WASHINGTON, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- German star Angelique Kerber said on Friday that former world number one Serena Williams is always a favorite to win the US Open, which is set to start next Monday at Flushing Meadows, New York.

"Serena is always a favorite. Because she won the tournament so many times. She knows how to play. She has so much experience playing the big matches on big stages, and I think that this is what she's looking for, to playing big matches in front of the crowd here at home," Kerber said.

"So we will see, but the big tournaments are always a little bit different than the other ones," she added.

Should Williams win the upcoming US Open 2018, she would both equal tennis legend Margaret Court's all-time record of 24 Grand Slams, and become the first woman in the Open Era to win the New York major seven times, breaking her tie with Chris Evert on six titles.