With the
US Open just weeks away, several stats have emerged showing that World No.1's
Carlos Alcaraz and
Iga Swiatek should still be the favorites to claim the trophy regardless of their ranking.
Although both are at the top of their respective rankings, are defending champions and have each won a Grand Slam title already this year, history suggests they should be favorites for a different reason.
Completing a specific double Grand Slam victory indicates success at the US Open
Since 1988, when the Australian Open shifted to hardcourts, a trend has emerged when players win multiple Grand Slams in one season. Women win Roland Garros and the US Open in the same year more often than any other combination of major titles. For men, the Wimbledon-US Open double is most common.
In both cases, these doubles have been achieved by more players, in more seasons, than any other combination. Last season, Swiatek achieved this double when she won Roland Garros and then the US Open a few years later. She became just the sixth WTA player to do this since 1988, after Steffi Graf, Monica Seles, Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, Serena Williams and Justine Henin.
On the men's side, Novak Djokovic was the most recent man to achieve the Wimbledon-US Open double in 2018. The Serbian became the fifth man to scoop these two Grand Slam titles in one year, after Boris Becker, Pete Sampras (twice), Roger Federer (four times) and Nadal. In 2023, it will be Alcaraz looking to replicate this trend, backing up his triumph at Wimbledon last month with a second US Open title.