Mahesh Bhupathi has picked current World No.1 Novak Djokovic and No.9 Naomi Osaka to win their respective singles titles at the US Open 2020. Talking to Indian table tennis player Mudit Dani on his show 'In the Sportlight', Indian tennis great Mahesh Bhupati revealed that he expects Serbia's Novak Djokovic to win this year's US Open Men's singles title in the absence of rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

During the interview, he also talked about the importance of mental training at the highest levels of tennis. The eight-time mixed doubles Grand Slam winner expressed the need to make tennis more accessible to the public in India. in order to promote the sport. "In London, you can pay four pounds and play one hour of tennis. That is where we struggle. In sports like cricket or football, you don't need many facilities to play, but in other sports like tennis, table tennis or badminton, you need to be a member of a club, which is challenging. That's why numbers don't work in India," said Bhupathi. 

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Novak Djokovic vies for a fourth title at US Open 2020

While Djokovic has said that it would be disrespectful to the other players in the tournament to assume that he would have an easy victory at the US Open, the absence of the No.2 and No.4 players will be an undeniable advantage. Outside of the group of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer, known as the 'Big Three', only Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka have been able to win more than one Grand Slam title, tilting the odds heavily in favour of Djokovic. Backing up these statistics is the fact that Djokovic has enjoyed an undefeated run in 2020. With his round two victory over Kyle Edmund, Djokovic is now 25-0 this year. He will face Germany's J. Struff next. 

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Bhupati's women's singles pick, Naomi Osaka will be looking to win her second US Open title. He first win at the tournament came in 2018, when she defeated Serena Williams in the notorious final where Williams clashed with the umpires and was handed a penalty. Osaka has described the memory as "a little bit bittersweet", adding that it wasn't necessarily her happiest memory. 

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India's hopes rest on Sumit Nagal

Rising Indian tennis player Sumit Nagal has become the first Indian to proceed to the second round of a Grand Slam singles event in seven years, after defeating American, B. Klahn on Tuesday. He will take on second seed Dominic Thiem at the Arthur Ashe Stadium today to make make an unprecedented bid for round three.

Also Read | Sumit Nagal Thanks Virat Kohli After First-round Men's Singles Win At US Open 2020 

Image credits: US Open Twitter