The serve arrives first, then the forehand, and by the time an opponent has read either the point is usually gone. That template carried Marin Cilic through a fortnight in New York in 2014 that still feels slightly improbable. He beat Roger Federer in a straight-sets semi-final and then took the trophy apart in the final, dismissing Kei Nishikori without conceding a set. It was his lone major, and he wore it lightly, a big Croatian who happened to be devastating on the days his rhythm held.
He should, on the balance of chances, have won more. The 2017 Wimbledon final was lost to Federer with a torn blister and a tearful medical timeout; the 2018 Australian Open final went five long sets, again to Federer, again just short. That run pushed him to a career high of world No. 3 in January 2018. What followed was a slower story of knees and comebacks, one of 21 career titles a reminder that longevity, in this sport, is its own kind of talent. Even Novak Djokovic knew the feeling of walking into that serve on the wrong afternoon.
Thirty-three. That is how many places Nikoloz Basilashvili climbed in the new ATP rankings, from No. 128 to No. 95, a 34-year-old who began the week in qualifying and ends it back inside the top 100. Tallon Griekspoor and Jan Lennard Struff both moved into the top 50 on the same indoor swing.
Ranking taleFour. That is how many US Open titles Novak Djokovic has already won, and the draw made on 27 August 2026 puts him on course to meet Carlos Alcaraz, the defending champion who also won the title in 2022, in the semi-final. Both are seeded in the same half of the 128-player field; play starts on 30 August.
Draw tale