| Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York Dates: 29 August-11 September |
| Protection: Each day stay textual content and radio commentaries throughout the BBC Sport web site, app and BBC Radio 5 Reside |
American nice Serena Williams’ impending farewell to the court docket will understandably seize many of the consideration when an intriguing US Open full of storylines begins on Monday.
British teenager Emma Raducanu’s defence of the ladies’s singles is one other fascinating proposition, whereas British males’s primary Cameron Norrie tries to again up his run to the Wimbledon semi-finals with one other robust run at a serious.
Spain’s Rafael Nadal has solely performed as soon as since pulling out of Wimbledon via harm however has the possibility to increase his males’s singles file of twenty-two main titles with nearest rival Novak Djokovic not allowed to play.
The 35-year-old Serb, who’s one main title adrift, is unvaccinated towards Covid-19 and isn’t allowed to enter the US in consequence.
Going into the ultimate Grand Slam event of the 12 months, BBC Sport runs via the most important speaking factors in New York.
How lengthy will Serena’s farewell final?
Just one place to start out: the top of Serena Williams as a tennis participant.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion, who turns 41 subsequent month, says she is “evolving” away from enjoying tennis and this would be the ultimate event of her glittering profession.
Whereas reticent to make use of the phrase ‘retirement’ that’s what the American is planning on doing. It means there may be set to be an emotional farewell on Arthur Ashe Stadium when the six-time champion walks off for what she anticipates would be the ultimate time.
However when will that be? A deep run within the singles seems unlikely and eventually touchdown that record-equalling twenty fourth main title would nearly be a shock of Raducanu proportions.
She can also be enjoying within the ladies’s doubles alongside older sister Venus after they obtained a wildcard.
Williams has solely performed 5 singles matches this 12 months, together with a first-round thrashing by Raducanu in Cincinnati final week, and performs Montenegro’s world quantity 80 Danka Kovinic in Monday’s evening session on Arthur Ashe Stadium (00:00 BST, Tuesday)
A knee harm had hampered her preparation for the event and pushed the first-round match towards the Briton again to Tuesday after initially being scheduled for Monday.
Williams did seem like transferring higher in her practices at Flushing Meadows on Arthur Ashe Stadium this week, however it should attention-grabbing to see what degree she is at when she faces Kovinic.
| Arthur Ashe Stadium (from 17:00 BST): | Louis Armstrong Stadium: |
| Day session from 17:00 BST | Day session from 16:00 BST |
| Daniil Medvedev (Rus) [1] v Stefan Kozlov (US) | Francisco Cerundolo (Arg) [24] v Andy Murray (GB) |
| Leolia Jeanjean (Fra) v Coco Gauff (US) [12] | Simona Halep (Rom) [7] v Daria Snigur (Ukr) |
| Madison Keys (US) [20] v Dayana Yastremska (Ukr) | |
| Night time session from 00:00 BST, Tues | Night time session from 00:00 BST, Tues |
| Danka Kovinic (Mne) v Serena Williams (US) | Stefanos Tsitsipas (Gre) [4] v Daniel Elahi Galan (Col) |
| Nick Kyrgios (Aus) [23] v Thanasi Kokkinakis (Aus) | Leylah Fernandez (Can) [14] v Oceane Dodin (Fra) |
What form is Raducanu in going into her title defence?
This time final 12 months, Raducanu was an 18-year-old novice getting ready for her first abroad Grand Slam look after battling via qualifying.
Now a family title, scrutiny has been sharp ever since because the world watches her growth with intrigue.
Understandably, it has been a testing switch onto the WTA Tour for the teen, whose pre-season preparation was ruined by catching Covid and hampered since by niggling accidents.
However, as we noticed in Cincinnati, the fast US hard-courts appear to deliver the most effective out of the world quantity 11.
Raducanu backed up the victory towards Williams with one other beautiful win towards Victoria Azarenka, additionally a former world primary, and each performances have been paying homage to the assured, scientific type which led her to victory in New York.
There was a actuality examine within the subsequent spherical, nevertheless, when she performed effectively however couldn’t outplay American world quantity eight Jessica Pegula.
Extra considerations about her health got here at Flushing Meadows on Friday, though she insisted a wrist harm was not critical.
Raducanu, who begins on Tuesday with a tricky draw towards France’s Alize Cornet, seemed in a lot better form when she practised towards Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina on Saturday.
What concerning the different Brits?
By rating and type, it’s seventh seed Cameron Norrie who leads the British hopes.
The 26-year-year-old left-hander made his breakthrough at a serious with a run to the Wimbledon semi-finals and has continued his good type by reaching the Los Cabos ultimate and Cincinnati semi-finals.
Norrie has moved into the highest eight seeds at Flushing Meadows, which implies he can not face a higher-ranked opponent till the quarter-finals ought to he get there.
Former world primary Andy Murray is outdoors of the seeds after successful three of his seven matches since arriving in North America to construct up for the most important he received in thrilling type in 2012.
Dan Evans is seeded at a career-high twentieth as he seems to higher final 12 months’s run to the fourth spherical, whereas 20-year-old Jack Draper makes his debut in the primary draw of an abroad main after transferring to the verge of the world’s high 50.
Former British primary Kyle Edmund is enjoying his first main singles occasion for nearly two years having been out with a knee harm, whereas 26-year-old Harriet Dart has direct entry into the draw for the primary time after cracking the world’s high 100 this 12 months.
World primary Joe Salisbury and his American accomplice Rajeev Ram are the highest seeds within the males’s doubles as they appear to defend their title, whereas Neal Skupski – who has received six titles this 12 months alongside Dutchman Wesley Koolhof and ranked third on the planet – can also be among the many favourites.
Within the wheelchair occasions, Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid will workforce up of their bid for a sixth successive US Open doubles crown, in addition to competing within the singles. Lucy Shuker competes in each ladies’s occasions, whereas two-time US Open quad singles and four-time quad doubles champion Andy Lapthorne will go for extra success at Flushing Meadows this 12 months.
Who’re the opposite ladies’s contenders?
World primary Iga Swiatek stays the standout participant of the season, though her dominance has light since her 37-match successful streak was ended at Wimbledon.
Swiatek, 21, has received 4 of her previous eight matches and, with success on laborious courts earlier this 12 months, remains to be thought-about the favorite.
The key house hope is Coco Gauff. The 18-year-old American reached her first main ultimate when she misplaced to Swiatek at Roland Garros and her type on the American laborious courts – quarter-final appearances in San Jose and Toronto – have been encouraging.
Pegula, 28, can also be one of many in-form gamers on the WTA Tour and after reaching two main quarter-finals this season – plus the Madrid ultimate, together with Miami and Toronto semi-finals – may fancy her possibilities of a deep run in New York.
Two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep received the Toronto title earlier this month and is again into the world’s high 10, whereas France’s Cincinnati champion Caroline Garcia and Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia – who misplaced to Halep within the Canadian Open ultimate – are available on scorching streaks.
Greek third seed Maria Sakkari will likely be hoping to go additional after reaching the semi-finals final 12 months, whereas Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina is seeded twenty fifth as a result of rating factors weren’t awarded on the All England Membership.
Can Nadal capitalise on Djokovic’s absence?
Djokovic moved to inside one main title of Nadal by successful his sixth Wimbledon title in July, however misses the chance to degree with the Spaniard in New York.
Nadal, 36, says it’s “very unhappy information” that his rival can not play, though it strengthens his hopes of a fifth US Open win.
The second seed has solely performed as soon as since pulling out of Wimbledon with an stomach harm, dropping to Croatia’s Borna Coric in Cincinnati, however says he’s enjoying at a “excessive degree of depth” in follow.
“I’m doing issues one of the best ways that I can. I hope to be prepared for the motion,” mentioned Nadal, who performs Australia’s Rinky Hijikata in Tuesday’s evening session on Ashe.
“That is the one factor that I can say. With the instruments that I’ve at the moment, I hope to be aggressive sufficient to offer myself an opportunity.”
What concerning the different males?
Djokovic’s absence, Nadal’s disrupted preparations and a scarcity of latest dominance by others means the boys’s draw is fairly open.
Defending champion Daniil Medvedev is the highest seed and, whereas he often thrives on the North American laborious courts, the 26-year-old has not but hit his peak in a combined bag of type.
After lacking Wimbledon as a result of Russian gamers have been banned, Medvedev returned to win a title in Los Cabos, suffered an early exit in Montreal and was crushed within the Cincinnati semi-finals by Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The draw sees a possible powerful fourth-round assembly with Australia’s Nick Kyrgios, who has been one of many in-form gamers in latest months and was accountable for Medvedev’s loss in Montreal.
In latest months, Kyrgios has appeared extra tuned in to what he should do to achieve success and fulfil his undoubted potential.
That enabled the 27-year-old to succeed in his first Grand Slam ultimate at Wimbledon and he continued his scorching type by successful the Washington title.
Spanish third seed Carlos Alcaraz, who reached the quarter-finals final 12 months, is among the favourites after a surprising 12 months the place the 19-year-old has damaged into the world’s high 5.
A number of of the opposite main seeds – together with Tsitsipas, Norway’s Casper Ruud, American Taylor Fritz and Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta – may come into the equation after respectable runs just lately.
