Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic moved up four places to number six in the world following his win at Cincinnati. In this picture, Djokovic of Serbia poses with the winner's trophy after defeating Roger Federer of Switzerland during the men's final of the Western & Southern Open at Lindner Family Tennis Center on August 19, 2018 in Mason, Ohio. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Novak Djokovic is the talk of the ATP Tour at the moment after his win at the Cincinnati Masters on Sunday. He defeated Roger Federer in straight sets to become the first player to win all nine Masters Series events.

The Serbian confirmed he has returned to his best with a dominating display to win his second title of the year – the first was at the Wimbledon Championships in July. He is now expected to join Rafael Nadal and Federer, who turned back the clock to surprise the tennis world in 2017 when they returned to number one and two in the world respectively, as the favorites for the upcoming tournaments in 2018.

Djokovic moved up four places to number six in the ATP men’s singles ranking – and after his win at Cincinnati, he is certain to be among the favorites to lift the trophy under the lights at Flushing Meadows in New York.

The US Open gets underway Aug. 27 and for the first time since 2015, all 14 active previous US Open winners – men’s and women’s singles – will be playing the tournament. Greg Rusedski, a former world number four, has nominated Djokovic ahead of defending champion Nadal and Federer as the favorite to win his second Grand Slam of the year.

Federer, he believes, has the least chance among the three to win the title in New York, after struggling to win a title since his triumph at the Stuttgart Open in June. Nadal made the semi-finals of Wimbledon, where he lost to Djokovic, but went on to win the Rogers Cup in Toronto, his first Masters Series title since 2013, putting him in good stead ahead of the US Open.

Rusedski, however, is not writing off the Swiss tennis legend, who is known to pick up his game for the major tournaments, and no one has a better record than him at Flushing Meadows.

"I'd go Djokovic, Nadal and then Federer. I do still think he has got a shot to win it,” Rusedski told Sky Sports.

"At the Grand Slams he finds a way to lift his level so don't discount him. He is probably going to get better (prior to the tournament). Yes he hasn't won the US Open in many years (since 2008) but he is healthy.

"Last year everybody thought he had a chance to win the US Open and his back went out in Montreal and he wasn't really the same. This year he at least comes in healthy,” the former US Open finalist explained.

Nadal will be seeded number one at the US Open, while Federer will be on the opposite end of the draw owing to his number two ranking. However, Djokovic’s number six ranking could see him face one of the two before the final, and both the players will be keen to avoid having the Serbian in their half of the draw.

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