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US Open 2022: Purav Raja predicts Nadal vs Medvedev final

The Serbian ace will not play in US Open 2022 as he is unvaccinated and will not be able to travel to the United States.

Nadal and Medvedev

Bengaluru, August 29: The US Open 2022, the last Grand of the Slam of the year gets under way at the Flushing Meadows in New York on Monday (August 29) and in the absence of Novak Djokovic, the men's field is wide open.

The Serbian ace will not compete in New York, as he is unvaccinated and as per vaccination rules in the United States, foreign citizens who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 are unable to enter the country.

In Djokovic's absence defending champion Daniil Medvedev has been giving the top billing with Rafael Nadal, who has already won two Grand Slam titles this season, seeded second.

The duo met in the Australian Open final this season with Nadal having the last laugh.

Indian tennis ace Purav Raja believes it is difficult to look beyond the two when it comes to title contenders at the Flushing Meadows.

Rafa vs rest

Rafa vs rest

"It's gonna be Rafa (Nadal) vs the rest. I'm expecting a Nadal vs Medvedev final. It's tough to look beyond the top two. Of course, I would like to see guys like Carlos Alcaraz and Stefanos Tsitsipas come up and challenge the big two.

"But it'll be tough for them. I can't put them in the same brackets and Nadal and Medvedev," Purav told a group of invited journalists in a virtual media interaction organised by Sony Sports Network, who have the official broadcast rights of US Open 2022 in India.

Tsitsipas has to wait

Tsitsipas has to wait

Purav said Tsitsipas' time will come, though he will have to wait for now. "There's nothing wrong with his game. He's a strong player from Greece, plays the typical European style of tennis and has already reached Grand Slam final. In the last year's French Open final against Djokovic, he won the first two sets..

"So he doesn't need to be worried thinking that he isn't able to advance past third round in major tournaments. I'm not sure if he's gonna make it this time time also. But it's just that he needs to wait for some more time. His time will come," added Purav.

Kyrgios dark-horse

Kyrgios dark-horse

Asked to pick his dark-horse for the tournament , Purav had his choice clear. "I always pick Nick Kyrgios as a dark horse for any tournament. I would like to see him win a Grand Slam title," said Purav about the temperamental Australian, who reached the final of Wimbledon this year where he lost to Djokovic.

Purav added that he was also looking for a good show from Andy Murray, who is returning to New York ten years on from winning his first Grand Slam title. "I would like to see Murray do well this time. I hope him to dig deep and reach at least quarterfinals or may be even semifinals. So, I would pick Kyrgios and Murray as two dark-horses for the tournament," he said.

Djokovic saga

Djokovic saga

While refusing to be drawn into the controversy surrounding Djokovic's refusal to take COVID-19 vaccine, Purav took a diplomatic view of the situation. "It's a purely scientific question. I'm not a doctor to answer this. But 10 years down the line, we'll have a clear answer. We'll know in 10 years whether he was right or wrong," he signed off.

Watch the LIVE coverage of the US Open 2022 on SONY SIX & SONY TEN 2 channels from August 29 followed by the LIVE coverage of Quarterfinals from September 6 on SONY TEN 2 (English), SONY TEN 3 (Hindi), and SONY TEN 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels.

Story first published: Monday, August 29, 2022, 14:15 [IST]
Other articles published on Aug 29, 2022