“If I could pick one thing that he possesses incredibly strongly compared to other players and champions, it is a strong determination to go through difficult stages and win no matter what, year after year,” Marin Cilic, the champion men’s US Open in 2014. , he told CNN Sport. “Hopefully he’ll have a fantastic US Open and the best farewell is to go with the win. [I’m] hoping he will make it.” Since returning to the circuit in June after a year out due to injury, Williams has managed to win just one match and has been unable to match the form that helped her win her last grand slam title in 2017. Even if she can’t achieve a dream final flourish by lifting the title at Flushing Meadows, Williams’ 23 grand slam singles titles will fall as the most of any player in the Open Era and just one shy of Margaret Court’s all-time record. Williams’ greatness is not limited to the singles court, as she has won every Grand Slam doubles title at least twice and won two of the four Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. He has also achieved more than $94 million in on-field earnings. Few tennis players have transcended the sport like Williams and her presence will undoubtedly be missed on Tour. One of the many young talents likely to fill that void is defending US Open champion Emma Raducanu. The teenager stunned the sporting world last year as she became the first qualifier in history to win a grand slam title in just her second appearance in the main draw of a slam. Raducanu and Williams first crossed paths two weeks ago at the Cincinnati Masters, with Raducanu coming out on top in straight sets. However, this was one of just 12 wins for Raducanu in a season plagued by injuries and patchy form. She showed flashes, however, of the player who triumphed at Flushing Meadows last year, notably in her recent demolition of two-time grand slam champion Victoria Azarenka in Cincinnati. Two thousand of the 2,756 ranking points that have Raducanu currently ranked 11th in the world — and 10th in June — came from her US Open victory and failure to come close to defending her crown will see the 19-year-old fall skyrocketing in the WTA world rankings. Raducanu’s run in Cincinnati ended at the hands of world No. 8 Jessica Pegula, but it was a tough match to end a week that will likely give Raducanu a boost of confidence heading into the US Open. Among the stars hoping to take Raducanu’s crown in New York will be Poland’s world No.1 Iga Swiatek, who has won a remarkable six singles titles in 2022. The two-time French Open winner enters the tournament as the bookmakers’ favorite but has only reached the fourth round at Flushing Meadows and has struggled for hard-court form ahead of the US Open. However, Swiatek reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open earlier in the year and won three straight WTA 1000 hard courts earlier in the season, so she undoubtedly has the ability to go all the way in New York.
Rafael Nadal is aiming for No. 23
In the men’s draw, all eyes will be on Rafael Nadal as he looks to add to his men’s record 22 grand slam titles. However, the 36-year-old has played just one match, a first-round loss to Borna Ćorić at the Cincinnati Masters last week, after pulling out of the Wimbledon semi-finals with an abdominal injury, and it remains unclear how fit Nadal is. US Open. “The main thing for me is to stay healthy,” Nadal told reporters after the loss. “It was a difficult injury to be honest. “The last month and a half hasn’t been easy because, with an abdominal tear, you don’t know when (you’ll be) 100 percent on top of it, so that affects me a little bit in terms of not (being) sure if you can do the best possible in every serve.” But New York has been a happy hunt for Nadal over the years, with the Spaniard winning the title on four occasions, most recently in 2019 when he came in a five-set epic against Daniil Medvedev. Russia’s Medvedev, who has been playing under a neutral flag since his country’s invasion of Ukraine, is the betting favorite to lift the trophy and retain the crown he won in 2021 to mark his maiden grand slam victory. The 26-year-old’s solitary title in 2022 came on hard court in Mexico earlier this month, but Medvedev reached the Australian Open final earlier in the year, losing agonizingly after leading in two sets to Nadal. Alexander Zverev, who would have been among the favorites to win, confirmed earlier this week that he was pulling out of the US Open after failing to recover from injury in time. The world No. 2 underwent surgery in June on torn ligaments in his ankle, which he suffered after landing awkwardly in the French Open semi-final against Nadal. Zverev’s absence from the draw sees all those players below him move up a place in the sports, meaning Nadal and Medvedev can now only face each other in the final. Novak Djokovic confirmed on Thursday that he would not be playing at Flushing Meadows in 2022. United States vaccination rules for non-US citizens meant the Serb would not have received a visa to enter the country, so Nole will have to wait at least one more year before returning to the Big Apple. The world No.6 triumphed at Wimbledon earlier this year to win his 21st grand slam title and move into one of Nadal’s long-time rivals, but was unable to play in any of the Tour’s US Open warm-up events in the United States or Canada. . The US Open will be the second grand slam this year that Djokovic will miss due to his unvaccinated status, after his visa was twice revoked before the Australian Open in January. “Unfortunately, I will not be able to travel to New York this time for the US Open,” Djokovic wrote on social media. “Thank you #NoleFam for the messages of love and support. “Good luck to my teammates! I will stay in good shape and positive spirit and look forward to the opportunity to compete again. See you soon tennis world!” With the field wide open, the men’s draw will be exciting – will it be Nadal who equals Serena on 23 grand slam singles titles, or will another rise to reign in New York?
