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A once heated rivalry gets renewed Sunday afternoon in New York, as Novak Djokovic takes on Juan Martin del Potro in the 2018 US Open final.
The match is scheduled to start at about 4 p.m. ET and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN. If you don’t have cable or can’t get to a TV, you can still watch a live stream of the game (or DVR it) on your computer, phone or streaming device by signing up for one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
In addition to a Netflix-like on-demand streaming library, Hulu also offers a bundle of 50-plus live TV channels, including all the ESPN channels. You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Hulu app.
If you can’t watch live, “Hulu with Live TV” also comes with 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
ESPN and ESPN 2 are both included in the “Sling Orange” channel package. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Sling TV app.
If you can’t watch live, you can get 50 hours of cloud DVR storage as an additional add-on.
ESPN Platforms
Additionally, you can also watch a live stream of the game on your computer via ESPN.com, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. You’ll need to log in to a cable provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have that, you can still sign up for one of the above options and then use your Hulu or Sling TV credentials to sign in and watch on the ESPN digital platforms.
Preview
Del Potro’s last–and only–appearance in a Grand Slam final was at this tournament in 2009, which he won. Since then, Djokovic has appeared in 20 major finals and won 12 of them.
So yeah, there’s a bit of discrepancy when it comes to experience in these matches. But we saw perhaps the biggest discrepancy of experience ever during the women’s final on Saturday afternoon, and it was 20-year-old Naomi Osaka who came out on top against the GOAT Serena Williams, so that’s hardly enough reason to write of Del Potro, who has obviously been playing extremely well this tournament.
“He’s a smart player. He prepares his tactics well,” Djokovic said. “He always relies, of course, on the first big serve and big forehand, one of the biggest forehands ever in the history of this game. Down the line, hit across, any angle. That’s the big weapon.”
Djokovic and Del Potro have quite the history. Though Djoker leads the head-to-head matchup 14-4, including a 3-0 record in Grand Slams two straight-set victories (2007, 2012) at the US Open, Del Potro has come up with some massive wins against the Serbian. He beat Djokovic at both the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, each time going on to win a medal while Djokovic of one, and he beat Djokovic (7-6, 3-0 Retire) in a 2011 Davis Cup match that propelled Argentina to the finals.
Still, Djokovic is the favorite for a reason. After battling an elbow injury for much of 2017 and the first-half of 2018, Djokovic broke through for his fourth Wimbledon title in July, and now he’s arguably playing even better. He began the tournament off a little slow, dropping a set against both Marton Fucsovics and Tennys Sandgren, but he hasn’t lost a set since and was absolutely dominant against Kei Nishikori in the semifinals.
Nishikori. “Djokovic is playing better in every aspect when compared to Wimbledon”.
All-in-all, this stacks up as an extremely compelling final for the year’s last major. Can Djokovic capture Grand Slam title No. 14, which would equal him with Pete Sampras for the third-most ever? Or will Del Potro again serve as the thorn in the Serbian’s side to win his second US Open?
Either way, with both on the top of their game, it should be a fascinating battle to watch.
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