US OPEN '19: What to know, from Serena Williams to the Big 3

At first glance, this U.S. Open might appear as unpredictable as any.

From recent injuries to players such as Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka and Simona Halep, to a bit of pre-tournament shakiness from Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, to Rafael Nadal's issues on hard courts, to the group of up-and-coming men's issues at Wimbledon, it's difficult to predict what will unfold at Flushing Meadows over the next two weeks.

And yet this much is clear with main-draw action set to start Monday: If they're healthy, then the expected champions will come from a small group of women that includes Williams, Osaka and Halep and the members of the men's Big Three.

"It seems like the same guys are the favorites again this time around," said Federer, who won five of his men's-record 20 Grand Slam singles championships at the U.S. Open, although the last came in 2008.

"It will be a surprise if anybody else won."
"The years are passing, and she's not getting any younger," said 1994 Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez, who coaches 2016 U.S. Open runner-up Karolina Pliskova. "But she has a shot."
Here is what to know as the U.S. Open starts: BIG 3 STILL BIG
COCO IS BACK Coco Gauff appears in her second major after her captivating run to Wimbledon's Week 2 as a qualifier ranked just 313th. The 15-year-old, who is based in Florida, was granted a wild card by the U.S. Tennis Association into singles and doubles
KYRGIOS ON DISPLAY
"You've just really got to focus on what you're trying to accomplish, your game plan," Johnson said. "He's going to do what he's going to do."
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