After an entertaining season filled with dominant performances, skyrocketing superstars and an irregular quantity of floor adjustments, we have lastly made it to the final Grand Slam event of the yr. And belief us after we say: The 2024 US Open may very well be one to recollect.
Whereas Rafael Nadal will not be competing in New York this yr, there are nonetheless so many gamers and storylines to observe. From newly minted Olympic gold medalist Novak Djokovic’s quest to win his first main of the season and record-breaking twenty fifth general, to Coco Gauff’s protection mission and the collective hopes for the American males to cease the now-21-year Slam title drought, there can be no scarcity of drama or compelling themes.
Here is every part you want to know concerning the event earlier than the principle draw will get underway on Monday in Flushing Meadows.
Novak’s wild yr
To say it has been a roller-coaster season for Novak Djokovic is perhaps the understatement of, nicely, the season. After successful the 2023 US Open — and tying Margaret Courtroom’s long-standing file of 24 main titles — Djokovic had large goals for 2024. But it surely hasn’t gone to plan. Whereas he had publicly stated he needed to win all 4 Slams and Olympic gold, Djokovic misplaced within the semifinals on the Australian Open after which did not win a title, of any type, till the Olympics earlier this month.
Djokovic tore the meniscus in his proper knee in the course of the French Open, forcing him to withdraw forward of his quarterfinal match. He had surgical procedure days later, returning with a knee brace in time for Wimbledon. There, he reached the ultimate earlier than shedding to Carlos Alcaraz. Then the 37-year-old Djokovic bought his season again on observe with a powerful run in Paris on the Olympic Video games, defeating Alcaraz within the last and claiming his first-ever gold medal. He later instructed reporters the achievement was the “largest sporting success I’ve ever had in my profession.”
So now, with the elusive Olympic {hardware} lastly secured, Djokovic returns to New York with maybe essentially the most confidence he is had all season after enjoying some actually phenomenal tennis in opposition to Alcaraz simply weeks in the past. Opting to skip defending his title in Cincinnati this month for a correct celebration in his native Serbia, the No. 2-ranked Djokovic is now on-site and searching for his fifth US Open title.
Novak is again.
Welcome, @DjokerNole! pic.twitter.com/x6CHKKPcwa
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 20, 2024
Again-to-back for Coco?
Coco Gauff gained her first main title final yr on the US Open and has since change into a world famous person. The 20-year-old even carried the American flag in the course of the opening ceremony on the Olympics and is at the moment featured on her very personal Wheaties field.
However on the court docket, this season has been bumpy. After opening the yr with the title at Auckland, Gauff has but to win one other event. She reached the semifinals at each the Australian Open and the French Open — and gained the doubles title at Roland Garros with Katerina Siniakova. However the previous few months have been difficult. Final summer time, she dominated on the arduous court docket, successful the Washington Open and Cincinnati in 2023 along with the US Open. This yr, she has a 1-2 file after the Olympics and misplaced in her opening-round match in Cincinnati. Now Gauff arrives in New York trying to rediscover her type on the floor and seize her second main title.
It will not be straightforward. Gauff will face Varvara Gracheva within the first spherical and will probably face Elina Svitolina within the third spherical and Emma Navarro within the fourth. However she may have the raucous crowd on her facet, and he or she is aware of what it takes to win in New York.
Dwelling-court benefit?
Gauff is certainly one of a number of People with a respectable likelihood to emerge victorious on the finish of the fortnight. In reality, for the primary time since October 1996 — greater than seven years earlier than Gauff was born — there are 5 American ladies and 5 American males ranked within the high 20 within the WTA and ATP rankings.
Along with Gauff, who’s at the moment ranked No. 3, Jessica Pegula is No. 6, Danielle Collins is No. 11, Navarro is No. 13 and Madison Keys is No. 14. Few arrive in New York with as a lot momentum as Pegula, who simply gained her second straight title on the Canadian Open after which reached the ultimate in Cincinnati the next week.
And since, nicely, tennis, and something can occur, fellow countrywomen Taylor Townsend and Amanda Anisimova are additionally price keeping track of because the event will get underway. Townsend is ranked a career-high No. 46 after a monumental summer time that noticed her attain the quarterfinals on the Canadian Open and the spherical of 16 in Cincinnati — coming via qualifying in each occasions. She additionally gained the doubles titles at Wimbledon and the Washington Open.
In her two hard-court tournaments, Anisimova, at the moment ranked No. 49, reached the quarterfinals on the Washington Open after which made the ultimate in Toronto, the place she misplaced to Pegula in three units. Anisimova, who took a break from the game in 2023, instructed reporters after the match that she hoped to additional her momentum.
“I used to be attempting my greatest, I attempted completely different recreation plans, nevertheless it did not work in my favor at this time, so simply going to attempt to study from it,” Anisimova stated. “I feel it was an amazing expertise and an amazing alternative I had at this time to be in a last, so, yeah, I feel that on the finish of the day I can simply take away that I performed an incredible participant … and I am simply going to go from there and construct on this.”
Anisimova must carry her greatest tennis from the beginning, as she is slated to tackle 2024 Olympic gold medalist Qinwen Zheng within the first spherical.
On the lads’s facet, Taylor Fritz (No. 12), Ben Shelton (No. 13), Tommy Paul (No. 14), Sebastian Korda (No. 16) and Frances Tiafoe (No. 20) will all be trying to snap the foremost title drought for American males, which is now sufficiently old to drink alcohol. Andy Roddick was the final countryman to win a Slam singles title, which he did on the US Open in 2003.
However this yr — and particularly this event — is perhaps the most effective likelihood in a while to reverse fortunes for the lads of the purple, white and blue. Korda gained the title on the Washington Open and reached the semifinals in Montreal. Shelton, a 2023 US Open semifinalist, superior to the ultimate 4 on the Washington Open. Tiafoe, a 2022 US Open semifinalist, did as nicely in Washington, D.C., and he adopted that up by making the ultimate in Cincinnati with a powerful semifinal victory over Holger Rune (together with one of many wildest factors of the summer time).
It had EVERYTHING 👍
The primary assembly between @FTiafoe and @holgerrune2003 is already delivering! #CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/Kxk6l3RUcy
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 19, 2024
And whereas Fritz and Paul — who each reached the quarters at Wimbledon this yr — have not fared fairly as nicely on the arduous courts this month, the 2 gained a bronze medal collectively in Paris and will discover their type at precisely the best time with the gang firmly behind them.
The favorites
Whereas the People will definitely have the help of the gang and can be getting a big share of the eye and present court docket scheduling, technically none of them is among the many oddsmakers’ favorites to win both the lads’s or ladies’s crowns.
For the lads, along with Djokovic, these can be Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. Alcaraz gained the French Open and Wimbledon earlier this summer time, along with his Olympic silver medal, and is the 2022 US Open champion. The 21-year-old was upset in his opening-round match at Cincinnati — his lone hard-court warmup occasion — by Gael Monfils, nevertheless it’s arduous to assume he will not up his stage as soon as the US Open will get underway.
The No. 3 seed on the event, Alcaraz is in the identical half of the draw as Sinner (and Daniil Medvedev), and they might probably meet within the semifinals.
Sinner, the present world No. 1 and reigning Australian Open champion, missed the Olympics on account of tonsillitis however seems to be again to full well being. He reached the quarterfinals on the Canadian Open after which gained the title in Cincinnati earlier this week. Throughout his run in Ohio, the 23-year-old defeated Andrey Rublev and Alexander Zverev earlier than beating Tiafoe within the last 7-6 (4), 6-2.
Whereas clearly a power on the arduous court docket, Sinner will seemingly be dealing with a slew of questions and scrutiny following the revelation this week that he examined constructive for a banned substance throughout two drug exams in March. As a result of the violation was in the end discovered to be “not intentional,” Sinner has not been suspended and stays within the draw — and the highest seed — on the US Open. However do not be stunned to listen to questions concerning the exams, feedback from his friends and even heckles from the at all times demure, at all times aware New York crowd.
Cannot think about what each different participant that bought banned for contaminated substances is feeling proper now
— Denis Shapovalov (@denis_shapo) August 20, 2024
Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek are the betting favorites for the ladies’s title. Sabalenka, the two-time defending Australian Open champion and 2023 US Open runner-up, is contemporary off the title at Cincinnati — and a powerful 6-3, 6-3 victory over Swiatek within the semifinals — and has a 9-2 file this summer time on the floor. She returned to No. 2 within the rankings and can look to experience her momentum again to the ultimate in New York. Sabalenka will face a qualifier in her opener.
Swiatek, the world No. 1 and 2022 US Open champion, gained her fifth main title on the French Open in June however hasn’t lived as much as her lofty (learn: sky excessive) requirements since. She misplaced within the third spherical at Wimbledon after which settled for the bronze medal on the Olympics. Cincinnati marked her solely hard-court occasion earlier than arriving in New York. Nonetheless, regardless of her difficult stretch (once more, maybe solely by her requirements), if anybody can discover a option to win, it is Swiatek.
Swiatek, who additionally will play a qualifier in her first-round match, would meet Sabalenka or Gauff solely within the last, however nonetheless would face some powerful challenges with a view to get there. Mirra Andreeva, the 17-year-old rising star who reached the semifinals on the French Open, is a possible fourth-round opponent, and Pegula or Collins might await within the quarters. Jasmine Paolini, a French Open and Wimbledon finalist this yr, is a potential semifinal foe, as is Elena Rybakina or Jelena Ostapenko.
Main farewell
As a result of the US Open is the final main of the yr, it additionally marks the ultimate Slam for a number of gamers who introduced that the 2024 season can be their last one on tour.
Maybe nobody has generated extra headlines for her resolution than Collins, 30, who made the announcement on the Australian Open. Since then, she has gained two titles (Miami and Charleston), returned to the highest 10 and made her first Olympic crew. However whereas she continues to subject questions on reconsidering her resolution, she stays steadfast about her impending retirement.
“I need to exit actually enjoying on a excessive stage, and I would like individuals to recollect me for the tennis that I used to be enjoying,” Collins instructed ESPN forward of the French Open. “Some gamers are nearly compelled into retirement, on account of an harm after which falling out of the highest 100, and that defines the top of their profession. This has been actually empowering in the way in which that I have been capable of make the choice to retire by myself phrases and have the power to decide on. I might select to proceed to play, however I am selecting to retire.”
After struggling an stomach pressure, Collins was compelled to overlook the tournaments in Toronto and Cincinnati however returned this week in Monterrey. She misplaced in her opening-round match to Erika Andreeva, however irrespective of how she fares in Queens, count on various “Come on!” screams and an adoring ovation from the gang.
Collins’ fellow countrywoman and Billie Jean King Cup teammate Shelby Rogers introduced she can be retiring from tennis following the US Open. The 31-year-old Rogers, who reached a profession excessive of No. 30 and was a 2020 US Open quarterfinalist, shared her resolution with a publish on social media on Friday.
“My coronary heart will at all times love this sport, and I hope I can cross alongside some inspiration to the subsequent era of gamers to dream large and continue to grow the attractive recreation of tennis,” Rogers wrote. “I’m very a lot trying ahead to this subsequent chapter of my life … however I can not wait to see y’all in NY for yet one more US Open!”
Let’s go yet one more time! @usopen 💞🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/l24GsN9dr2
— Shelby Rogers (@Shelby_Rogers_) August 23, 2024
Dominic Thiem, the 2020 US Open champion and former world No. 3, has struggled for the previous few seasons with a wrist harm and can be hanging up his racket after an occasion in Vienna in October. Receiving a wild card for entry, Thiem, 30, will play his last main on the website of his largest profession triumph. His run is perhaps short-lived, although, as he’ll face Shelton within the first spherical.
And Donald Younger, a much-hyped American because the top-ranked junior participant on the earth who later peaked at No. 38 within the skilled ranks, will formally retire from the game following a combined doubles look with Townsend. Younger, 35, has transitioned to pickleball lately, however Townsend stated this is able to be his “final hurrah” in an interview with the WTA. Townsend’s first coach was Younger’s father, Donald Sr., and he or she stated partnering with Younger for his last occasion was a no brainer.
“He is retiring so he requested me to play,” Townsend stated. “I used to be like, you are the explanation I believed I might play any type of professional tennis, as a result of he is the closest I used to be round to it. It could be an honor for me to play with you and share the court docket for you in your retirement.”
The 2 reached the semifinals collectively on the US Open in 2014. Will they be capable of re-create that very same magic a decade later? Keep tuned.
Champions return
Whereas Thiem is searching for a becoming farewell, and another returning champions, similar to Djokovic, Gauff, Alcaraz and Swiatek, need to safe extra {hardware} in the course of the event, different former winners are simply trying to get again on observe.
Naomi Osaka, who gained in 2018 and 2020, is again after lacking the 2023 event following the delivery of her daughter. The previous No. 1 returned to competitors at the beginning of the season and has been attempting to regain her type all yr. She has had some resurgent performances (together with a blockbuster showdown with Swiatek on the French Open) however has but to advance previous the quarterfinals of any event.
After the loss to Swiatek in Paris, Osaka stated the match gave her confidence to play Swiatek later within the season, and for the US Open.
“I am a hard-court child, so I might like to play her on my floor and see what occurs,” she stated. “Yeah, I additionally stated in Australia that I am sort of setting myself up for September anyway.”
Osaka, who reached the second spherical in Toronto after which misplaced in qualifying in Cincinnati, revealed in a candid Instagram publish that she had been struggling just lately on the court docket however hoped she would determine it out quickly.
“My largest subject at the moment is not losses although, my largest subject is that I do not really feel like I am in my physique,” she wrote. “It is a unusual feeling, lacking balls I should not miss, hitting balls softer than I keep in mind I used to. I attempt to inform myself, ‘It is positive, you are doing nice, simply get via this one and hold pushing.’ Mentally it is actually draining although. Internally I hear myself screaming, ‘What the hell is going on?!?!'”
Osaka may have little time to ease into the event as she faces the always-challenging Ostapenko, the No. 10 seed, within the first spherical.
Medvedev, the 2021 victor, reached the ultimate in Melbourne to begin the yr and the semifinals at Wimbledon, however he additionally has had some points on arduous court docket, his most popular floor, and misplaced his opening matches in each Montreal and Cincinnati. A fan favourite in New York, Medvedev is unquestionably hoping to seek out one other gear below the intense lights.
Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 champion, and Emma Raducanu, the 2021 champion, are additionally trying to recapture their former glory. Neither has gained a title since their respective runs in New York. Andreescu shared a few of her journey from the 2019 title to the current in a bit for the Gamers’ Tribune this week.
“There was a time after I misplaced my pleasure in tennis. However I discovered it once more,” Andreescu wrote. “And I realized that I’ll at all times love tennis deep in my coronary heart, it doesn’t matter what. It has given me a lot. A lot that each time I go away the tunnel and step out onto the court docket, I at all times really feel a little bit of that magic from earlier than. I nonetheless assume that something is feasible.”
Olympic woes
It has been an extended season, and the previous few months have seen gamers go from the arduous court docket to the clay to the grass, after which again to clay for the Olympics, after which — with simply days in between for some — again to the arduous court docket. It is a problem for even the most effective of gamers, as every floor has completely different traits and requires quite a lot of changes and techniques. Swiatek complained concerning the schedule in an interview with Sky Sports activities final week in Cincinnati. “It isn’t our resolution however for positive I feel we now have too many tournaments within the season,” Swiatek stated. “It isn’t going to finish nicely.”
“It isn’t going to finish nicely!” 🤷♀️
Iga Swiatek offers her opinion on the busy schedule of a tennis participant 🗨 pic.twitter.com/80R4tZBa3h
— Sky Sports activities Tennis (@SkySportsTennis) August 17, 2024
Different gamers, like Korda, Sabalenka and Tiafoe, even cited the extra floor change and the extremely tight schedule as their cause for skipping the Olympics this yr.
“I felt this yr that I simply wanted to only play on the arduous courts,” Korda stated in the course of the Washington Open. “It is an vital time of the yr for me. I haven’t got numerous factors additionally to defend. Simply needed to be house.
“I used to be in Europe for shut to a few months, I feel over three months. Yeah, simply needed to be house, play a event in the US, simply attempt to play higher for the remainder of the yr.”
It will likely be attention-grabbing to see how gamers who selected to return to the Parisian clay and miss the start of the hard-court season fare compared to those that switched to the floor after Wimbledon, and it’ll definitely be a speaking level all through the event.
