The biggest ATP storylines to keep an eye on

With a dramatic men’s fortnight at Wimbledon done and dusted, the ATP tour turns to the hard courts in North America.

After a resurgent Novak Djokovic emphatically proved that he isn’t done yet with a title run  in London, and with the top two of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer still threats for every title, there’s plenty of intrigue surrounding the men.

Here are the three biggest storylines to follow on the ATP this summer:

1

Will the resurgence of Djokovic turn into a return to the top?

After two years of struggles and soul-searching both on and off the court, Djokovic showed the world that he is a force to be reckoned with once again.

In particular, winning the match of the Wimbledon fortnight, an epic five-set battle over Nadal, showed that the Serb is fully fit and ready to regain his throne. But will he?

With a big run in New York, where he's a two-time champion, he could improve his ranking dramatically from No. 10.

2

Will Roger and Rafa finally face off in New York?

The past 18 months have been largely ruled by Federer and Nadal. They've won six of the last seven between them, but can one of them take that major dominance to the US Open? Federer is a five-time champion in the Big Apple, but has only made it past the semifinals once since 2009. Nadal is the defending US Open champion, but has only played once on hard courts in 2018.

The Swiss is resting following a disappointing Wimbledon quarterfinal loss to eventual finalist Kevin Anderson. He'll only play Cincinnati, while the key for the world No. 1-ranked Nadal will be staying healthy. What everyone truly wants to see in September is a showdown between the two rivals for the very first time at the US Open, a spectacle that miraculously hasn't happened in 38 meetings.

3

Will the American men’s Grand Slam curse finally end?

It’s been 15 long years since an American man hoisted a Grand Slam trophy. The U.S. men may have thier best chance in New York, in front of a home crowd. American No. 1 John Isner came so close to a first Slam final in a heartbreaking 26-24 fifth set at Wimbledon. He's already back to work, looking for his fifth Atlanta title this weekend.

Sam Querrey, Jack Sock and Steve Johnson will be looking to put their names in that title contenders hat. Querrey in particular has gone deep at a major before, including a quarterfinal run last year. One of the young Americans could step up too, with Frances Tiafoe, Ryan Harrison, Jared Donaldson and Taylor Fritz all primed for a deep US Open run..

The North American hard-court season kicked off earlier this week in Atlanta at the BB&T Atlanta Open and will continue in Washington, D.C. next week at the Citi Open. The US Open Series runs through stops in Toronto, Cincinnati and Winston Salem before ending at the US Open.

ATP & WTA Washington D.C.

Catch all the action from the Citi Open with live coverage from three courts on Tennis Channel Plus beginning Monday, July 30th at 2:00 PM ET. All matches also available on-demand.