Alexander Zverev has edged Novak Djokovic and Arthur Fils in terms of votes by the Sky Sports Tennis panel for the 2026 US Open favourite while defending champion Carlos Alcaraz received only one vote.

With world No 1 Jannik Sinner missing from the main draw at Flushing Meadows due to a knee injury, Zverev takes over as the top seed ahead of defending champion Carlos Alcaraz with Felix Auger-Aliassime and Novak Djokovic the next two names on the list.

Alcaraz would under normal circumstances be the heavy favourite to win a third title in New York, but these are not normal circumstances for the world No 3 as he has not played a competitive singles match since April.

The seven-time Grand Slam winner injured his wrist at the Barcelona Open and was forced to miss the French Open and Wimbledon, but his medical team have given him the all-clear to play at the US Open.

But he is not the favourite to win the title, according to the Sky Sports pundits, as three of the six have gone with Zverev while two went with Novak Djokovic, two with Felix Auger-Aliassime and only Naomi Cavaday picked Alcaraz.

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“Surely he’s the favourite coming into the tournament!? As long as he’s fit and healthy then I think he’s going to be absolutely fine,” she said.

“Almost always with the multiple Slam champions, whether it’s been Serena Williams or Rafael Nadal, or whoever it is… whenever they turn up, you go ‘Oh yeah, they’re just exactly how they’ve always been’. Maybe it takes a match or two to get there, but I’m confident he’s going to be great.”

Zverev, who won the French Open in June, got the nod from Tim Henman, Laura Robson and Martina Navratilova.

Former British No 1 Henman stated: “He’s gone up a level since winning his first Grand Slam title at the French Open and I reflect on his improvements in the last 12 months.

“He’s so much more aggressive, proactive, taking the ball on from the back of the court. His serve is so consistent and I think this is so much more wide open because Jannik Sinner is not here and Carlos Alcaraz is coming back from a long injury lay-off so I think he has confidence to take advantage.”

Ryan Harrison and Marion Bartoli went with Djokovic despite his poor form recently as he heads into the US Open on the back of a second-round defeat at the Cincinnati Open.

“I think it’s a great opportunity. He’s had a couple of losses and didn’t look amazing in Cincinnati but if you look at the way he’s played at the majors,” Harrison said.

“I’m throwing out the one on clay because clay has never been his favourite surface but if you look at his last hardcourt major he made the Australian Open final and was a set up on Carlos Alcaraz. I think Novak goes all the way!”

Fils is the form player as he won the Cincinnati Open in the lead-up to the season-ending Grand Slam and he was backed by Naomi Broady and Jonathan Overend.

“Cincinnati has been a pretty good marker for form but it’s a wild prediction, asking him to go seven best-of-five matches so relatively fresh from his injury, having missed so many Grand Slams,” Overend said of the Frenchman.

“Could he win this US Open? In the absence of Sinner and the uncertainty of Alcaraz he’s absolutely in the conversation.”