In a column for the Telegraph, the former world No. 4 and former Wimbledon semifinalist Greg Rusedski recalled the 2015 US Open final won by the Serb Novak Djokovic over Roger Federer. That was Djokovic's third Grand Slam final win against the Swiss over 15 months, after 2014 Wimbledon and 2015 Wimbledon. 'I will never forget the 2015 final, which found Novak facing not only Roger Federer but also the 24,000 people crammed into Arthur Ashe Stadium', Rusedski wrote.

'It was one of the noisiest tennis crowds I have ever experienced, so biased that you might have thought Roger was playing a home Davis Cup tie. But Novak sucked it up and took the title in four sets anyway. The “Big Three” are still the men to beat in New York this year, more than a decade after they first held the top three spots in the world rankings.

I would put Rafael Nadal as the next-most-likely winner, and Federer in third place, because I feel that Roger’s confidence has been rocked a little by his loss to Anderson at Wimbledon.' Rusedski further explained: 'Federer restricted his hard-court preparations for the US Open to just a single tournament, the Cincinnati Masters.

This reduced schedule is probably the right thing for his body, but it restricts his ability to build momentum and match toughness As for the rest, the next generation are beginning to make strides, and I saw a stat that the average age of the top 50 is falling significantly for the first time in more than 30 years.

But they’re still not ready to win slams.' ALSO READ: David Ferrer: 'It will be my last US Open. Facing Rafael Nadal is a gift'