Here Are The Top Five Men And Women To Watch At The 2019 US Open

NEW YORK, United States- Five men to watch at the US Open tennis tournament that begins Monday at Flushing Meadows:

- Novak Djokovic -

World number one Djokovic will try to become the first back-to-back US Open men's singles champion since Roger Federer won five in a row from 2004-2008. The 32-year-old Serbian has won four of the past five Grand Slam singles crowns, missing out only at the French Open after a semi-final loss to Dominic Thiem, and captured 16 career Slam singles titles, four shy of matching Federer's all-time men's record. He won US Open titles in 2011 and 2015 as well as last year.

- Rafael Nadal -

The 33-year-old Spanish left-hander seized his 12th French Open title in June and comes to New York ranked second in the world and seeking his fourth title in 10 years on the Flushing Meadows hardcourts after 2010, 2013 and 2017. His 18 Grand Slam titles are two shy of Roger Federer's career men's record of 20. Nadal lost to Federer in the Wimbledon semi-finals last month but won his only US Open hardcourt tuneup event at Montreal.

- Roger Federer -

The 38-year-old Swiss world number three lost to Djokovic in an epic five-set Wimbledon final last month, the longest championship match in tournament history at four hours and 57 minutes. He lost in the third round at Cincinnati to Andrey Rublev in 62 minutes, his quickest loss in 16 years, in his only US Open hardcourt tuneup event. Federer owns a record 20 Grand Slam singles titles but he hasn't won a major trophy since lifting the 2018 Australian Open hardware. He hasn't won a US Open title since taking five in a row from 2004-2008, his longest current title drought at any Slam.

- Daniil Medvedev -

The 23-year-old Russian had the finest hardcourt run of any ATP player ahead of the US Open, reaching the final at Washington and Montreal and winning his fifth career tour title at Cincinnati. He lost to Australian Nick Kyrgios in the Washington final and Nadal in the Montreal final then defeated David Goffin in the Cincinnati final, jumping three spots to fifth in the world rankings. His only prior ATP titles came last year in Sydney, Winston-Salem and Japan and this year in Sofia. His best Grand Slam run came in January with a spot in the fourth round at the Australian Open. His top US Open showing was a berth in last year's third round.

- Roberto Bautista Agut -

The 31-year-old Spaniard is enjoying a breakthrough year and hoping to reach his first Grand Slam final in the season's final major tournament. Bautista Agut cracked the ATP world top 10 for the first time on Monday by reaching 10th in the rankings. He reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final at this year's Australian Open, losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas, and his first Grand Slam semi-final at Wimbledon, losing to eventual champion Djokovic. In his US Open tuneups, he lost quarter-final matches at Montreal and Cincinnati.

Five women to watch at the US Open tennis tournament that begins Monday at Flushing Meadows:

- Naomi Osaka -

Top-ranked defending champion Osaka, a 21-year-old from Japan, defeated Serena Williams in last year's US Open final but dubbed the experience "bittersweet" after Williams received a game penalty in a dispute with the umpire and Osaka was booed during the match and award ceremony. Osaka went on the win this year's Australian Open title, becoming the first player since Williams in 2015 to win back-to-back Slam singles crowns.

- Ashleigh Barty -

Second-ranked Barty, a 23-year-old Australian, captured her first Grand Slam title at this year's French Open. She became the first Australian to lift the trophy at Roland Garros since Margaret Court in 1973. Barty won two other titles this year, taking the Miami hardcourt crown and Birmingham trophy on grass. She made a fourth-round exit at Wimbledon last month after having become only the second Aussie world number one after Evonne Goolagong Cawley.

- Simona Halep -

The 27-year-old Romanian defeated Serena Williams in last month's Wimbledon final, dominating the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion after having dropped nine of their 10 prior meetings. It was the second Grand Slam title for Halep, who won the 2018 French Open. Her best US Open result came in a 2015 semi-final run. She arrives in New York ranked fourth in the world.

- Serena Williams -

The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion makes another bid to match Australian Margaret Court's all-time record. The 37-year-old American is ranked eighth in the world. Williams shares the Open Era-record of six US Open singles crowns with Chris Evert. She has also won seven Australian Opens, seven Wimbledon crowns and three French Open titles. Williams has not won any Grand Slam singles crown since the 2017 Australian Open and since becoming a mother during the 2017 US Open. Her longest singles title drought at any Slam is at the US Open, which she last won in 2014. She was upset by Italy's Roberta Vinci in the 2015 US Open semi-finals and by Karolina Pliskova in the 2016 US Open semis. She missed the 2017 US Open giving birth to baby daughter Alexis but returned in 2018 and reached the final, only to fall to Osaka after being penalized a game by umpire Carlos Ramos.

- Madison Keys -

The 24-year-old American won last week's WTA Cincinnati title, jumping eight spots to 10th in the world rankings, three shy of her career high and back in the top 10 for the first time since June 2018. Keys defeated Slam winners Garbine Muguruza, Venus Williams, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Halep on the way to the Cincy crown. She reached her only Grand Slam singles final at the 2017 US Open, losing to Sloane Stephens, and last year lost a US Open semi-final to eventual champion Osaka.